JP2001204750A - Oral cavity image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve such a problem that the adjustment of data is difficult in observation of tooth by a conventional technique where a long period is taken and identifying of each tooth is difficult since one tooth the or plural teeth are observed by locally photographing them. SOLUTION: The oral cavity image pickup device is provided with an image pickup system 5 having at least a solid-state image pickup element 3 and a fisheye object lens 4, an image pickup part holder 1 for holding the system 5 within an oral cavity, and an erroneous insertion preventing guard 8. The system 5 is capable of simultaneously picking up an image of all or a part of the entire dentition and a part of a biological tissue exposed in the oral cavity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an intraoral imaging apparatus used for observing the oral cavity in dentistry.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a video scope using a CCD is used for medical treatment of an affected part in the oral cavity. As such a video scope, there is one such as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-332170, in which the tip is inserted from outside the oral cavity or into the oral cavity to image one or more teeth. .

[0003]

Recently, at the age of 80, two teeth were added.
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and the like are promoting the 8020 movement to leave 0 teeth, and the importance of early detection and treatment of caries has become even more important.
In recent years, the concept of treatment has been shifted from prevention to prevention, and this preventive medical treatment starts with understanding the state of the oral cavity of a patient. As a method for this, a photograph of the oral cavity is taken and stored as a record.

Conventionally, in dental practice, a small-diameter dental mirror was generally used to check the state of the mouth.
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, video scopes using solid-state imaging devices such as CCDs have been increasingly used for informed consent and the like for observing and displaying images on a monitor television to a patient.

In such a video scope, a conventional technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
It is used by holding it with one hand for easy operation for performing local imaging such as observation of one or more lines.

However, when photographing one tooth or a plurality of teeth, it takes time, it is difficult to know which tooth in the dentition is the photographed tooth, and it is difficult to organize data.

[0007] Further, if such a work is performed in a dental checkup at a health center or a school for infants and children, the consultation time is prolonged, which is inefficient.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and easy-to-use intraoral imaging apparatus for imaging the dentition and gingiva at once from the inside of the oral cavity.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 1) is to provide an image pickup means having at least an objective lens and an image pickup element, and to provide the image pickup means in an oral cavity. Holding means for holding the image in the oral cavity, wherein the imaging means can image all or a part of the entire dentition exposed in the oral cavity and a part of the living tissue at once. .

Further, the second invention (corresponding to claim 2)
Comprises an imaging means having at least an objective lens and an imaging element, and a holding means for holding the imaging means in the oral cavity, wherein the holding means is engaged by the upper and lower teeth so that the entire device can be stably engaged. The imaging means is an intra-oral imaging apparatus, wherein the imaging means has a portion, and the occlusal portion of the holding means is bite-engaged by the upper and lower teeth to be arranged in the oral cavity.

Further, a third aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 3)
Comprises a plurality of imaging means having at least an objective lens and an imaging element, and holding means for holding the imaging means in an oral cavity, wherein the plurality of imaging elements are arranged in different directions from each other. It is an intraoral imaging device.

Further, the fourth invention (corresponding to claim 4)
The imaging means can image all or a part of the dentition belonging to the upper jaw and a part of the living tissue and / or all or a part of the dentition belonging to the lower jaw and a part of the living tissue at a time. The present invention is described above.

Further, the fifth invention (corresponding to claim 5)
The present invention is the above-mentioned invention, wherein the objective lens is a fisheye lens.

Further, a sixth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 6)
The holding means has a light emitting means, the light emitting means,
The present invention is characterized in that a part of the entire dentition and tissue exposed in the oral cavity is illuminated.

A seventh aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 7)
The holding means has a first portion having a U-shape, a U-shape, or a V-shape, in which the imaging means is arranged, and a second portion exposed outside the oral cavity. The present invention is characterized by having a portion.

An eighth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 8)
The second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the second portion has a shape having a width wider than a width of a boundary portion between the first portion and the second portion.

The ninth invention (corresponding to claim 9)
The present invention is characterized in that the holding means forms a substantially keyhole shape as a whole of the first portion and the second portion.

Further, according to a tenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 10), the second portion is provided with respect to the first portion.
The present invention is characterized in that the present invention has a shape that is bent at a boundary between the first portion and the second portion.

An eleventh aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 11) is the above-described aspect of the present invention, characterized in that the imaging means is movably arranged with respect to the holding means.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 12), the imaging means rotates continuously or intermittently with a predetermined portion of the holding means as a base point. This is the invention.

A thirteenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 13) is the above-mentioned aspect of the present invention, characterized by comprising image processing means for joining a plurality of signals from the imaging means as one image. .

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 14), there is provided a display means for selectively displaying a signal from the image processing means and a plurality of signals from the imaging means. The present invention is characterized in that:

The fifteenth invention (corresponding to claim 15) is the invention as described above, wherein the holding means is made of a transparent or transmissive material.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 16), the holding means includes a driving means for driving the imaging means, a power supply for supplying power to the imaging means and the imaging auxiliary means, A wireless signal output unit that outputs a signal captured by the imaging unit.

A seventeenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 17) is the above-described aspect of the present invention, characterized in that the image pickup means and the holding means are each integrated so as to be separable.

The eighteenth aspect of the present invention (corresponding to claim 18) is characterized in that the shape of the holding means is formed as a closed curve which is topologically in-phase as a whole. It is.

[0027]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In all the drawings, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description will be omitted.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is an external view of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partial sectional plan view of the intraoral imaging apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view of a usage image of the intra-oral imaging device, and FIG. 4 is an image diagram showing an intra-oral image captured by the intra-oral imaging device.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an imaging unit holder to be inserted into an oral cavity. The imaging unit holder 1 has an entrance window 1a for taking in imaging light on a semi-elliptical peripheral surface. A window material such as glass or transparent resin is hermetically fixed. However, instead of the window material, the imaging unit holder 1
The entire circumference may be made of a transparent material, which reduces the number of parts and simplifies the assembly process.

Next, reference numeral 5 shown in FIG. 2 denotes a solid-state imaging device 3 such as a CCD incorporated in the circuit board 2 and a field of view of approximately 18
This is an imaging system including a fisheye objective lens 4 which is a super wide-angle lens of 0 °. The circuit board 2 has a plurality of white LEDs 6 for illumination incorporated therein.
Is arranged around the imaging system 5 so that the entire oral cavity can be uniformly irradiated. The imaging system 5 and the white LED 6 are built in the imaging unit holder 1. However, it is also possible to irradiate the inside of the oral cavity from outside the oral cavity as a separate configuration without incorporating the illumination into the imaging unit holder 1.
The fish-eye objective lens 4 is provided with an iris diaphragm.
It is omitted in the figure.

Reference numeral 7 denotes an intraoral holding means for holding the molar 10, the molar, or the upper and lower jaws near the molar 10, the molar. The intraoral holding means 7 has a configuration in which the imaging unit holder 1 is integrally fixed. 8 is
A guard for preventing erroneous insertion of the imaging unit holder 1 and the intraoral holding means 7 so as not to be swallowed or dropped into the throat, and is integrally fixed to the intraoral holding means 7.

The guard 8 for preventing erroneous insertion can be easily held by hand by narrowing the side arranged in the oral cavity at the time of use, expanding the side exposed outside the oral cavity, and forming a keyhole shape with a rounded bottom. Since it spreads out of the mouth on the way, this widened portion serves as a stopper, so that it does not accidentally go too far into the throat and does not hurt the throat. In addition, even if the user accidentally inserts the imaging unit holder 1 into the oral cavity by holding the imaging unit holder 1, it does not enter the oral cavity because the outside of the oral cavity is widened.
Therefore, there is no mounting error. In addition, the shape of the erroneous insertion prevention guard 8 is substantially U-shaped with the same width from the oral cavity side,
The stopper may be bent outside the oral cavity.

Further, a cable cord 9 for transmitting a video output signal, a driving signal, and the like from the circuit board 2 is inserted into the intraoral holding means 7 so as to prevent the insertion from the end or the erroneous insertion. Removed from guard 8. The extracted cable cord 9 is connected to a power supply, an external camera circuit, a monitor TV, and the like (not shown).

The operation of the intraoral imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration is as follows.
As shown in FIG. 3, the erroneous insertion prevention guard 8 is held by hand, and the occlusal portion 60 which is a part of the intraoral holding means 7 and the erroneous insertion prevention guard 8 is bitten by a molar portion in the figure. In the mouth. When the erroneous insertion prevention guard 8 is attached, the imaging unit holder 1 is inserted into the oral cavity and is stably held at the back of the oral cavity. Thus, the gingiva on the back side, lingual side, and palate side of the tooth can be observed from the inside of the oral cavity using the imaging system 5. At this time, in the imaging system 5, the fish-eye objective lens 4 is a wide-angle lens having a field of view of 180 °, and all teeth in the oral cavity can be simultaneously observed with one lens.

Further, since the occlusal portion 60 is occlusal with the molar portion 10, as shown in FIG. 4, when viewing the image projected on the monitor TV, the occlusal portion 60 may interfere with visual recognition. Obstacles can be reduced from the imaging field of view. In addition, by holding the intra-oral holding means 7, the user can open the oral cavity lightly, and can image and observe the upper and lower dentition without overlapping the upper and lower teeth or jaws. Further, in a state where the intraoral holding means 7 is held by the engagement of the upper and lower teeth, the imaging unit holder 1 is always located near the middle of the upper and lower teeth, and is shifted to one of the upper and lower teeth. No special alignment operation for imaging is required.

As described above, according to the intraoral imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment, the arrangement of the teeth, the state of the teeth, and the state of the gingiva inside the oral cavity as viewed from the back inside the oral cavity are instantaneously obtained as an image of one entire mouth. What you can get.

Further, since an image of the entire dentition can be obtained instantaneously, the time required for recording and saving the observation contents of an individual can be reduced.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 5 is a partial sectional plan view of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an image diagram showing an intraoral image taken by the intraoral imaging device.

In FIG. 5, reference numeral 1 denotes an imaging unit holder to be inserted into the oral cavity, and has an entrance window 1a for taking in imaging light and a lighting projection unit 1b on a semi-elliptical peripheral surface. A window material such as glass or transparent resin capable of conducting light is hermetically fixed to the entrance window 1a and the light projecting portion 1b, and has three solid-state imaging devices 3 such as CCDs and three objective lenses 14 therein. A plurality of image pickup systems 5 and a plurality of white LEDs 6 for illumination are arranged so as to irradiate the entire oral cavity, are incorporated in the circuit board 2, and are incorporated therein. Although the objective lens 14 is provided with an iris diaphragm, it is omitted in FIG.

Reference numeral 7 denotes an intraoral holding means to which the imaging unit holder 1 is fixed, and 8 denotes a guard for preventing erroneous insertion.

In the imaging system 5, the solid-state imaging device 3 and the objective lens 4 each have an angle of view range (indicated by an arrow in the drawing) in which a plurality of teeth are captured. The angle of view range is set to, for example, about 120 ° horizontal angle of view, and the solid-state imaging device 3 and the objective lens 14 constituting the imaging system 5 are configured to image the teeth of each of a plurality of teeth substantially from the front. It is arranged in a substantially U-shape in the imaging section holder 1.

According to the intraoral imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment having such a configuration, an image is taken in from an imaging system 5 having a plurality of solid-state imaging elements 3 so that each of a plurality of teeth forming a tooth row is obtained. Since the teeth are imaged from almost the front, the entire teeth can be observed throughout without losing the adjacent teeth and without excluding the parts that are hidden by the adjacent teeth or the blind spots.

The image information from the image pickup system 5 is taken in, for example, an image processing circuit mounted on the circuit board 2 or an external camera circuit, and is subjected to a process of joining a plurality of pieces of image information, thereby obtaining the image shown in FIG. Such a panoramic image can be obtained. Here, FIG. 10 shows a system for obtaining the panoramic image, which is configured by the intraoral imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment and its peripheral devices. This system includes an image in which a plurality of image signals from the imaging system 5 are joined together and a display device 41 for selectively displaying each image of the signals from the imaging system 5. It is possible to switch to a screen division display in which these images are divided and displayed simultaneously. Further, the system includes an image storage unit 42 for storing an image, so that the image data can be easily arranged.

In the present embodiment, the imaging system 5 has three solid-state imaging devices 3 and three objective lenses 14 respectively.
May be a lens having a narrow field angle range, and the number of imaging elements and objective lenses constituting the imaging system 5 may be increased. Furthermore, a fisheye lens having a wide angle of view may be used as a part of the objective lens 14 to reduce the number of imaging elements and objective lenses constituting the imaging system 5.

In the processing by the image processing circuit, each image may be sequentially displayed as individual image information from each imaging system 5 for each image, or a plurality of images may be displayed on the screen side by side. (Embodiment 3) FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 21 denotes an intraoral holding means inserted into the oral cavity. It has a circular receiver and an opening 21c.

Reference numeral 22 denotes an imaging unit holder mounted on the intraoral holding means 21, which is rotatable along a lip about a rotation shaft 22a as a base point. The imaging unit holder 22 includes an imaging system 5 having a solid-state imaging device 3 such as a CCD incorporated in the circuit board 2 and an objective lens 14.
And a white LED 6 for illumination,
A window material such as a light guide glass or a transparent resin is hermetically fixed to b. However, as in the other embodiments, the entire imaging unit holder 22 may be made of a transparent material instead of the window material.

A cable cord 9 for transmitting a video output signal, a driving signal, and the like from the circuit board 2 is inserted through the opening 21c into the intraoral holding means 21. It is sealed by the body and taken out from the end through the guard 8.

Embodiment 3 having the above configuration
The operation of the intraoral imaging apparatus according to the above is as follows. That is, by manipulating the protruding pieces exposed from the oral cavity of the imaging unit holder 22 shown in FIG. 7, the back side and the gums of the teeth inside the oral cavity are observed and imaged while rotating the imaging unit holder 22. In this operation, images may be sequentially taken while rotating, or images may be taken in while being fixed stepwise and observed.

In the same manner as in the second embodiment, a continuous image sequentially observed is subjected to a process of connecting a plurality of pieces of image information by the image processing circuit mounted on the circuit board 2 or an external camera circuit, as shown in FIG. It may be reproduced as a panoramic image. Alternatively, image information may be captured as a still image for each specific angle while sequentially and continuously observing, and a plurality of pieces of image information may be connected by an image processing circuit in the same manner and reproduced as a panoramic image.

Further, each image may be displayed as individual image information, or a plurality of images may be displayed side by side on the screen.

As described above, according to the intraoral imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment, by rotating the imaging system 5 to capture an image, a plurality of teeth are imaged substantially from the front, and the adjacent teeth are imaged. It is possible to observe the entire dentition without obscuring or blind spots the adjacent teeth without overlapping.

In the present embodiment, the angle of view of the objective lens 14 may be in the range of 30 ° to 120 °, and the angle of rotation determines the image capturing position of the image pickup system 5 according to the angle of view. Is coming. In some cases, a fisheye lens with a larger angle of view may be used for the objective lens, in which case the pivot angle will be smaller.

The rotating means rotates the imaging system by manually moving the projecting piece 23 of the imaging unit holder 22 provided so as to be exposed outside the oral cavity, for example. Although the description has been made assuming that the image is stopped and the image is taken, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which the image is taken at a certain rotation angle by driving with a micro motor or the like may be used.

For illumination, the white LED 6 may be fixed to the slide base 21 side.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 8 is an external view of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 1 denotes an imaging unit holder to be inserted into an oral cavity; An imaging system 5 having a solid-state imaging device 3 such as a CCD and an objective lens 14, and a plurality of white LEDs 6 for illumination are arranged so as to irradiate the whole oral cavity, and are incorporated and incorporated in the circuit board 2.

Reference numeral 7 denotes an intraoral holding means to which the imaging unit holder 1 is fixed, and reference numeral 31 denotes a guard for preventing erroneous insertion. The circuit board 2 or the erroneous insertion prevention guard 31
Has a built-in camera circuit and image processing circuit, and a replaceable battery 32 is mounted as a power source. 33 is a radio wave signal transmitter.

According to the intraoral imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment having such a configuration, cordless operation can be realized by using the apparatus in combination with a monitor television (not shown) equipped with a receiver. .

Although the present embodiment is combined with the first embodiment, it may be used in combination with the second or third embodiment, and further with the fifth embodiment described later.

(Embodiment 5) The intraoral imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention has the same basic operation as that of each of the embodiments described above, except that the constituent members are integrated so as to be separable. It has.

FIG. 9 is an external view of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 51 denotes an imaging system 5 having a solid-state imaging element 3 and an objective lens 14, and an illumination system. White LED 6 is arranged so as to irradiate the entire oral cavity and is incorporated in the circuit board 2 and is hermetically covered with a transparent resin or the like. Connector 52a is attached. However, the imaging unit main body 51 may be a single imaging system 5 using the fisheye objective lens 4 described in the first embodiment, or a plurality of imaging systems 5 described in the second embodiment.

Reference numeral 53 denotes an imaging unit holder, and an opening 53a is provided.
And an intraoral holding means 54 for holding in the mouth and an erroneous insertion prevention guard 55 are integrally formed of a transparent resin. The erroneous insertion prevention guard 55 has a notch 55a at a portion located outside the oral cavity, and a detachable hole 5 at the side of the intraoral holding means 54.
5b, and the notch 55a is
b penetrates.

Reference numeral 56 denotes a holder lid for covering the imaging unit holder 53 and the intraoral holding means 54. An elastic body such as rubber is fixed inside for sealing and closing, or a projection is formed integrally. Is formed. The holder lid 56 is integrally provided with a mounting arm 57 to be fitted into the mounting hole 55b of the erroneous insertion prevention guard 55, and the mounting arm 57 has a stopper 57a for fixing after insertion. Have.

Reference numeral 58 denotes a connection cable, which is means for connecting to a power source (not shown), an external camera circuit, a monitor TV, and the like.

The operation of the intraoral imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration is as follows.
That is, the imaging unit main body 51 is connected to the imaging unit holder 5.
3, the electrical connection leg 52 is projected from the notch 55 a of the erroneous insertion prevention guard 55, and then the mounting arm 57 of the holder lid 56 is attached to the mounting hole 55 b, and the stopper 57 a is The connector is tightly covered by being inserted and fixed to the insertion prevention guard 55 until it is locked, and a connection cable 58 is connected to the connector 52a.

By performing the above operations, the intraoral imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment can be used. As in the above-described embodiments, the intraoral imaging apparatus can be inserted into the oral cavity to form the teeth from the inside of the oral cavity. The gingiva on the back side, lingual side, and palate side can be imaged and observed.

The holder lid 56 does not come off during use due to the provision of the stopper portion 57a on the mounting arm 57, so that the imaging section main body 51 does not fall off. Further, the mounting arm 57 is long and has a resilient distal end, and can be removed by strongly pulling it out.

As described above, according to the intraoral imaging apparatus of the present embodiment, since the imaging section main body 51 can be detachably mounted, it can be replaced, and the imaging section holder 5 covering the outside can be replaced.
3, oral cavity holding means 54, erroneous insertion prevention cover 55,
By preparing a plurality of the holder lids 56, the frequency of sterilization and disinfection is reduced.

Further, the imaging unit holder 53 covering the outside, the intraoral holding means 54, the erroneous insertion prevention cover 55, and the holder lid 56 can be molded of transparent resin, and mass production can be achieved.
It can be used as a disposable member, or can be held in large quantities for sanitary purposes, and eliminate the complexity of sterilization and disinfection when performing a large number of observations such as dental checkups.

The imaging unit holder 53, the intraoral holding means 54, the erroneous insertion prevention cover 55, and the holder lid 56
By preparing various sizes, it can be easily handled from infants to adults.

(Embodiment 6) FIG. 11 is an external view of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention, and FIG. 12 is an image diagram showing an intraoral image taken according to the present embodiment. .

In FIG. 11, reference numeral 61 denotes an imaging unit holder to be inserted into the oral cavity. The imaging unit holder 61 has an entrance window 62 for capturing and projecting imaging light on the upper surface thereof. A window material such as a transparent resin is hermetically fixed, an imaging system having a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD and an objective lens therein, and a white LED for illumination, for example.
Is positioned so as to irradiate the entire oral cavity, and is incorporated in the circuit board.

Further, an entrance window and an image pickup system are similarly built in the lower surface of the image pickup section holder 61.

Reference numeral 63 denotes an intraoral holding means to which the imaging unit holder 61 is fixed, and reference numeral 64 denotes a guard for preventing erroneous insertion.

The operation of the intraoral imaging apparatus according to the present embodiment having the above-described configuration is as follows.
That is, the intraoral imaging device according to the present embodiment is inserted into the mouth until the erroneous insertion prevention guard 64 contacts the chin,
When the imaging is performed, a batch image of the oral cavity belonging to the upper and lower jaws is obtained. Here, FIG. 12 is an example of a batch image of the lingual side in the oral cavity belonging to the lower jaw, taken from the lower surface side.

As described above, according to the intraoral imaging apparatus of the present embodiment, an arched batch image can be obtained independently for each of the upper and lower jaw teeth. Such an arched batch image provides information on disturbance of the dentition, and is the present invention described above. This is valid data.

In this embodiment, the entrance window and the image pickup system are provided on both sides of the image pickup section holder 61. However, they may be provided on only one side. Accordingly, a batch image of the upper and lower jaws in the oral cavity can be obtained.

In each of the embodiments, the description has been made assuming that the intraoral holding means 7 and the erroneous insertion prevention guard 8 have a substantially keyhole shape as a whole, but it is not particularly limited to this. The portion exposed outside the oral cavity only needs to maintain a shape that does not enter the oral cavity. The substantially keyhole shape is an example of a closed curve, but is not limited thereto, and may be an array type or the like.

The image pickup means of the present invention corresponds to the image pickup system of each embodiment, and the holding means of the present invention comprises the image pickup section holder, the intraoral holding means, the erroneous insertion prevention guard, and the like. It corresponds to a member cooperating with each means.

[0079]

As described above, according to the present invention, just by holding the mouth, the arrangement of teeth, the state of the teeth, the state of the gums inside the oral cavity, etc. as viewed from the back, which is the inside of the oral cavity, can be changed for one entire mouth. An intraoral imaging device that can be obtained at one time as an image and is easy to handle can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of an intraoral imaging device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of the intraoral imaging device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a usage image of the intraoral imaging device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an intraoral image image taken by the intraoral imaging device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an intraoral image image taken by the intraoral imaging device according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional plan view of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an external view of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an external view of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a system diagram of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an external view of an intraoral imaging apparatus according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an intraoral image image taken by the intraoral imaging apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 imaging unit holder 2 circuit board 3 solid-state imaging device 4 fisheye objective lens 5 imaging system 6 white LED 7 intraoral holding means 8 erroneous insertion prevention guard 9 cable cord 10 molar tooth 60 biting part

Claims (18)

[Claims] 1. An imaging device having at least an objective lens and an imaging device, and a holding device for holding the imaging device in an oral cavity, wherein the imaging device includes all or one of the tooth rows exposed in the oral cavity. An intraoral imaging apparatus, which can image a part and a part of a living tissue at a time. 2. An imaging device having at least an objective lens and an imaging element, and a holding device for holding the imaging device in an oral cavity, wherein the holding device is engaged with upper and lower teeth to form an entire apparatus. An intraoral imaging apparatus, comprising a stable occlusal portion, wherein the imaging means is arranged in the oral cavity by the occlusal portion of the holding means being occlusal by the upper and lower teeth. 3. A plurality of image pickup means having at least an objective lens and an image pickup element, and a holding means for holding the image pickup means in an oral cavity, wherein the plurality of image pickup elements are arranged in directions different from each other. An intraoral imaging device, characterized in that: 4. The imaging means images all or a part of the dentition belonging to the upper jaw and a part of the living tissue and / or all or a part of the dentition belonging to the lower jaw and a part of the living tissue at a time. The intraoral imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the intraoral imaging device is capable of being used. 5. The intraoral imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the objective lens is a fisheye lens. 6. The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the holding unit has a light projecting unit, and the light projecting unit illuminates all or a part of the dentition exposed in the oral cavity and a part of the tissue. 6. The intraoral imaging device according to any one of claims 5 to 5. 7. A first portion having a U-shape, a U-shape or a V-shape in which the imaging means is arranged, wherein the first portion is disposed in an oral cavity, and the first portion is exposed outside the oral cavity. The intraoral imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a second portion. 8. The second part of the first part,
The intraoral imaging device according to claim 7, wherein the intraoral imaging device has a shape having a width wider than a width of a boundary portion with the second portion. 9. The intraoral imaging apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the holding unit forms a substantially keyhole shape as a whole of the first part and the second part. 10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the second portion has a shape that is bent with respect to the first portion at a boundary portion between the first portion and the second portion. Item 8. An intraoral imaging device according to Item 7. 11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said imaging means is movably disposed with respect to said holding means.
7. The intraoral imaging device according to any one of claims 6 to 6. 12. The intraoral imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the imaging unit rotates continuously or intermittently with a predetermined portion of the holding unit as a base point. 13. The intraoral imaging apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising image processing means for joining a plurality of signals from the imaging means as one image. 14. The intraoral imaging apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising display means for selectively displaying a signal from said image processing means and a plurality of signals from said imaging means. . 15. The intraoral imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding means is made of a transparent or transmissive material. 16. The holding unit includes: a driving unit that drives the imaging unit; a power supply that supplies power to the imaging unit and the imaging assistance unit; and a wireless signal output unit that outputs a signal captured by the imaging unit. The intraoral imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: 17. The intraoral imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging unit and the holding unit are integrated so as to be dividable. 18. The intraoral imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shape of the holding means is formed as a closed curve which is topologically in-phase as a whole.