JP2006334241A - Contact cap for dental tooth measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a contact cap for a dental tooth measuring device, which allows the device to photograph a tooth as an object or to measure its color without being affected by outside light, and also to locate it in a stable photographing position. <P>SOLUTION: The contact cap 31 is mounted on a camera of the dental tooth measuring device, which allows an opening of the cap 31 to be located in front of a view finder of the camera so as to photograph the tooth to be measured and obtain its color-measuring data of the same. Biting a bite part 31e with both teeth adjacent to the tooth to be measured can set the tooth to be measured at a center of the opening of the contact cap 31 and the tooth to be measured can be photographed when being photographed. The bite part is inserted into a gap of a columnar projecting part 31h arranged in the bite part 31e and bitten, thereby the tooth to be measured can be accurately positioned, when biting a bite part 31e with both teeth adjacent to the teeth to be measured. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to, for example, a contact cap for a dental tooth measuring device as a photographing auxiliary tool applied at the time of photographing (measurement) in a dental tooth measuring device.

  Conventionally, when performing treatment such as inserting a denture (insertion), especially an incisor denture for a patient in a dental office, measure the color of the vital tooth (or inactivated tooth) adjacent to the patient's corresponding incisor by some method, It is necessary to select a denture with a color that matches the comparison. As a method for measuring the shade of a tooth at present, a reference plate called a shade guide is compared with a patient's tooth, and the number of the shade guide that the dentist determines visually is the closest shade is set as the tooth shade. The bleaching effect is confirmed by this number, or it is transmitted to the dental laboratory to construct a denture (insertion).

  However, in the conventional method of determining the denture shade by visual judgment using the shade guide described above, it is easily affected by illumination, and even in the same patient's teeth due to the type of illumination in the room and the influence of external light. Easy to judge as a different shade. In addition, the doctor (or dental technician) who makes the determination also has a large variation in determination depending on the health condition at that time, and it is difficult to select a satisfactory denture.

Under such circumstances, in order to accurately obtain the tooth shade without being affected by illumination or the judge, the corresponding tooth can be photographed, and more accurate tooth shade information can be obtained from the image information. A dental tooth measuring device (imaging device) is desired, and a dental camera of Patent Document 1 has been proposed for the dental tooth measuring device (imaging device).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-355263.

  When actual photographing is performed with the above tooth measuring device, it is necessary to perform close-up photographing of a single tooth (life tooth), but if photographing is simply performed in a conventional close-up photographing state, the influence of illumination is unavoidable. Therefore, it is necessary to perform shooting under special light illumination. In that case, it is indispensable to attach to the camera a photographing contact cap that serves as a hood for shielding external light and positioning a subject tooth at a photographing position more accurately.

  On the other hand, in the dental camera proposed in Patent Document 1, a mouthpiece is used as a hood attached to the photographing opening. The mouthpiece is provided with a biting protrusion and a wing, and the tooth to be measured is positioned by the biting protrusion and the wing. However, it is difficult to reliably position the tooth to be measured only by the biting protrusion and the wing, and the illumination state of the tooth to be measured is not necessarily sufficient in order to obtain a captured image of the correct tooth to be measured.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and is applicable to a dental tooth measuring apparatus, which positions a measured tooth at a stable photographing position and is affected by external light. It is another object of the present invention to provide a dental tooth measurement contact cap that can be photographed in a state close to an actual color.

  The contact cap for a dental tooth measuring device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a contact cap for a dental tooth measuring device. When the tooth to be measured is photographed by the tooth measuring device, the photographing window portion of the tooth measuring device. A cap portion that can be mounted in a state of covering the periphery, an opening portion disposed in front of the cap portion, facing the imaging window portion in the mounted state, and protruding forward on one side portion of the opening portion; And a protrusion having a concave portion with respect to the biting portion, and the cap portion is made of a flexible and elastically deformable material. The size of the opening has a size that includes the tooth to be measured and a part of the tooth adjacent to the tooth to be measured, and in the state where the biting part is bitten. , At least the above measured Incisal portion of the tooth is separated from the concave portion.

  The contact cap for a dental tooth measuring device according to claim 2 of the present invention is the contact cap for a dental tooth measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the upper portion of the opening is adjacent to the tooth to be measured. A convex gum abutting portion capable of abutting the vicinity of the gum portion above the tooth is provided and does not abut at least the gum portion above the tooth to be measured in the biting state.

  The contact cap for a dental tooth measuring apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention is the contact cap for a dental tooth measuring apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tooth to be measured is provided in the biting portion. In order to perform positioning, positioning protrusions are provided with a gap corresponding to the thickness of the tooth adjacent to the tooth to be measured.

  According to the present invention, a tooth to be measured, which is a subject in a dental tooth measurement apparatus, is positioned at a stable photographing position, and is not affected by external light and is photographed in a state close to an actual color. It is possible to provide a contact cap for dental tooth measurement that is possible.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 and 2 are external views of an HMSC device (Handy Multi-Spectral Camera), which is a dental tooth measurement (imaging) device comprising a camera and a cradle to which the contact cap for dental tooth measurement of each embodiment of the present invention can be applied. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the light shielding cover is open when the camera is mounted on a cradle, and FIG. 2 illustrates a state in which the light shielding cover is closed. 3 and 4 are perspective views of the cradle. FIG. 3 shows a light shielding cover opened state, and FIG. 4 shows a light shielding cover closed state. 5 to 7 are perspective views showing the appearance of the camera, FIG. 5 is a perspective view seen from the front side, FIG. 6 is a perspective view seen from the back side, and FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the back upper surface.

  8 to 14 are views showing the external shape of the camera. FIG. 8 is a front view, FIGS. 9 and 10 are left and right side views, and FIGS. 11 and 12 are plan views. FIG. 13 is a bottom view, FIG. 13 is a rear view, and FIG. 14 is a view taken in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 15 to 21 are views showing the external shape of the cradle, in which FIG. 15 is a front view, FIGS. 16 and 17 are left and right side views, and FIGS. 18 and 19 are plan views. FIG. 20 is a bottom view, FIG. 20 is a rear view, and FIG. 21 is a view taken in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 22 to 28 are views showing the external shape of the camera mounted on the cradle. FIG. 22 is a front view, FIGS. 23 and 24 are left and right side views, and FIG. , 26 are a plan view and a bottom view, FIG. 27 is a rear view, and FIG. 28 is a view taken in the direction of arrow C in FIG.

  29 to 33 are views showing a state in which the photographing contact cap according to the first embodiment is mounted on the camera among the embodiments described later. FIG. 29 is a front view, and FIGS. FIG. 32 and 33 are a plan view and a bottom view, respectively.

  The HMSC apparatus includes a cradle 1 and a camera 2 that can be attached to and detached from the cradle 1 as shown in FIGS.

  The cradle 1 charges the built-in battery of the camera 1 while the camera 1 is mounted, and transmits captured image data captured by the camera 1 to a personal computer (not shown) via the USB. The cradle 1 incorporates a reference plate 4 for calibrating the captured image data of the camera 1, and a rotatable light shielding cover 3 for shielding the periphery of the reference plate 4 when the camera 1 is mounted. It is attached.

  The camera 2 includes an LED illumination system 17 composed of a plurality of LEDs, a photographing optical system 18 that can be focused, an image pickup unit 19 (described in FIGS. 41, 51, and 55 described later), and an LCD display unit (FIG. 6). ) 16, an imaging processing unit, an image memory unit, a communication control unit (not shown), and a connector 14 (FIG. 6) are built in the camera body. On the outer periphery of the top cover 12 fixed to the front surface portion of the camera body, a dental tooth measuring device contact cap 31 of the first embodiment described later can be mounted as shown in FIGS. Further, the contact caps 31A and 31B of the second and third embodiments can be mounted. The LED illumination system 17, the photographing optical system 18, and the imaging unit 19 are disposed in the camera body in a state along the photographing optical axis O in the rear of the photographing window 12 a disposed in front of the top cover 12. As shown in FIG. 5, a cutout 12b is provided in front of the top cover 12 on the side of the photographing window 12a. The cutout portion 12b is provided so that it is convenient to clean the photographing window portion 12a.

  In the HMSC apparatus, the camera 2 is mounted on the cradle 1 and charged, and then the image of the reference plate 4 is captured and the captured image data is calibrated. After calibration, the camera 2 is removed from the cradle 1 and photographing in three photographing modes described later is performed. At the time of shooting, the photographer holds the body of the camera 2 by hand, rotates the focus ring 13 while observing the subject image on the LCD display unit 16 to focus, and operates the operation switch button 15. To capture an image of the subject (patient's face, full jaw, single teeth).

  The three photographing modes are a facial photographing mode, a full jaw photographing mode, and a measurement photographing mode. In the facial photographing mode, the entire face of the patient is photographed with a color CCD under external light illumination, and is referred to. Image data (RGB captured image data) is captured.

  In the all-jaw photographing mode, the entire patient's teeth are photographed with a color CCD under external light illumination, and reference image data (RGB photographed image data) is captured.

  In the measurement photographing mode, a contact cap, which will be described later, is attached to the top cover 12 (FIG. 29) at the tip of the camera 2 in order to shield external light from light and to stably position a single tooth as a subject in the photographing opening. Then, through the opening of the attached contact cap, a single tooth (which may be two teeth) which is a tooth to be measured (life tooth) designated by the patient is used as illumination light by a plurality of LEDs having a plurality of wavelengths. Multiband shooting is performed. By this photographing, multiband photographed image data for accurately measuring a single-tooth shade is captured.

  When shooting in each shooting mode described above is completed, the camera 2 is mounted on the cradle 1 again, and each shot image data is transferred to the personal computer side via the USB. In the personal computer, RGB captured image data filing processing, multiband captured image data calibration correction processing, multiband captured image data chromaticity calculation processing, and shade guide number determination processing are performed. Shade guide and chromaticity data are stored in a state corresponding to the data. The stored data is sent to a technical laboratory, and a good-looking denture material that matches the photographed life tooth is selected.

Each embodiment of the contact cap attached to the top cover 12 of the camera 2 at the time of shooting in the above-described measurement shooting mode will be described.
34 to 39 are views showing the appearance of the contact cap according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 34 is a front view, and FIGS. 35 and 36 are left and right side views. 37 and 38 are a plan view and a bottom view, and FIG. 39 is a rear view. 40 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. FIG. 41 is a diagram showing a single-tooth imaging state in the measurement imaging mode on the cross section of FIG. 40, and shows a state where imaging is performed with the upper incisor applied to the opening of the contact cap. . FIG. 42 is a view on arrow E of FIG. 41 in the single-tooth imaging state. 43 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF in FIG. 41 in the single-tooth imaging state. FIG. 44 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the contact caps are stacked and stored.

  In FIG. 41, the top cover 12 with the contact cap attached and the LED illumination system 17, the photographic optical system 18, which are sequentially arranged along the photographic optical axis O as the photographic components housed in the camera body, The imaging unit 19 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

  In the following description, among the directions orthogonal to the optical axis O in the camera mounting state, the Y direction shown in the figure is the vertical direction, and the X direction orthogonal to the Y direction is the horizontal direction. Further, the subject side (measurement tooth side) in the optical axis O direction is assumed to be the front, and the imaging side is assumed to be the rear.

  The contact cap 31 according to the first embodiment is a member having a thin cap shape made of a material such as black stretchable synthetic resin rubber, for example, a styrene-based elastomer, and is located on the outer front side of the top cover 12 of the camera 2. (FIG. 41). For the rubber hardness of the material, a material of about 70 ° is applied in terms of fit and wearability (acceptable range is 50 ° to 80 °). The contact cap 31 is a disposable type that is discarded after use for hygiene purposes.

  The contact cap 31 is provided with a cap portion 31p attached to the front portion so as to cover the top cover 12, and a front surface position of the cap portion, which is disposed at the center position of the optical axis O in front of the photographing optical system 18 in the attached state. A central opening 31a serving as a photographing window, a bite portion 31e as a protruding portion arranged in a protruding state on the lower side of the opening 31a, and a convex portion disposed above the left and right ends of the opening 31a. Two cylindrical protruding portions 31j having spherical tips, two extending portions 31b extending in the left and right rear direction of the cap portion in parallel with the optical axis O direction, Four cap end surface abutting convex portions 31m projecting to the left and right of the upper and lower outer surfaces are provided. Note that the inner surface of the cap portion is a textured surface for preventing reflection. Further, the shape of the inner surface of the cap part is vertically and horizontally symmetrical, and can be mounted on the top cover 12 in an upside down shape.

  In addition, although the imaging | photography state of a to-be-measured tooth is mentioned later in detail, in the state which covered the contact cap 31 on the top cover 12 of the camera 2, bite part 31e is lightly bitten by the tooth part of both sides adjacent to a to-be-measured tooth, It is assumed that the tooth to be measured is positioned at a substantially central portion of the opening 31a while being shielded from external light, and is photographed by the imaging unit 19 disposed inside the camera 2.

  As shown in FIG. 34, the size of the central opening 31a in the contact cap 31 is such that the left-right width dimension P1 is about 16 mm and the vertical dimension P2 is about 14 mm (dimensions up to the upper side part 31f of the bite part, but the bite part 16 mm until the concave surface portion 31i. This size is a size that includes, for example, the upper limit of the size of a typical adult incisor as a measurement target tooth to be photographed, approximately 10 mm square, and further includes a tooth adjacent thereto. By setting the opening to be larger than the tooth to be measured in this way, while suppressing external light entering, and restricting the inflow of breath from the inside of the patient's mouth as much as possible, the area around the opening of the cap part that is black The camera is set to be able to shoot while suppressing the effect on the shot image. However, it is of course possible to prepare the opening with other dimensions for the special case.

  As shown in FIG. 40, the outer surface side of the central opening 31a is an inclined surface in the vertical direction, and the thickness t1 of the upper side and the thickness t2 of the lower side have a relationship of t1> t2. That is, the upper side is thinned to give flexibility (fitness), and the lower side is thickened to make it difficult to deform. Therefore, the position of the tooth to be measured, which is fixed below the opening 31a via the bite portion 31e, in the optical axis O direction is unlikely to change, and the upper gum part is easily positioned.

  As shown in FIGS. 34 and 35, the bite portion 31e is disposed on the lower side of the opening portion 31a and has a channel shape (groove shape) or a U-shaped cross-sectional shape protruding forward in parallel with the optical axis O. ing. The bite portion 31e includes a concave surface portion 31i, left and right upper side portions 31f that rise from the concave surface portion 31i as biting portions, and left and right upper side portions 31g that are front extension portions thereof. And left and right columnar protrusions as positioning protrusions that are formed in front of the upper side 31f and spaced from the opening surface by a predetermined gap dimension t3 for positioning the tooth to be measured in the direction of the optical axis O. 31h.

  At the time of photographing, as shown in FIGS. 41 and 43, a tooth to be measured, for example, a tooth on the opposite side to the incisor 51, for example, the lower tooth 55 is applied to the lower surface of the bite portion 31e, and at the same time, the incisors The teeth 52 adjacent to both sides of the 51 are inserted from above, and the upper side portion 31f is lightly bitten to position the incisors 51 that are the teeth to be measured with respect to the opening 31a. The width P3 of the bite portion 31e is a size that can be engaged with the adjacent teeth 52, and is substantially the same as 16 mm of the opening width P1. The difference (indentation amount) between the upper side portion 31f and the concave surface portion 31i is about 2 mm, and the tooth to be measured, for example, the cutting edge portion (tip portion) 51a of the incisor 51 in the above-described biting state, is the concave surface portion 31i. In contrast, a gap in the biting state, for example, 1.5 mm or more is maintained (FIGS. 41 and 42).

  The gap t3 formed by the columnar protrusion 31h is a dimension in which a tooth (in the thickness direction) adjacent to the incisor tooth 51 of the tooth to be measured can be inserted, and approximately 1 mm is employed. The columnar protrusion 31h can be easily elastically deformed, does not hinder the degree of freedom when changing the photographing direction of the camera 2, and can cope with the change in the thickness of adjacent teeth, torsion teeth, and premolars. Yes.

  As described above, when the bite portion 31e is bitten by the tooth portion at the time of photographing as described above, the gum portion 53 above the adjacent teeth 52 on both sides has two columnar raised portions 31j. At that time, the gum 53 above the incisor 51 does not come into contact with the front surface 31k above the opening of the contact cap 31, and the degree of freedom of angle adjustment in the tilt direction of the camera 2 is reached. A height that does not hinder the movement is employed (FIG. 41).

  As described above, since the cylindrical raised portion 31j is provided, in the state where the upper side portion 31f is bitten, the gum 53 in the upper portion of the incisor 51 is not different from the front portion 31k above the opening 31a. The contact state is maintained (FIG. 41). At the same time, the lip portion 54 on the upper part of the incisor 51 is prevented from entering and approaching the opening by the columnar protruding portion 31j, and the lip portion 54 is prevented from affecting the photographing screen.

  The length L1 of the bite portion 31e is set to about 14 mm, making it easy to insert into the oral cavity and making the tongue less likely to affect the imaging screen in the inserted state.

  The two extending portions 31b are formed to be extendable and thin, and each has a locking hole 31d that can be locked to the locking projection 12c (FIGS. 29 and 31) of the top cover 12, and a knob portion at the tip. 31c is provided (FIG. 40). When the locking hole 31d is locked to the locking protrusion 12c of the top cover 12 while pulling and extending the knob portion 31c with the contact cap 31 placed on the top cover 12, the contact cap 31 is attached to the top cover 12 and photographed. It becomes possible. In addition, the contact cap 31 is disposed of after a single use for hygiene purposes, and the used one is cut when the extension part 31b is fully extended or the lock is released. In such a case, it cannot be reused.

  As shown in FIG. 44, the cap end surface abutting convex portion 31m is accommodated by sequentially fitting the cap portions 31p as shown in FIG. 44 when a plurality of contact caps 31 are accommodated together. In the fitted state, the contact caps 31n are in contact with the end face part 31n of one contact cap and the cap end face contact convex part 31m of the other contact cap. Is protected without bending.

  When the contact cap 31 having the above-described shape is attached to the camera 2 and photographing is performed with the upper incisor 51, which is a vital tooth, as a single tooth of the tooth to be measured, first, the top cover 12 is contacted as shown in FIG. The contact cap 31 is attached to the camera 2 by covering the cap portion 31 p of the cap 31.

  Inserting the bite part 31e into the patient's oral cavity in the above-mentioned wearing state, applying the lower teeth 55 to the lower surface of the bite part 31e, inserting the teeth 52 adjacent to the incisors 51 into the gaps between the columnar protrusions 31h of the bite part 31e, The upper side 31f is bitten lightly so as not to be greatly deformed at the leading edge (FIG. 43). At the same time, the gum 53 above the adjacent teeth 52 is brought into contact with the tip of the cylindrical raised portion 31j. Imaging of the incisor 51 by the camera 2, that is, multiband imaging image data measurement is executed in the above-described biting and gum application state.

  In the biting and gum application state, the periphery of the incisor 51 that is the tooth to be measured is reliably shielded from external light, and the incisor 51 has an opening on the substantially optical axis O at the center of the opening 31a. It is fixed to the front part of the part 31a (FIGS. 42 and 43), and the optical axis O direction and the optical axis O orthogonal direction with respect to the imaging optical system 18 and the imaging part 19 of the camera 2 are accurately positioned. Further, since the transparent cutting edge portion 51a at the tip of the incisor 51 is held with a predetermined gap with respect to the concave surface portion 31i of the cutting tool portion 31e, the image of the cutting edge portion is prevented from becoming dark. If the cut edge 51a is very close to or in contact with the concave surface. Rays are kicked, or saliva enters the gaps and shadows are generated on the cut edges 51a, making it impossible to capture images correctly.

  Furthermore, since the gum 53 above the incisor 51 does not contact the front surface 31k, the gum 53 does not turn white due to insufficient blood flow, and the captured image of the incisor 51 is not adversely affected.

  In addition, when the specularly reflected light from the teeth enters the photographing screen in the photographing state, it causes a measurement error. In this case, the angle with respect to the teeth of the camera 2 (angle in the optical axis O direction) so as to eliminate the specularly reflected light. Need to be fine-tuned. When the angle is adjusted, if the upper and lower sides of the bite portion 31e are bitten by the teeth 52 and the lower teeth 55 adjacent to the incisor 51 as described above, the optical axis O is inclined by tilting the top cover 12 around the position on the bite portion. A state without regular reflection can be obtained by changing the direction.

  During imaging, the patient's head needs to be held so as not to move. However, since the bite portion 31e is bitten by upper and lower teeth, the incisor 51, which is the tooth to be measured, has an optical axis with respect to the opening 31a. It is held in a state in which it is relatively difficult to move in the O direction and up, down, left, and right (a state in which displacement is difficult). Therefore, the force for fixing the patient's head during the above-described imaging does not require as much force.

  When photographing the lower teeth 55 (for example, the lower incisors) using the contact cap 31, photographing is performed with the contact cap 31 mounted in the top cover 12 in the upside down direction. In this case, the upper teeth bite the bottom side of the bite portion 31e, and the lower teeth 55 adjacent to both sides of the specific lower teeth 55 to be measured teeth lightly bite the upper side portion 31f, and the specific teeth to be measured teeth The lower teeth 55 are positioned at the center position of the central opening 31a and in front of the opening in the direction of the optical axis O, and the specific lower teeth 55 are photographed in a state where the lower teeth 55 are reliably shielded from external light as described above. It can be carried out. Also in this case, the cut edge portion of the specific lower tooth 55 is located with a predetermined gap with respect to the concave surface portion 31i, and at the same time, the gums of the lower teeth 55 on both sides adjacent to the specific lower tooth 55 are two circles. Since the gum part of the specific lower tooth 55 that contacts the columnar ridge 31j and does not contact the front surface 31k is maintained, the captured image data can be captured with high accuracy.

  As described above, when the contact cap 31 of the present embodiment is applied to the camera 2, first, the cap is formed of a black material, and further, the entire inner surface is a textured surface, so that disturbance light is efficiently absorbed, Absorption of stray light is also effective, and a sense of incongruity does not occur in the photographed image, and an accurate color measurement result (photographed image data) is obtained. Particularly, the LED illumination light hits the inner surface of the cap around the central opening 31a and the inner surface of the cap corresponding to the notch 12b (FIG. 5) in front of the top cover 12 described above. Thus, since it is black and has a textured surface, regular reflection is avoided and internal scattered light is reduced.

  Further, since the contact cap 31 is formed of a thin cap member that can be expanded and contracted, it can be easily attached to and detached from the top cover 12 on the camera side. That is, after the cap 31 is put on the top cover 12, the extending portions 31b on both sides can be extended and easily locked to the locking projections 12c to be in a mounted state.

  Furthermore, the thickness of the upper side and the lower side of the central opening 31a is set so that the upper side is thin and the lower side is thick. There are effects such as light shielding.

  In addition, the positions of the teeth on both sides adjacent to the measured tooth are sandwiched in a narrow gap between the front surface of the contact cap opening and the positioning columnar protrusion, so that the position is uniquely determined, so that the photographing positioning is easy. Therefore, the accuracy and reproducibility of colorimetry and the speed of shooting work are improved. Further, since positioning is performed with the tooth adjacent to the tooth to be measured, the influence of the positioning components on the colorimetric accuracy of the tooth to be measured is small. Since the columnar protrusions for positioning can be easily bent by biting, positioning with torsion teeth or premolars is also possible.

  In addition, since the biting portion of the bite portion 31e is channel-shaped or U-shaped, for example, when measuring the upper teeth, biting the adjacent teeth and lower teeth of the upper teeth and the bite portion. Thus, it is possible to stably perform shooting without shaking. At the same time, the cutting edge tip of the tooth to be measured is held with a gap with respect to the concave portion of the bite portion, so that no light beam is kicked around the cutting edge tip and saliva enters the tip of the cutting edge. Therefore, it is possible to improve the phenomenon that the edge of the cutting edge becomes dark.

  Further, two cylindrical raised portions 31j are provided on the upper side of the contact cap 31 opposite to the left and right bite portions 31e of the open portion 31a, and the adjacent tooth side gum portion is brought into contact with the raised portion. Therefore, the gum part above the tooth to be measured does not come into contact with the upper front part 31k of the opening during photographing (color measurement). Therefore, the blood flow in the upper gum part can be prevented from becoming white, and the change in the captured image data (side color data) of the tooth to be measured can be suppressed. Further, the lip portion is lifted by the raised portion, and the reflection of the lip portion in the opening 31a of the contact cap can be prevented.

  The camera 2 with the contact cap 31 attached cannot be attached to the cradle 1 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 because the cutting tool and the like of the cap 31 protrudes outward. Incorrect operation while attached to the camera is prevented beforehand.

  When the contact cap 31 is attached to the top cover 12 of the camera 2, the camera 2 is protected from dirt, external force, and the like at least in the range covered with the cap 31.

Next, a modified example of the shape of the bite portion of the contact cap 31 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 45 is a front view of the opening portion and the bite portion of the contact cap of the modified example. 46 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line GG in FIG.

  The contact cap 31 ′ of the present modification is provided with a bite portion 31 e ′ wider than the bite portion 31 e in the first embodiment.

  Similarly, the bite portion 31e has a channel shape (groove shape) projecting forward or a U-shaped cross section, and as shown in FIG. 45, the width P3 'of the bite portion is made larger than the width P1 of the opening portion 31a. The size is increased by the size of the left and right upper side portions 31f.

  In the contact cap 31 ′ of the present modification, the bite portion 31 e ′ is widened, thereby providing an upper side portion 31 f that is a portion bited by teeth adjacent to the tooth to be measured outside the width of the opening portion 31 a. The portion to be bitten is completely positioned outside the photographing range so as to obtain accurate colorimetric data.

Next, a contact cap according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
47 to 52 are views showing the external shape of the contact cap of the present embodiment. FIG. 47 is a front view, FIGS. 48 and 49 are left and right side views, and FIGS. FIG. 52 is a plan view and a bottom view, and FIG. 52 is a rear view.

  The contact cap 31A of this embodiment is provided with a raised portion 31Aj having a gentle convex curved surface instead of the cylindrical raised portion 31j as a convex gum contact portion with respect to the contact cap 31 of the first embodiment. It is characterized by. Other shapes are the same as those of the first embodiment except for the cap end surface abutting convex portion 31m, and are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different portions will be described below. Note that the cap end surface abutting convex portion 31m is not provided in the contact cap 31A of the present embodiment.

  In the contact cap 31A of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 47, 48 and 50, the raised portion 31Aj having a convex curved surface as a convex gum contact portion is 2 in a state facing the upper left and right positions of the opening 31a. One is arranged.

  The raised portions 31Aj are projections having a predetermined width in the vertical direction as shown in FIGS. 47 and 48, and the shape on the cross section in the horizontal direction is formed with a gently convex curved surface as shown in FIG. The two raised portions have surfaces that gradually change toward the inner side in the left-right direction.

  When the above-described contact cap 31A is used, when the upper side portion 31f of the bite portion 31e is bitten by the adjacent tooth 52 in order to position the incisor 51 in the center of the opening portion 31a during photographing, The gum part 53 (FIG. 41, 43) of the upper part of the adjacent tooth | gear 52 contact | abuts to this protruding part 31Aj, and the incisor 51 is positioned. At that time, the gum part of the incisor 51 does not contact the front surface part 31k above the opening part 31a. Therefore, as in the case of the first embodiment, the blood flow in the gum part above the incisors 51 does not change, and the color does not change, so that no trouble occurs in the incisor imaging screen. Further, since the above-described gentle convex curved surface portion of the raised portion 31Aj abuts on the gum portion 53 on the upper side of the adjacent tooth 52, the patient does not feel pain and the incisor 51 is in a state in which it is difficult to move. You can hold it and finish shooting.

Further, the lip portion 54 on the upper portion of the incisor 51 is prevented from entering and approaching the opening by the raised portion 31Aj, and the lip portion 54 is prevented from affecting the photographing screen.
The other effects when the contact cap 31A of this embodiment is applied are the same as in the case of the first embodiment.

Next, a contact cap according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
53 to 58 are views showing the external shape of the contact cap of the present embodiment. FIG. 53 is a front view, FIGS. 54 and 55 are left and right side views, and FIGS. FIG. 58 is a plan view and a bottom view, and FIG. 58 is a rear view.

  As in the case of the second embodiment, the contact cap 31B of the present embodiment is also gently convex instead of the cylindrical raised portion 31j as a convex gum contact portion with respect to the contact cap 31 of the first embodiment. A protruding portion 31Bj having a curved surface is provided. Other shapes are the same as those of the first embodiment except for the cap end surface abutting convex portion 31m, and are denoted by the same reference numerals, and different portions will be described below. The cap end surface abutting convex portion 31m is not provided in the contact cap 31B of the present embodiment.

  In the contact cap 31B of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 53, 54, and 56, the raised portion 31Bj having a convex curved surface as a convex gum contact portion is 2 in a state facing the upper left and right positions of the opening 31a. One is arranged.

  As shown in FIGS. 53 and 54, the protruding portion 31Bj is a protrusion having a wider range in the vertical direction, and the shape on the horizontal cross section is a gently convex curved surface at the tip as shown in FIG. The two ridges are formed and have surfaces that gradually change toward the inside in the left-right direction. With respect to the up-down direction, as shown in FIG. 54, it has a surface inclined downward toward the bottom.

  When the above-described contact cap 31B is used, when the upper side portion 31f of the bite portion 31e is bitten by the adjacent tooth 52 in order to position the incisor 51 in the center of the opening portion 31a during photographing, The gum part 53 (FIG. 41, 43) of the upper part of the adjacent tooth | gear 52 contact | abuts to this protruding part 31Bj, and the incisor 51 is positioned. At that time, the gum part of the incisor 51 does not contact the front surface part 31k above the opening part 31a. Therefore, as in the case of the first embodiment, the blood flow in the gum part above the incisors 51 does not change, and the color does not change, so that no trouble occurs in the incisor imaging screen. And since the convex curve part which changes gently also in the horizontal direction and the up-and-down direction as mentioned above contacts the gum part 53 of the upper part of the adjacent tooth 52 as mentioned above, the patient does not feel more pain, Further, the incisors 51 are further held in a state in which they are difficult to move and can finish photographing.

Further, the lip portion 54 above the incisor 51 is prevented from entering and approaching the opening by the raised portion 31Bj, and the lip portion 54 is prevented from affecting the photographing screen.
The other effects when the contact cap 31B of this embodiment is applied are the same as in the case of the first embodiment.

  In addition, although the imaging | photography (measurement) state using the contact cap of each embodiment mentioned above demonstrated the case where the upper and lower incisors (anterior teeth) which are vital teeth were made into a subject, canines, premolars other than an incisor, or The same can be applied to imaging of torsion teeth and the like. Furthermore, it is of course possible to apply not only to vital teeth, but also to imaging of dentures that are already in the patient.

  The dental tooth measuring contact cap according to the present invention is applied to a dental tooth measuring apparatus, and places a measured tooth as a subject at a stable photographing position and is not affected by external light and is actually used. It can be used as a contact cap for dental teeth measurement that can be photographed in a state close to the color of.

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the HMSC apparatus which is a dental tooth measurement (imaging) apparatus which consists of a camera and cradle which can apply the dental tooth measurement contact cap of each embodiment of this invention, Comprising: The light-shielding cover open state Show. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the HMSC apparatus of FIG. 1, Comprising: The light shielding cover closed state is shown. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the cradle of the HMSC apparatus of FIG. 1, Comprising: The shading cover open state is shown. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the cradle of FIG. 3, Comprising: The light shielding cover closed state is shown. It is the perspective view seen from the front side which shows the external appearance of the camera of the HMSC apparatus of FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the camera of FIG. 5 from the back side. It is the perspective view which looked at the camera of FIG. 5 from the back side upper direction. It is a front view of the camera of FIG. It is a left view of the camera of FIG. It is a right view of the camera of FIG. It is a top view of the camera of FIG. It is a bottom view of the camera of FIG. It is a rear view of the camera of FIG. It is A arrow directional view of FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view of the cradle of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a left side view of the cradle of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a right side view of the cradle of FIG. 3. It is a top view of the cradle of FIG. FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the cradle of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a rear view of the cradle of FIG. 3. It is a B arrow line view of FIG. FIG. 6 is a front view of a state in which the camera of FIG. 5 is attached to the cradle of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a left side view of the camera of FIG. 5 attached to the cradle of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a right side view of the state in which the camera of FIG. 5 is attached to the cradle of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a state where the camera of FIG. 5 is attached to the cradle of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the camera of FIG. 5 mounted on the cradle of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a rear view of the camera of FIG. 5 attached to the cradle of FIG. 3. It is C arrow line view of FIG. It is a front view which shows the state which mounted | wore the camera of FIG. 5 with the contact cap for imaging | photography of 2nd embodiment mentioned later of this invention. FIG. 30 is a left side view of the camera with the contact cap of FIG. 29 attached. FIG. 30 is a right side view of the state in which the contact cap of FIG. 29 is attached to the camera. FIG. 30 is a plan view of a state in which the contact cap of FIG. 29 is attached to the camera. FIG. 30 is a bottom view of a state in which the contact cap of FIG. 29 is attached to the camera. It is a front view of the contact cap of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 35 is a left side view of the contact cap of FIG. 34. FIG. 35 is a right side view of the contact cap of FIG. 34. FIG. 35 is a plan view of the contact cap of FIG. 34. FIG. 35 is a bottom view of the contact cap of FIG. 34. FIG. 35 is a rear view of the contact cap of FIG. 34. It is DD sectional drawing of FIG. It is the figure which showed the state which attaches the contact cap of FIG. 34 to the camera of FIG. 5, and performs single-tooth photography on the cross section of FIG. It is the E arrow line view of FIG. It is FF sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 35 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the contact caps of FIG. It is a front view of the opening part and bite part of the modification with respect to the opening part of the contact cap of FIG. It is GG sectional drawing of FIG. It is a front view of the contact cap of 2nd embodiment of this invention. 48 is a left side view of the contact cap of FIG. 47. FIG. 48 is a right side view of the contact cap of FIG. 47. FIG. 48 is a plan view of the contact cap of FIG. 47. FIG. 48 is a bottom view of the contact cap of FIG. 47. FIG. 48 is a rear view of the contact cap of FIG. 47. FIG. It is a front view of the contact cap of 3rd embodiment of this invention. FIG. 54 is a left side view of the contact cap of FIG. 53. FIG. 54 is a right side view of the contact cap of FIG. 53. FIG. 54 is a plan view of the contact cap of FIG. 53. FIG. 54 is a bottom view of the contact cap of FIG. 53. FIG. 54 is a rear view of the contact cap of FIG. 53.

Explanation of symbols

31, 31 ', 31A, 31B
... Contact cap 31a ... Center opening (opening)
31e ... Bite part (projection part)
31f ... Upper side part (biting part)
31h ... Columnar protrusion (positioning protrusion)
31j ... Columnar ridge (convex gum contact part)
31Aj, 31Bj
... Convex curved bulge (convex gum contact part)
31p ... cap part 51 ... incisor (tooth to be measured)
52 ... Adjacent teeth 53 ... gums

Claims (3)

In a contact cap for a dental tooth measuring device,
When photographing the tooth to be measured by the tooth measuring device, a cap portion that can be mounted in a state of covering the periphery of the photographing window portion of the tooth measuring device;
An opening disposed in front of the cap portion and facing the shooting window portion in a mounted state;
A protrusion that protrudes forward from one side of the opening and can be engaged with a tooth adjacent to the tooth to be measured, and a protrusion having a concave portion with respect to the engagement portion;
The cap portion is made of a flexible and elastically deformable material, and the size of the opening portion is a portion of the tooth to be measured and the tooth adjacent to the tooth to be measured. Further, in the state where the biting portion is bitten, at least the cutting edge portion of the tooth to be measured is separated from the concave surface portion. Contact cap for tooth measuring device. At the top of the opening is provided a convex gum contact part that can contact the vicinity of the gum part above the tooth adjacent to the measured tooth, and at least the measured object in the biting state The contact cap for a dental tooth measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact cap does not contact a gum part above the teeth. The positioning protrusion is provided on the biting portion with a gap corresponding to the thickness of a tooth adjacent to the tooth to be measured, in order to position the tooth to be measured. A contact cap for a dental tooth measuring apparatus according to 1 or 2.

Images