JP2002143090A - Camera unit for examination in oral cavity - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a camera for examination in the oral cavity constituted to illuminate an object in the oral cavity and to pick up the image of the illuminated object. SOLUTION: This camera unit for examination in the oral cavity has a camera casing composed of a lens-barrel part containing an optical fiber for conducting illuminating light from a light source, and an image pickup element for picking up the image of the illuminated object, and a grip part engagedly provided at the lens-barrel part; and an outer cylinder composed of a metal cylinder fittingly mounted to the lens-barrel part, and heat resistant glass fitted to one end of the metal cylinder. The outer cylinder is detachable from the lens-barrel part.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an intraoral examination camera suitable for so-called informed consent, for explaining dental examinations and treatment contents of a dental treatment and treatment plan for a patient. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION By this invention, the state of the teeth in an oral cavity is image | photographed, and an intraoral examination camera which records as an image is made practical.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The condition of teeth varies depending on the degree of damage. In the treatment, not only the dentist in charge but also the patient himself observes the condition of his / her teeth to determine what treatment to take. It is important to understand and be convinced of what to do. In addition, various data including image data such as teeth, dentition, and gingival condition are subject to health insurance points as individual patient data, and are essential in the dentistry business.

Conventionally, for this type of examination, 15 to 20 cm
A device in which a mirror is attached to the tip of a shaft of a degree, that is, a so-called tooth mirror, is inserted into the oral cavity, and a dentist visually observes an image reflected on the mirror of the tooth mirror to perform a medical examination. In this case, the dentist verbally conveys the status of the medical examination to a recording person who is on standby and writes it on a recording sheet on which a tooth model is prepared in advance.

On the other hand, applying a micro CCD camera as an intraoral examination (photographing) camera for capturing the state of teeth, dentition, gingiva and the like in the oral cavity as image data is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-88918. No., etc., and
It is also being marketed.

[0005]

However, although the above-mentioned examination using a dental mirror is suitable for a dentist to observe alone, it is not easy for a dentist to observe the same situation. In particular, this was a major problem from the viewpoint of informed consent. What is particularly needed from the viewpoint of informed consent is a means by which both the dentist and the patient can easily confirm the same situation.

[0006] Furthermore, it is essential to record the contents of the examination results accurately and promptly.
On the other hand, there is also a need to save labor and streamline dedicated loggers who need to be on standby for recording.
For this reason, it has been proposed to use an intraoral imaging camera to which a micro CCD camera is applied, and some of them have been put into practical use. It is essential to ensure that disinfection is performed.

[0007] However, the CCD camera is a precision electronic component and cannot be sterilized at a high temperature as it is, which has a problem in hygiene. The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and solves the above-mentioned hygiene problem, and enables the patient to simultaneously check the dentist's examination status on a monitor screen or the like as it is. The purpose is to commercialize a camera for internal examination.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is an intraoral examination camera unit for illuminating an object in the oral cavity and imaging the illuminated object. A camera housing composed of a lens barrel containing a fiber and an image pickup device for capturing an image of an illuminated object, a camera housing composed of a grip unit provided on the lens barrel, and fitted into the lens barrel. An intraoral examination, comprising: a metal cylinder, and an outer cylinder made of heat-resistant glass fitted to one end of the metal cylinder, wherein the outer cylinder is detachably attached to the lens barrel. The above-mentioned problem has been solved by a camera unit.

The object in the oral cavity refers to a tooth, dentition, gingiva, etc., typically representing an affected part or a treatment part. Here, the present invention preferably includes the light source and a camera control unit for controlling the image pickup device in the grip portion. Further, the present invention provides the above-mentioned intraoral examination camera unit, wherein the mounting and fixing tool mounted and fixed to the outer cylinder, a tooth mirror handle engaged with the mounting and fixing tool, and the tooth mirror handle It has been found that it is preferable to have a tooth mirror attachment at least composed of a mirror engaged with the mirror.

[0010] The present invention also provides a mounting and fixing tool mounted and fixed on the outer cylinder, a handle member engaged with the mounting fastener, and one or more positioning members engaged with the handle member. It has been found that it is preferable to provide a positioning attachment composed of at least a sphere.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of an intraoral examination camera unit of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The intraoral examination camera unit 1 of the present invention includes a camera housing 2 having a lens barrel 2a and an outer cylinder 3 fitted in the lens barrel 2a. It is characterized by being freely detachable. The details of each member will be described later.

The present invention also relates to a tooth mirror attachment 4.
It is preferable that the end of the mounting and fastening tool 4c is positioned and fitted to the mark line 3c of the outer cylinder 3. Tooth mirror attachment 4
Is particularly suitable for monitoring the backside of the dentition, and also allows the dentist to handle the intraoral examination camera unit of the present invention with the same feeling as an unusual dental mirror.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a cable in which a power supply line for supplying power to an image pickup device and a light source included in the camera housing 2 and a signal line for outputting an image picked up by the image pickup device are bundled. Next, the overall assembly of the intraoral examination camera unit 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Camera housing 2
Is formed of a lens barrel 2a and a grip 2b, and has a waterproof structure in which airtightness is maintained so that liquid or the like does not enter the inside. At the distal end of the lens barrel 2a, illumination light is emitted from an optical fiber 11 arranged on the circumference, and an object (subject) illuminated in front of the distal end of the lens barrel 2a passes through a lens 12, The image is captured by an image sensor inside the lens barrel 2a (not shown). The internal structure of the camera housing 2 will be described later.

The first feature of the present invention is that the lens barrel 2a
In that the outer cylinder 3 can be detachably fitted. Outer cylinder 3
Is formed by fitting a heat-resistant glass 3a to one end of a metal cylinder 3b made of aluminum, an aluminum alloy or the like. By allowing the outer cylinder 3 to be freely fitted, a portion directly entering the oral cavity (that is, the outer cylinder 3) can be replaced for each patient, and sterilization and disinfection can be performed using an autoclave or the like.

The sterilization and disinfection in an autoclave is prescribed by medical standards, for example, at 121 ° C. for 15 minutes or more. Therefore, it is preferable that the cylindrical portion of the outer cylinder 3 is made of metal and the window at the end is made of heat-resistant glass to have a heat-resistant structure. A second feature of the present invention resides in that the tooth mirror attachment 4 can be mounted by aligning the end of the mounting fixture 4c with the mark line 3c of the outer cylinder 3.

The tooth mirror attachment 4 is at least a mirror
4a, tooth mirror handle 4b, and mounting fixture 4c. It is preferable that the tooth mirror attachment 4 is also made of metal from the necessity of sterilization in an autoclave. Where the mounting fixture
4c is made of an elastic and flexible metal, and is fitted and fixed to the outer periphery of the outer cylinder 3. Further, although not shown here, the connecting portion between the mirror 4a and the tooth mirror handle 4b may be bendable so that the direction of the mirror can be freely adjusted.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of each member of the camera unit for intraoral examination according to the present invention. Here, the same numbers are given to the members already described, and the description is omitted.
In the following, the camera housing 2 illustrated in FIG.
A description will be given focusing on the internal structure of. Inside the grip portion 2b, a light source such as a white LED (Light Emitting Diode) and a camera control unit 15 for controlling an image pickup device described later are included and arranged. The optical fiber 11 and the CCD are placed inside the lens barrel 2a attached to the grip 2b.
(Charge Coupled Device) An imaging device 13 such as a camera is provided. Hereinafter, a case will be described in which a white LED is used as a light source and a CCD camera is used as an image sensor.

An objective lens 12 is arranged at the tip of the lens barrel 2a, and an end face of an optical fiber 11 is arranged along the outer periphery of the lens 12, so that the illumination light conducted by the optical fiber can be transmitted. Irradiate the front of the tip of the lens barrel 2a. Where the optical fiber
In order to protect the lens 11 and the lens 12, a protective glass 2c may be fitted to the tip of the lens barrel 2a. The lens 12 and / or the CCD camera 13 may be movable in the front-rear direction of the lens barrel so that the position can be adjusted so that the focus can be adjusted freely. However, since the brightness of the white LED used as the light source is high, the depth of focus of the CCD camera can be set sufficiently deep, and even if the focus is fixed, it can be used without any practical problems.

In recent years, the size of the CCD camera 13 has been reduced, and a very small CCD camera having a size of about 1/4 to 1/7 inch has been developed and marketed, and can be easily obtained. . Since the diameter of an imaging device using these ultra-small CCD cameras is about several mm, the diameter of the lens barrel can be extremely small. For example, at present, the diameter of a high-quality CCD camera having 250,000 pixels is 7 mmφ, and the diameter of the lens barrel incorporating the CCD camera and the optical fiber can be 1 cm or less. On the other hand, white LE
Although the D element and the camera control unit are miniaturized, it is difficult to house them in the lens barrel. For this reason, it is preferable that the grip portion is housed in a grip portion that can be larger in diameter than the lens barrel portion.

In the above description, an example in which the light source 14 and the camera control unit 15 are included in the grip portion 2b has been described. However, these are separately arranged outside, and the camera housing is connected via a cable in which optical fibers and signal lines are bundled. It goes without saying that it may be connected to the body 2. Conversely, by incorporating a battery for the power source and a wireless image transmission device into the grip portion 2b containing the light source 14 and the camera control unit 15, the intraoral examination camera unit of the present invention is connected to the cable. It is also possible to use it as a lesson.

In the present invention, if the camera control unit 15 is incorporated in the grip portion, the unit generates heat during operation, and the generated heat transfers to the lens barrel and the metal outer cylinder. Since heat is also transferred to the tooth mirror attachment mounted on the cylinder, the mirror of the tooth mirror attachment is warmed to just the body temperature. Therefore, the anti-fog effect of the mirror can be obtained together.

If the heat generated by the unit alone does not provide enough heat for anti-fog, a heating element may be separately included in the grip. By the way, the above-mentioned dental mirror attachment is convenient and suitable for observing the back side of the tooth, but is not always necessary when observing the front side of the teeth and gingiva.

In this case, the dental mirror attachment is removed, and the subject is directly observed with the intraoral examination camera unit of the present invention. However, it is very difficult to hold and hold the camera unit in the air at a target to be observed while standing in the air, and there is a problem that a captured image is blurred and difficult to see, and it is difficult to focus.

For example, it is possible to position the outer tube fitted on the lens barrel by contacting the lips and teeth, but the positioning is restricted so much that the photographable range is limited.
The present inventors have found that it is preferable to employ the positioning attachment 9 shown in FIG. 5 in order to solve the above-described problem. The positioning attachment 9 includes a mounting fixture 9c mounted and fixed to the outer cylinder 3, a handle member 9b engaged with the mounting fastener 9c, and one or more positioning balls engaged with the handle member 9b. 9a. In addition, it is preferable to be made of metal so as to withstand sterilization and disinfection in an autoclave. In FIG. 5, the positioning sphere 9a is 1
Although the case where the handle member 9b is directly engaged with the mounting fixture 9c is illustrated, the present invention is not limited to this.

The positioning attachment 9 of the present invention comprises:
The tip is brought into contact with teeth, gums, cheeks, palate, etc.
The positioning for photographing the object is performed. Therefore, it is important to make the distal end portion spherical and provide the positioning sphere 9a so as not to damage those tissues. It is sufficient that the tip of the handle member 9b is merely rounded. However, since it is preferable to make the handle thin, it is preferable to arrange a ball having a large diameter separately. By making the tip a sphere, the focus position of the camera unit can be maintained, and the direction can be freely changed while keeping the positional relationship between the object and the camera constant.

Further, it is preferable that the positioning sphere 9a at the tip of the positioning attachment 9 is prevented from entering the field of view of the camera. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6A, it is preferable that an inclined portion is provided in the branch member 9b so that the positioning sphere 9a is out of the field of view of the camera. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6B, the branch member 9b may be kept straight, and the branch member 9b and the mounting fixture 9c may be engaged via an intermediate member 9d having a required height. The angle of the pattern member 9b and the height of the intermediate member 9d are determined by the positioning sphere 9a with respect to the object to be photographed.
Is preferably adjusted in advance in accordance with where to be supported.

Further, as shown in FIG.
9b may be branched in the middle, and two positioning balls 9a may be engaged. By doing so, the degree of freedom in positioning in the camera direction can be reduced by one, and the positioning can be further stabilized. However, in this case, since the size of the face and the angle of curvature of the dentition differ depending on the patient, it is preferable that the positioning attachment to be employed be an optimal size adapted to the patient. Although not shown, the positioning sphere 9a is
In this case, the camera direction can be uniquely fixed.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a description will be given of an example of a configuration for displaying and storing an image taken by the intraoral examination camera unit of the present invention. In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 4, an image captured by the intraoral examination camera unit 1 is input to a monitor 6 such as a liquid crystal via a cable 5 and displayed.
Further, the displayed image can be simultaneously printed out by using the image printer 7 and a hard copy can be taken. Similarly, the display image can be stored and stored in the storage device 8 such as a hard disk.

Here, as the storage device, a tape type magnetic recording device such as a VTR (Video Tape Recorder), an optical disk device such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) or the like can be applied in addition to a hard disk. Alternatively, the image output signal line from the intraoral examination camera unit of the present invention may be directly connected to a personal computer, and the personal computer may perform processing such as image display, analysis, and storage. By using a personal computer, image processing can be performed as needed, and recording and reproduction of images can be easily performed.

By managing images as described above,
In addition to the dentist who is the healer, the patient being treated,
In addition, the same image can be provided to the related parties. In addition, based on the recorded images, comparison between before and after treatment, comparison of time series during treatment, etc. can be easily performed, so that patients can receive more satisfactory treatment. Becomes possible.

[0031]

According to the present invention, it is possible to solve the problem of hygiene of the camera unit for intraoral medical examination, and it is possible to observe the same image at the same time as the dentist as well as the patient and related persons at a practical level. And As a result, the sharing of information between the dentist, the patient, and all concerned has been achieved, and so-called informed consent can be easily realized.

Further, the camera unit for intraoral examination according to the present invention can be used with the same feeling as a conventional dental mirror, and there is also an effect that the dentist does not feel any discomfort at all. Therefore, the dentist can operate the camera without being particularly conscious of being a camera, and there is a great merit that the dentist does not hinder the examination at all.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an assembly view of each member constituting the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of each member constituting the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a system configuration example using the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic external view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing some preferred examples of a positioning attachment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Intraoral examination camera unit 2 Camera case 2a Lens barrel 2b Grip part 2c Protective glass 3 Outer cylinder 3a Heat resistant glass 3b Metal cylinder 3c Marking line 4 Tooth mirror attachment 4a Mirror 4b Mirror handle 4c Tools 5 Cables 6 Monitors 7 Image printers (video printers) 8 Storage devices (hard disks) 9 Positioning attachments 9a Positioning balls 9b Pattern members 9c Mounting fasteners 9d Intermediate members 11 Optical fibers 12 Lenses 13 Image sensor (CCD camera) 14 White LED (light source) 15 CCU (camera control unit)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An intraoral examination camera unit for illuminating an object in an oral cavity and imaging the illuminated object,
A camera housing including a lens barrel that includes an optical fiber that conducts light for illumination from a light source and an image sensor that captures an image of an object to be illuminated, and a grip that is engaged with the lens barrel And a metal cylinder fitted to the lens barrel, and an outer cylinder composed of heat-resistant glass fitted to one end of the metal cylinder, and the outer cylinder is detachably attached to the lens barrel. An intraoral examination camera unit, characterized in that: 2. The camera unit for intraoral examination according to claim 1, further comprising a light source and a camera control unit for controlling the image sensor in the grip portion. 3. A mounting tool for mounting and fixing to the outer cylinder, at least a tooth mirror handle engaged with the mounting tool, and a mirror engaged with the tooth mirror handle. The intraoral examination camera unit according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a tooth mirror attachment. 4. A mounting and fixing tool mounted and fixed to the outer cylinder, a handle member engaged with the mounting fastener, and one or more positioning spheres engaged with the handle member. The intraoral examination camera unit according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning attachment configured at least.