JP2006341025A - Dental imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dental imaging apparatus capable of accurately obtaining the shade of teeth by obtaining reliable calibration information. <P>SOLUTION: A camera unit 69 as the dental imaging apparatus comprises an LCD monitor 86 for displaying the image captured by an imaging unit 73, a communication I/F contact 98 for detecting the change of the relative position of the imaging unit 73 to a reference panel 110 disposed in a cradle 72, and a camera control CPU 81 for controlling the imaging unit 73 to obtain the calibration information by imaging the reference panel 110 disposed at a prescribed position in the cradle 72, and for controlling the LCD monitor 86 to display the calibration error when the change of the relative position is detected by the communication I/F contact 98 before completion of obtaining of the calibration information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a dental imaging apparatus that can be used to photograph teeth.

  In dentistry, the creation of dentures (inserts), crowns, and the like may be performed. In such a case, it is desired that color consistency with other teeth is taken so that it is difficult to understand at first glance that it is a denture.

  Conventionally, when determining the shade of a tooth, a color chart called a shade guide is used. In this shade guide, for example, a model having a substantially tooth shape is formed in a representative shade, and the same number of representative shades are provided as a set. The dentist brings such a shade guide close to the patient's teeth, and visually compares the shade guide number that is determined to be the closest color as the tooth shade. And by such a number, the bleaching effect at the time of tooth bleaching is confirmed, or it transmits to the dental laboratory which produces dentures etc. At the dental laboratory, the dental technician judges the color based on the transmitted shade guide number and creates a denture or the like.

  However, the conventional technology as described above may be affected by ambient light (such as illumination light) when shade determination is performed by the shade guide. In other words, the type of lighting in the room for which shade determination is performed (for example, a fluorescent light, a light bulb, etc.), or the outside light varies depending on time, weather, etc., such as morning, afternoon, evening, or clear and overcast. Because of the influence of the light of the different spectrum, it may be judged that the same patient's teeth have different shades. Furthermore, for doctors (or dental technicians) who perform shade determination, the determination results may vary greatly depending on the health condition at that time. Therefore, there is a demand for a technique for accurately obtaining a tooth shade without being affected by illumination or the influence of a judge.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a dental imaging apparatus that can accurately acquire a tooth shade by acquiring reliable calibration information.

  In order to achieve the above object, a dental imaging apparatus according to a first invention is a dental imaging apparatus used for imaging a tooth, and is disposed at a predetermined position with imaging means for imaging an imaging target. Calibration control means for controlling to acquire calibration information for calibration by causing the imaging means to image the predetermined color chart, and calibration information acquisition for detecting completion of acquisition of the calibration information Before completion of acquisition of the calibration information is detected by the completion detection means, position change detection means for detecting a change in the relative position of the imaging means with respect to the color chart, and the calibration information acquisition completion detection means. When the relative position change is detected by the position change detecting means, the dental imaging apparatus is Setting means for acquiring information for the ablation is set to a state which is not completed, it is obtained by including a.

  The dental imaging device according to a second invention is the dental imaging device according to the first invention, wherein the setting means starts the acquisition of calibration information by the calibration control means, and then the calibration is performed. If a change in relative position is detected by the position change detection means before the completion of acquisition of the calibration information is detected by the information acquisition completion detection means, information for calibration of the dental imaging device is detected. The acquisition is set in an incomplete state.

  Furthermore, a dental imaging apparatus according to a third invention is the dental imaging apparatus according to the first invention, wherein the dental imaging apparatus is configured by a display unit that displays an image captured by the imaging unit and the setting unit. Error notification control for controlling the display means to display a calibration error indicating that acquisition of information for calibration is incomplete when the information acquisition for calibration is set to an incomplete state Means.

  A dental imaging apparatus according to a fourth invention is the dental imaging apparatus according to the third invention, wherein the error notification control means further performs an operation to be performed when information acquisition for calibration is incomplete. The display means is controlled to display.

  A dental imaging apparatus according to a fifth invention further comprises sound generation means for generating sound in the dental imaging apparatus according to the third invention, wherein the error notification control means includes display of the calibration error. Further, the announcement is made by sounding.

  A dental imaging device according to a sixth invention is the dental imaging device according to the first invention, wherein the color chart is a cradle for placing the dental imaging device, and the dental imaging device is It is provided in a cradle configured so that the relative position between the color chart and the imaging means becomes a predetermined position when placed at a predetermined position.

  A dental imaging device according to a seventh invention is the dental imaging device according to the sixth invention, wherein the position change detecting means electrically detects the mounting state of the dental imaging device with respect to the cradle. It is configured to include at least one of one placement state detection unit and a second placement state detection unit that detects based on an image captured by the imaging unit.

  A dental imaging device according to an eighth invention is the dental imaging device according to the seventh invention, wherein the first placement state detection means detects an electrical connection state with an electrical circuit provided in the cradle. By doing so, the mounting state of the dental imaging device on the cradle is detected.

  According to the dental imaging apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to accurately acquire a tooth shade by acquiring reliable calibration information.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment 1]
1 to 66 show Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an imaging system.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the photographing system includes a camera unit 69, a cradle 72, a personal computer (PC) 68, and a contact cap 260. As a specific application example, in the field of dentistry, this imaging system has an accurate tooth shade in order to ensure the consistency of the shade with other teeth when creating a denture or a crown. It is used to measure.

  The camera unit 69 shoots a subject with ambient light in the camera mode, and in the single-tooth shooting mode (see FIG. 32), the camera unit 69 shoots with illumination light emitted by multi-primary LED lighting. It is an imaging device. Such photographing is performed while observing a later-described LCD monitor 86 (see FIG. 27) provided in the camera unit 69, and the photographed image data is provided in the camera unit 69. It is recorded in the image memory 89 (see FIG. 27). The camera mode is more specifically described in a face photographing mode (see FIG. 30) for photographing the face of the subject, and an all jaw photographing mode (see FIG. 31) for photographing the entire jaw of the subject. It is divided into. As will be described later, the camera unit 69 has a built-in lithium ion battery 99 (see FIG. 27. In FIG. 27, it is abbreviated as a lithium battery 99). It can be used alone without connecting a power cable or the like. The camera unit 69 can be used as it is in the camera mode (face shooting mode, full jaw shooting mode), but in the single-tooth shooting mode, it is used with the contact cap 260 attached. Yes.

  The cradle 72 is a table on which the camera unit 69 with the contact cap 260 removed is placed during non-photographing. The cradle 72 is connected to an AC power source via the AC adapter 106. Then, in a state where the camera unit 69 is placed on the cradle 72, charging of the lithium ion battery 99 of the camera unit 69 and transfer of image data stored in the camera unit 69 to the PC 68 are performed. Further, in a state where the camera unit 69 is placed on the cradle 72, information (calibration information) necessary for correcting the measurement value of the single tooth image photographed by the camera unit 69 is acquired. It has become. Specifically, the acquisition of the calibration data is performed by photographing the reference plate 110 that is a predetermined color chart provided in the cradle 72. The reference plate 110 is a plate-like member having a standard spectral reflectance, and can be replaced as necessary.

  The PC 68 is connected to the cradle 72 via, for example, a USB 2.0 cable. Therefore, when the camera unit 69 is placed on the cradle 72, the PC 68 is connected to the camera unit 69 via the cable and the cradle 72. The PC 68 is installed with application software for controlling the camera unit 69 and the cradle 72 and processing image data obtained from the camera unit 69.

  That is, when the application software is being executed and the cradle 72 on which the camera unit 69 is placed is connected by a cable and a necessary operation is performed, the PC 68 receives image data taken from the camera unit 69. Is read out. Further, the PC 68 calculates a chromaticity value (L * a * b *) of an arbitrary area in the image based on the acquired image data at the time of single tooth imaging (data of the captured multiband image). The determination calculation of the corresponding shade guide is performed. Thus, the PC 68 on which the application software is executed has a function of reading image data from the camera unit 69 and a function of processing the read image data.

  Next, the external appearance of the camera unit 69 is shown in FIGS. 2 is a front view showing the camera unit, FIG. 3 is a left side view showing the camera unit, FIG. 4 is a right side view showing the camera unit, FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the camera unit, and FIG. 6 is a bottom view showing the camera unit. 7 and 7 are rear views showing the camera unit.

  Next, FIGS. 8 to 24 show display examples on the LCD monitor 86 of the camera unit 69. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a display example at the time of warm-up on the LCD monitor arranged on the back side of the camera unit, and FIG. 9 is an example of display after the warm-up is finished on the LCD monitor arranged on the back side of the camera unit. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example before imaging in the face / full jaw photographing mode on the LCD monitor arranged on the back side of the camera unit, and FIG. 11 is an LCD monitor arranged on the back side of the camera unit. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a display example when confirming image storage in the face / full jaw photographing mode in FIG. 12, and FIG. 12 is a display example when image saving in the face / full jaw photographing mode is completed on the LCD monitor arranged on the back side of the camera unit. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a Japanese-style tooth table on an LCD monitor arranged on the back side of the camera unit, and FIG. 14 is an LCD arranged on the back side of the camera unit. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a display example of a single-tooth imaging mode on an LCD monitor arranged on the back side of the camera unit, and FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a display example of the camera unit. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a display example when confirming image storage in the single-tooth imaging mode on the LCD monitor disposed on the back side, and FIG. 17 shows completion of image storage in the single-tooth imaging mode on the LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit. 18 is a diagram showing a display example at the time, FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a display example at the time of communication with a PC in an LCD monitor arranged on the back side of the camera unit, and FIG. 19 is an LCD arranged on the back side of the camera unit FIG. 20 is a view showing a display example of shooting mode selection after image storage in the single-tooth shooting mode on the monitor, and FIG. 20 is a general error message in the LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing a display example of a battery exhaustion error on the LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit, and FIG. 22 is a worm on the LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit. FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a display example of a calibration incomplete error on an LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the calibration display in an LCD monitor.

  Further, FIGS. 25 and 26 show the appearance of the camera unit 69 and the cradle 72. 25 is a perspective view showing the camera unit mounted on the cradle with the cover opened from the upper left viewpoint, and FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing the camera unit mounted on the cradle with the cover closed from the upper left viewpoint. is there.

  The configuration appearing on the external appearance of the camera unit 69 and the cradle 72 will be described later with reference to FIGS.

  Next, FIG. 27 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration of the camera unit and the cradle.

  The camera unit 69 includes an illumination unit 70 and an imaging unit 73 that is imaging means.

  Among these, the illumination unit 70 is indicated by a thick line in FIG. 27, and is provided on the front end side of the camera unit 69. The illumination unit 70 includes LED illumination units 70a and 70b, an illumination optical system 74, an LED memory 75, and a temperature sensor 76.

  The LED illumination units 70a and 70b include a plurality of types of LEDs (LED light sources) having different spectral characteristics of emitted light.

  In the present embodiment, the LED illumination units 70a and 70b are configured by a total of 28 LEDs in which four LEDs each having seven types of band characteristics are arranged. Each LED is a light source having a narrow band emission wavelength characteristic having a different center wavelength. FIG. 29 is a diagram showing band characteristics of seven types of LEDs. In FIG. 29, in order from the short wavelength side to the long wavelength side, the band characteristic of the first type LED is λ1, the band characteristic of the second type LED is λ2, and the band type of the third type LED is The characteristic is λ3, the band characteristic of the fourth type LED is λ4, the band characteristic of the fifth type LED is λ5, the band characteristic of the sixth type LED is λ6, and the band characteristic of the seventh type LED is It is shown as λ7. Specifically, the center wavelength of the LED indicated by λ1 is 450 nm, the center wavelength of the LED indicated by λ2 is 465 nm, the center wavelength of the LED indicated by λ3 is 505 nm, the center wavelength of the LED indicated by λ4 is 525 nm, λ5 The center wavelength of the LED indicated by is 575 nm, the center wavelength of the LED indicated by λ6 is 605 nm, and the center wavelength of the LED indicated by λ7 is 630 nm. When these LEDs are roughly divided into RGB regions, λ1 and λ2 LEDs are blue (B), λ3, λ4, and λ5 LEDs are green (G), and λ6 and λ7 LEDs are red (R). Respectively.

  Further, the illumination optical system 74 uses the light emitted from the LED illumination units 70a and 70b on the subject surface (when the calibration information is acquired in the state shown in FIG. The LED light is converted into substantially uniform illumination light and irradiated to the subject.

  The LED memory 75 stores information related to the LED, and stores, for example, light emission spectrum information of LED illumination and information related to aging of the LED.

  The temperature sensor 76 is a temperature detection means that is disposed in the vicinity of the LED and measures the temperature in the vicinity of the LED.

  Next, the imaging unit 73 includes a photographing lens 16, an RGB color imaging device (in FIG. 27, described as an RGB imaging device for simplicity), a signal processing unit 17, and an A / D. A converter (abbreviated simply as “A / D” in FIG. 27) 18 and a contact for position detection (abbreviated as “position detection” in FIG. 27) 80 are included. It consists of

  The photographing lens 16 is for forming a light beam incident from a subject as an optical image on the RGB color imaging device 5. The photographic lens 16 is manually focused by a focus lever 79 that is exposed at least partially on the outer surface of the camera unit 69. Although manual focus adjustment is performed here, it is of course possible to perform auto focus adjustment.

  The RGB color image sensor 5 is configured as a so-called single-plate color image sensor. FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a configuration of the RGB color image pickup device 5 in the camera unit 69. The RGB color image pickup device 5 includes a so-called monochrome image pickup device 5a configured by arranging pixels that convert light into an electric signal in an array, and RGB on the front side of the image pickup device 5a so as to correspond to each pixel. And a color filter array 5b in which color filters are arranged.

  The signal processing unit 17 is for performing analog processing such as gain correction and offset correction on the image signal output from the RGB color imaging device 5.

  The A / D converter 18 is for converting the analog image signal processed by the signal processing unit 17 into digital image data.

  The position detection contact 80 is for detecting the position of the focus lever 79 (or the focal position of the photographing lens 16 adjusted by the focus lever 79).

  In the camera unit 69, in addition to the illumination unit 70 and the imaging unit 73, the focus lever 79, camera control CPU 81, local bus 82, LED driver 83, data I / F 84, and composite output terminal are also provided. 85, a communication I / F controller 97, a communication I / F connection contact (abbreviated as communication I / F contact in FIG. 27) 98, a lithium ion battery 99, a charging contact 100, and an image memory. 89, an LCD monitor (abbreviated as LCD in FIG. 27) 86, an LCD controller 87, an overlay memory 88, an operation unit I / F 90, a first function button 91, and a second function button 92. A third function button 93, a charging LED 95, an alarm buzzer 96 as sounding means, It is included.

  The camera control CPU 81 is a control means for controlling the entire camera unit 69 including the imaging unit 73 and the like, and includes, for example, a CPU. The camera control CPU 81 includes a timer which is a time measuring means for measuring time. The camera control CPU 81 further functions as calibration control means, calibration information acquisition completion detection means, setting means, position change detection means, second placement state detection means, and error notification control means. .

  The local bus 82 is connected to the camera control CPU 81, the image memory 89, the operation unit I / F 90, the LED driver 83, the data I / F 84, and the communication I / F controller 97, and communicates image data and transmits various command signals. It is a communication means shared for communication.

  The composite output terminal 85 is connected to the camera control CPU 81 and is a terminal for outputting a color image signal obtained by imaging by the imaging unit 73 to an external monitor or the like.

  The LED driver 83 is for controlling the light emission of the LED illumination units 70a and 70b.

  The data I / F 84 is an interface for receiving data stored in the LED memory 75 of the lighting unit 70 and information detected by the temperature sensor 76.

  The communication I / F controller 97 is a controller for controlling the communication I / F such as the USB 2 described above.

  The communication I / F connection contact 98 is a communication contact for performing communication by the communication I / F controller 97 with the outside, and is connected to the communication contact on the cradle 72 side. This communication I / F connection contact 98 is a first placement state detection means for detecting whether or not the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position of the cradle 72, and thereby, with respect to the reference plate 110. It functions as a position change detecting means for detecting a relative position change of the image pickup unit 73. Note that the configuration of the mounting state detection unit is not limited to this. For example, the mounting state detection unit is turned on when the camera unit 69 is mounted on the outer surface of the housing of the camera unit 69 at a predetermined position of the cradle 72. A configuration may be provided in which a dedicated detection switch is provided. Alternatively, not only such an electrical detection means, but also a change in the relative position of the imaging unit 73 relative to the reference plate 110 may be detected based on image data acquired from the imaging unit 73. That is, the reference plate 110 has a spectral reflection characteristic in a predetermined range for illumination light in a predetermined wavelength range emitted from each LED, and has a substantially uniform spectral reflection characteristic in the plane. Accordingly, when the information for calibration is acquired, if the brightness of the data is out of the predetermined range or if the uniformity of the in-plane brightness exceeds the predicted range, the relative position changes. It can be determined that it has occurred. Note that the mounting state of the camera unit 69 with respect to the cradle 72 may be detected using either one of an electrical mounting state detection unit and a mounting state detection unit based on a captured image. , Both may be used for detection.

  The lithium ion battery 99 is a power source for supplying power to the entire camera unit 69 when the camera unit 69 is removed from the cradle 72 for imaging.

  The charging contact 100 is a contact for charging the lithium ion battery 99 and is connected to a contact on the cradle 72 side.

  The image memory 89 is a storage means for temporarily storing image data obtained by photographing with the imaging unit 73. As described above, in the present embodiment, since the LED illumination units 70a and 70b include seven types of LEDs having different band characteristics, the image memory 89 has seven types (seven pieces) of spectral images for teeth. And one background image with no LED light emission on the teeth, seven kinds of (7 sheets) spectral images with respect to the reference plate 110 as calibration information, and one background image with no LED light emission on the reference plate 110 In addition, it has a capacity capable of storing at least one RGB color image which is an image in the camera mode.

  The LCD monitor 86 is a display means for displaying an image (moving image, monitor image) being captured by the camera unit 69 in order to perform framing or the like and displaying a captured image. The LCD monitor 86 can also display information stored in an overlay memory 88 to be described below, superimposed on these images. Further, the LCD monitor 86 can also display various information related to the camera unit 69. Thus, the LCD monitor 86 also serves as a notification means for displaying a message to the user.

  The overlay memory 88 is a storage unit that stores an image pattern to be superimposed on an image to be displayed on the LCD monitor 86. Specific examples of the image pattern stored in the overlay memory 88 include various icon data, display character data, and guideline data described later.

  The LCD controller 87 is connected to and controlled by the camera control CPU 81, and is a display control means for controlling the display on the LCD monitor 86. The LCD controller 87 also performs processing for superimposing the image data transmitted from the camera control CPU 81 and the image pattern read from the overlay memory 88.

  The operation unit I / F 90 is an interface for exchanging signals with an operation button disposed on the camera unit 69 and an output unit (not shown) for information transmission.

  The operation buttons to which the operation unit I / F 90 is connected include the first function button 91, the second function button 92, and the third function button 93 as described above. Each of these function buttons 91 to 93 performs different functions as described below according to the operating state of the camera unit 69.

The first function button 91 is, for example,
・ Switch to face / full jaw shooting mode ・ Switch to single tooth shooting mode ・ Select a tooth number for single tooth shooting (left cursor)
It has come to fulfill functions such as.

The second function button 92 is
・ Face, full jaw, shutter (capture) button for single-tooth photography ・ Tooth number OK (decision) button for single-tooth photography ・ Calibration start button for reference board photography Yes.

Furthermore, the third function button 93 is
-Toggle the display / hide of the guide frame-Select the tooth number when shooting single teeth (cursor moves to the right)
-Functions such as canceling operations are fulfilled.

The charging LED 95 functions as an output unit for information transmission, and is a notification means for visually notifying the photographer of the charging state of the lithium ion battery 99 and the like. As will be described later, the charging LED 95 is disposed in the vicinity (for example, lower right) of the LED monitor 86. The lighting state of the charging LED 95 according to the charging state of the lithium ion battery 99 is, for example, as follows.
Lit in green: Battery capacity is sufficient. Lit in yellow: Battery capacity is low (requires charging)
Lit in red: Battery capacity is very low (requires immediate charge)

  The alarm buzzer 96 is an informing means for informing the situation at the time of photographing audibly by sound as necessary. Although not shown, the alarm buzzer 96 is disposed on the back side of the camera unit 69 (on the side of a dentist or the like who uses the camera unit 69), for example. The alarm buzzer 96 is used as an example of a specific usage pattern when the alarm buzzer 96 is pronounced as a warning prompting the user to acquire calibration information.

  Next, the cradle 72 includes a reference plate 110, a micro switch 111, a power switch 102, a power lamp 104, and a power connection connector 105, and is configured as, for example, a table-type device.

  The reference plate 110 is used to acquire calibration information related to the measurement function of the camera unit 69. As described above, the reference plate 110 is configured as a plate-like member having a reference spectral reflectance, and the others. Is replaceable.

  The micro switch 111 is a detecting means for confirming whether or not the camera unit 69 is mounted at a normal position of the cradle 72.

  The power switch 102 is an operating means for turning on / off the power of the cradle 72. By turning on / off the power switch 102 in a state where the camera unit 69 is mounted at a normal position of the cradle 72, The power supply of the camera unit 69 is also turned on / off in conjunction with it.

  The power lamp 104 is turned on / off in conjunction with the on / off of the power switch 102, and is a notification means for notifying the power state.

  The power connection connector 105 is a connector for connecting the AC adapter 106. When the camera unit 69 is mounted in the normal position of the cradle 72, the AC power is supplied from the AC adapter 106, the power switch 102, and the charging contact 100 of the camera unit 69 to the lithium ion battery 99 of the camera unit 69. Charging is performed.

  FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a state of photographing the subject's face in the face photographing mode, FIG. 31 is a diagram showing a state of photographing the entire subject's chin in the full jaw photographing mode, and FIG. FIG. 35 is a diagram showing a state in which the subject's teeth are photographed in the single-tooth photographing mode, and FIG. 35 is a development view showing an index provided on the focus lever.

  First, the focus lever 79 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The focus lever 79 has, for example, a rotatable disk shape, and is configured such that a part of the peripheral surface is exposed to the outside of the camera unit 69. A knurled 79a is engraved on the peripheral surface so that a user (dentist or the like) can easily rotate the focus lever 79 with a fingertip or the like.

  In addition, indicators 79b, 79c, and 79d for indicating the focus position are provided at predetermined positions on the peripheral surface of the focus lever 79. The index 79b is an index for indicating a focal position in the single-tooth imaging mode, and is configured as a white circle, for example. The index 79c is an index for indicating the focal position in the full jaw photographing mode, and is configured as, for example, a yellow circle. The index 79d is an index for indicating the focal position in the face photographing mode, and is configured as a green circle, for example.

  In addition, here, by changing the color of the mark of the same shape (for example, ◯), each index is displayed in an easy-to-understand manner, but instead of or in addition to this, the shape is made different (for example, It is possible to use a mark whose function is easy to discriminate), or to write a character or the like indicating the focal position. Accordingly, it is possible to cope with a user who is difficult to distinguish colors.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 33, the exterior of the camera unit 69 is provided with an index 79g indicating a position where the indices 79b, 79c, 79d should be aligned.

  Further, arrows 79e and 79f are provided near the end of the focusable range on the peripheral surface of the focus lever 79 to indicate that the focus lever 79 should be rotated in the opposite direction to perform focusing. ing. Therefore, in this example, the arrows 79e and 79f are arrows pointing toward the center of the focusable range. However, an arrow pointing to the outside of the focusable range may indicate that the end point has been reached, and not only the arrow but also other shape, pattern, and color indicators may be used.

  Therefore, in the face shooting mode as shown in FIG. 30, the camera unit 69 is set to a camera mode for shooting with ambient light, and the index 79d of the focus lever 79 is set to the exterior index 79g, and the entire face is shot. The face of the subject is photographed by pressing the second function button 92 functioning as a shutter button while confirming with the LCD monitor 86 or an external monitor so as to be within the range.

  Further, in the full jaw photographing mode as shown in FIG. 31, the camera unit 69 is set to a camera mode for photographing with ambient light, and the index 79c of the focus lever 79 is set to the exterior index 79g so that the entire jaw is The entire jaw of the subject is photographed by pressing the second function button 92 functioning as a shutter button while confirming with the LCD monitor 86 or an external monitor so as to enter the photographing range.

  Further, in the single-tooth imaging mode as shown in FIG. 32, the camera unit 69 is set to a single-tooth imaging mode in which imaging is performed with illumination light of the illumination unit 70, and the index 79b of the focus lever 79 is set to the exterior index 79g. When the second function button 92 functioning as a shutter button is pressed while confirming with the LCD monitor 86 or an external monitor that the teeth to be photographed are within the photographing range, the teeth of the subject are photographed. It is supposed to be.

  FIG. 33 is a perspective view showing a configuration mainly on the back side of the camera unit.

  The camera unit 69 has a main body part for displaying an image and gripped by the user, and a contact side part which is a side to be applied to the mouth side of the subject, for example, in a substantially L shape. It has a configuration that forms an integrated shape.

  The above-described LCD monitor 86 is provided on the upper rear surface of the main body portion of the camera unit 69, and a charging LED 95 is provided on the lower right side of the LCD monitor 86. Further, on the lower side of the LCD monitor 86, a first function button 91, a second function button 92, and a third function are sequentially arranged from the left to the right along the lower side of the rectangular LCD monitor 86. Function buttons 93 are provided. The functions performed by the function buttons 91, 92, and 93 are displayed at positions corresponding to the function buttons 91, 92, and 93 on the lower side in the LCD monitor 86, as will be described later. Therefore, even if the function of each function button 91, 92, 93 changes according to the operating state, it is possible to easily understand what function the button is used for.

  Further, a focus lever 79 as shown in FIG. 35 is disposed on the upper surface side of the contact side portion of the camera unit 69 so as to be partially operable. Further, on both side surfaces of the contact side portion of the camera unit 69, there are provided hook portions 260a for attaching a contact cap 260 having elasticity formed of styrene elastomer or the like.

  FIG. 34 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the cradle with the cover closed.

  As described above, the cradle 72 is for mounting the camera unit 69 when not in use, charging the camera unit 69, and acquiring calibration information by the camera unit 69. .

  The cradle 72 has an L-shape in which a recess 72a for mounting the lower end side of the camera unit 69 and a recess 72b for mounting the distal end side of the camera unit 69 facing the subject are opened obliquely. Are connected by a bridge portion 72c. The bridge portion 72c has a shape in which a space is formed between the camera unit 69 and the camera unit 69 when the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position of the cradle 72. 69 can be easily gripped.

  A battery charging / USB terminal 72d is provided in the recess 72a so that the communication I / F connection contact 98 and the charging contact 100 of the camera unit 69 are connected.

  In addition, a power lamp 104 is disposed in the vicinity of the recess 72a, and a power switch 102 is disposed, for example, on the side of the right hand side of the recess 72a.

  Next, a reference plate 110 is disposed in the recess 72b. The reference plate 110 is disposed at a position where an image can be taken as it is when the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position on the cradle 72. Further, the recess 72b (when the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position of the cradle 72), the recess 72b and the front end side of the camera unit 69 are protected by a cover 72e so as to be opened and closed. The cover 72e protects the front end side of the camera unit 69 (that is, the front end side on which the illumination unit 70 and the imaging unit 73 are disposed) when not in use, and provides environmental light when the reference plate 110 is imaged. It is intended not to be affected by

  FIG. 36 is a diagram showing examples of display areas such as icons on the LCD monitor 86.

  On the screen of the LCD monitor 86, various icons, captured images, messages, and the like are displayed in a predetermined display area.

  The display area 86A is at the upper left corner of the screen of the LCD monitor 86, the display area 86B is right next to the display area 86B, and the display area 86C is at the upper right corner of the screen of the LCD monitor 86. A display area 86D is arranged on the right side of the lower side of the screen of the LCD monitor 86. A display area 86F is arranged in the center of the lower side of the screen of the LCD monitor 86. The center of the screen is a display area 86G.

  The display area 86A is mainly used to display an icon indicating the operation state of the camera unit 69, and includes a PC connection icon 121a, a data communication icon 121b, a face / whole jaw photographing as described later. The mode icon 121c and the single-tooth imaging mode icon 121d are areas that are displayed as necessary. In the display area 86A, a PC connection icon 121a is displayed when the camera unit 69 is connected to the PC 68, and a data communication icon 121b is displayed when data communication is being performed. When the camera unit 69 is detached from the cradle 72, a face / full jaw photographing mode icon 121c or a single-tooth photographing mode icon 121d indicating the photographing mode is displayed. The data communication icon 121b is not stored in the overlay memory 88 as single icon data, but is stored in advance in the overlay memory 88 with arrow data indicating communication, and this arrow data is stored in the overlay memory 88. By superimposing on the above-mentioned PC connection icon 121a, it is created every time display is required.

  The display area 86B is mainly used to display an icon indicating the operation state of the camera unit 69, and displays a sub-state of the state displayed in the display area 86A. . In this display area 86B, a warm-up icon 122a, a Japanese-style tooth number 122b, and an American-style tooth number 122c as described later are displayed as necessary.

  The display area 86C is used to display an icon indicating the battery state of the camera unit 69. The battery remaining amount icon 123a as shown in FIG. 55 and the battery remaining amount as shown in FIG. This is an area where a slightly higher icon 123b, an icon 123c with a little remaining battery charge as shown in FIG. 57, and an icon 123d with a lower battery charge as shown in FIG. 58 are displayed.

  The display area 86D is used to display an icon indicating the function of the first function button 91, and a button for switching to a face / whole jaw photographing mode (that is, the above-described camera mode) as described later. This is an area in which the icon 124a, the switch button icon 124b to the single-tooth imaging mode, and the cursor left move button icon 124c are displayed. In the display area 86D, a cursor left button icon 124c is displayed when the tooth number is selected, and a switch icon 124b for switching to the single-tooth imaging mode when the face / full jaw imaging mode is selected at other times. When the single-tooth imaging mode is selected at other times, a switch button icon 124a for switching to the face / full jaw imaging mode is displayed.

  The display area 86E is used to display an icon indicating the function of the third function button 93. A guide frame display button icon 125a, a cursor right move button icon 125b, and a cancel button icon 125c as will be described later. Is the area where is displayed. In this display area 86E, a right cursor button icon 125b is displayed when a tooth number is selected, a guide frame display button icon 125a is displayed during framing before shooting, and is canceled when an inquiry is made as to whether to save the image. A button icon 125c is displayed.

  The display area 86F is used to display an icon indicating the function of the second function button 92, and is an area in which a capture button icon 126a and an OK button icon 126b as described later are displayed. In the display area 86F, a capture button icon 126a is displayed at the time of framing before shooting, and an OK button icon 126b is displayed at the time of inquiring whether to save an image.

  The icons displayed in the display areas 86D, 86E, and 86F indicate functions performed by operating the first, third, and second function buttons 91, 93, and 92, and therefore can be operated. Is displayed as a three-dimensional shape, for example, a three-dimensional button icon with shadows on the upper and lower sides. In addition, since there are various types of three-dimensional icon displays, the present invention is not limited to this, and other displays may of course be employed. On the other hand, the icons displayed in the display areas 86A, 86B, 86C are flat icons. Since the second function button 92 is a button having a higher operation frequency than the first and third function buttons 91 and 93, as shown in FIG. 33 and the like, the first and third function buttons 91 and 93 are provided. It is configured as a larger size. In order to correspond to the size of such function buttons, the icons displayed in the display area 86F have a larger size than the icons displayed in the other display areas 86D and 86E.

  The display area 86G is an area for displaying a necessary message according to the operation status, and an area for displaying a tooth table for selecting a tooth number at the start of the single-tooth imaging mode. Details of these displays will be described later with reference to display examples.

  Next, FIG. 59 is a flowchart showing processing when imaging is performed by the camera unit. This process will be described with reference to FIGS. 37 is a state transition diagram showing a change in display on the LCD monitor 86, FIG. 38 is an enlarged view showing a display example at the time of warm-up on the LCD monitor 86, and FIG. 39 is a display example after the warm-up on the LCD monitor 86 is finished. FIG. 40 is an enlarged view showing a display example before imaging in the face / full jaw photographing mode on the LCD monitor 86, and FIG. 41 is an image storage confirmation in the face / full jaw photographing mode on the LCD monitor 86. 42 is an enlarged view showing a display example at the time, FIG. 42 is an enlarged view showing an example of display when the image saving in the face / whole jaw shooting mode is completed on the LCD monitor 86, and FIG. 44 is an enlarged view showing a display example of the table, FIG. 44 is an enlarged view showing a display example of an American-style tooth table on the LCD monitor 86, and FIG. 45 is a single-tooth imaging mode on the LCD monitor 86 46 is an enlarged view showing a display example before imaging, FIG. 46 is an enlarged view showing a display example when confirming image storage in the single-tooth imaging mode on the LCD monitor 86, and FIG. 47 is a diagram showing the single-tooth imaging mode on the LCD monitor 86. FIG. 48 is an enlarged view showing a display example at the time of completion of image storage, FIG. 48 is an enlarged view showing a display example at the time of communication with the PC on the LCD monitor 86, and FIG. FIG. 50 is a diagram showing an enlarged display example of a general error message on the LCD monitor 86, and FIG. 51 is a sample battery error display example on the LCD monitor 86. FIG. 52 is an enlarged view showing a display example of an error during warm-up on the LCD monitor 86, and FIG. 53 is a calibration on the LCD monitor 86. Enlarged view showing a display example of a complete error, FIG. 54 is an enlarged view showing an example of a calibration display on the LCD monitor 86.

  This process is started by turning on the power switch 102 of the cradle 72 while the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position of the cradle 72.

  First, warm-up of the camera unit 69 is started (step S1) (state P1). This warm-up is performed as a process of initializing each circuit in the camera unit 69 and supplying power, and in particular, stabilizing the operation of the RGB color imaging device 5 and the LCD illumination units 70a and 70b. Since the camera unit 69 is used for accurate measurement, the camera unit 69 stabilizes the light emission state by the LED illuminators 70a and 70b, which are light sources, and photographs the illuminated teeth and the reference plate 110. It is important to stabilize the RGB color image sensor 5. During the warm-up, for example, a display as shown in FIG. 38 is performed on the LCD monitor 86 of the camera unit 69. In the example shown in FIG. 38, a PC connection icon 121a and a warm-up icon 122a are displayed on the LCD monitor 86, and, for example, an icon 123a with a high battery level is displayed.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position of the cradle 72 (step S1a). If it is determined that the camera unit 69 has been removed from the cradle 72 during the warm-up, An error display 133 during warm-up as shown in 52 is performed. That is, the character “Warming up” 133a indicating that the warm-up is being performed is displayed on the LCD monitor 86, and the character “Please put on the cradle” (please place on the cradle) 133c indicating the operation to be performed is displayed. In addition, an image (or an icon or the like) 133b showing how the camera unit 69 is placed on the cradle 72 is displayed (step S1b). At this time, the alarm buzzer 96 may be used to give a warning by voice (sound, voice, etc.) at the same time. Similarly, when a warning is displayed as described later, a voice warning may also be accompanied. When the process of step S1b is completed, the process returns to step S1.

  If it is determined in step S1a that the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position of the cradle 72, it is determined whether or not the warm-up is completed (step S1c), and is not completed. In this case, the process returns to step S1a, and the warm-up is continued while detecting the mounting state on the cradle 72.

  Thus, if it is determined in step S1c that the warm-up is completed, the warm-up icon 122a disappears as shown in FIG. 39, and then a calibration display as shown in FIG. S2) (state P2). In the display shown in FIG. 54, a PC connection icon 121a and, for example, an icon 123a with a high battery level are displayed, and a calibration display 135 is displayed. The calibration display 135 includes a character “No Calibraton” 135a indicating that calibration is not performed, a character “Push Button to Calibrate” 135b indicating an operation to be performed (please perform calibration by pressing a button), Is included.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the second function button 92 functioning as a calibration start button has been pressed (step S3).

  If it is determined that the button has been pressed, calibration information acquisition processing is performed (step S4).

  Here, when it is detected that the camera unit 69 has moved from a predetermined position of the cradle 72 before the calibration information acquisition process is completed, that is, the relative position of the imaging unit 73 with respect to the reference plate 110 is detected. For example, when a change is detected by the communication I / F connection contact 98, a calibration incomplete error display 134 as shown in FIG. 53 is performed (state P3). The calibration incomplete error display 134 includes a character “ERROR” 134a indicating an error, a character “No Calibraton” 134b indicating that calibration is not performed, and a character “Please put” indicating an operation to be performed. on the cradle "(carry on the cradle) 134c.

  When the calibration information acquisition process is performed, information is acquired by the temperature sensor 76, and information acquisition by the temperature sensor 76 is continued even after the acquisition of calibration information is completed. Then, after the calibration information acquisition in step S4, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 76, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 76 when the calibration information was acquired last time (that is, last in step S4), It is determined whether or not the difference is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step S4a). If the difference is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, the camera control CPU 81 has not yet acquired information for calibrating the camera unit 69. The state is set, and the process returns to step S2 to prompt the user to perform calibration again.

  If it is determined in step S4a that the temperature difference is less than the predetermined value, photographing by the camera unit 69 is permitted (step S5).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the timer started in step S4 is within a predetermined time (for example, 3 minutes) (step S6). If it is within the predetermined time, it is further detected by the temperature sensor 76. It is determined whether or not the difference between the detected temperature and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 76 when the calibration information was previously acquired is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step S6a).

  Here, when the temperature difference is less than the predetermined value, a mode selection process for selecting the photographing mode is performed (step S7).

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the second function button 92 functioning as a shutter button has been pressed (step S8). If not, the process returns to step S6 to repeat the above-described processing.

  If it is determined in step S8 that the shutter button has been pressed, it is determined whether or not the imaging mode selected in step S7 is a single-tooth imaging mode (step S9).

  Here, when it is determined that the single-tooth imaging mode is selected, the imaging process is performed using the single-tooth imaging mode (step S10). On the other hand, when it is determined that the mode is not the single-tooth imaging mode, the imaging process is performed using the camera mode. It performs (step S11). When step S10 or step S11 ends, the process returns to step S6 and the above-described processing is repeated.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S6 that the timer has reached a predetermined time, or if it is determined in step S6a that the temperature difference is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the calibration as shown in FIG. Incomplete error display 134 is performed on the LCD monitor 86 (step S12).

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position of the cradle 72 (step S13), and the process returns to step S12 to issue a warning until it is placed.

  Thus, when it is determined that the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position of the cradle 72, the process returns to step S3 to determine whether or not the calibration start button has been pressed.

  Here, until the calibration start button is pressed, it is monitored whether or not the power switch 102 is turned off (step S14), and while the power switch 102 is on, the process returns to step S3 to perform calibration. Wait for the start button to be pressed.

  On the other hand, if the power switch 102 is turned off in step S14, this process is terminated.

  Although not specifically shown, when an operation on the camera unit 69 is not performed for a predetermined time or longer, a beep sound is generated as a warning sound (notification sound) by the alarm buzzer 96, and then the camera unit 69 is set in the sleep mode. It is supposed to move to. As is widely known in battery-powered devices, the sleep mode leaves the minimum functions necessary to return to the normal state later and stops supplying power to the other components. Mode.

  Next, FIG. 60 is a flowchart showing details of the calibration information acquisition processing in step S4 of FIG.

  As described above, this processing is performed in a state where the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position of the cradle 72 and the cover 72e is closed.

  When the process is started, it is determined whether or not the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position of the cradle 72 (step S20a). Here, when it is determined that it is not placed at the predetermined position, the calibration incomplete error display 134 as shown in FIG. 53 is displayed on the LCD monitor 86 (step S20b), and the process returns to step S20a to be predetermined. Wait for placement.

  In step S20a, if it is determined that the LED is placed at a predetermined position, one primary color among a plurality of (seven in the above example) band characteristic (referred to as "primary colors") LEDs. First, the LED is caused to emit light (step S21).

  Then, the reference plate 110 is imaged under illumination with one emitted primary color (step S22).

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the LEDs of all the primary colors (seven primary colors in the above-described example) are caused to emit light (step S23). Select (step S24). Note that the selection of primary colors at this time is set in advance so as to be performed in a predetermined order.

  Then, it returns to said step S21, LED of the newly selected primary color is light-emitted, and a reference board is imaged in step S22.

  Thus, if it is determined in step S23 that all the primary color LEDs have been illuminated, then the reference plate 110 is imaged without emitting the LEDs (background imaging of the reference plate) (step S25). .

  Then, the timer is reset and time counting is started (step S26). This timer is a timer used for the determination in step S6 of FIG.

  Then, each image for calibration (calibration information) is stored in the image memory 89 (step S27), and the process returns to the process shown in FIG.

  FIG. 61 is a flowchart showing details of the mode selection process in step S7 of FIG.

  When this process is started, first, an initial mode is set (step S31). When the camera unit 69 is activated for the first time, the initial mode is automatically set to the camera mode (face / full jaw photographing mode), for example. In addition, after image capturing and image storage in the camera mode are performed, the camera mode is continuously set automatically. On the other hand, after image capturing and image storage in the single-tooth imaging mode are performed, a screen for prompting selection of the imaging mode as shown in FIG. 49 is displayed (state P12). In the example shown in FIG. 49, a single-tooth imaging mode icon 121d and, for example, an icon 123a with a large amount of remaining battery power are displayed in a superimposed manner on the single-tooth image after imaging, and the face / all images are displayed in the display area 86D. A switch button icon 124a for switching to the jaw imaging mode is displayed, and a switch button icon 124b for switching to the single-tooth imaging mode is displayed in the display area 86F. Note that the switch button icon 124b for switching to the single-tooth imaging mode is displayed at a position corresponding to the second function button 92, but icon data is usually displayed at a position corresponding to the first function button 91. Since data is used, here, the icon has the same size as the display at the position corresponding to the first function button 91.

  Here, as an example, the example has been described in which the initial mode set first after the camera unit 69 enters the photographing permission state is set to the camera mode, but the initial mode may be set to the single-tooth imaging mode. Of course, it may be configured such that the user can set the initial mode as desired.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the set mode is a single-tooth imaging mode (step S32).

  If it is determined that the mode is not the single-tooth imaging mode, the camera mode is displayed as shown in FIG. 40 in order to enter the camera mode (step S33) (state P4). In the example shown in FIG. 40, the face / whole jaw shooting mode icon 121c, for example, the battery remaining amount icon 123a, and the switch button 124b for switching to the single tooth shooting mode are superimposed on the through image of the subject by the ambient light. Then, a capture button icon 126a and a guide frame display button icon 125a are displayed.

  Here, the switch button icon b for the single-tooth imaging mode indicates that the camera mode can be changed to the single-tooth imaging mode when the corresponding first function button 91 is pressed.

  The capture button icon 126a is a button icon indicating that the second function button 92 functions as a button for starting image capture.

  The guide frame display button icon 125a fulfills the function of switching the display / non-display of the guide frame that assists the framing of the image every time the third function button 93 is pressed once. It is a button icon to show.

Here, for example, a cross-shaped guideline is displayed in the area where the image of the subject on the screen of the LCD monitor 86 is displayed in the camera mode. This guideline is a guide display that assists in framing the object to be imaged. More specifically, the cross-shaped guideline shown in this example includes a horizontal center line, two vertical lines indicating both ends thereof, and a vertical center line and two horizontal lines indicating both ends thereof. The provided left-right symmetry and up-down symmetry. By using such guidelines, for example,
(1) The intersection of the center lines indicates the center position of the display screen. (2) The horizontal center line divided by the intersections and the two vertical lines are assistance when viewing the left-right symmetry of the subject. (3) The two horizontal lines serve to assist in showing the range that should be stored in the vertical direction when photographing all jaws.

  Such a guideline is not limited to a cross shape, and various shapes such as a diagonal cross shape, a mesh shape, a face contour shape, and a jaw contour shape can be widely adopted. is there. Further, the guide display may include an index indicating the dimension of the photographing target.

  Subsequently, if it is determined in step S32 that the mode is the single-tooth imaging mode, the dental formula table 129 is displayed as shown in FIG. 43 (step S34) (state P8).

  That is, on the screen of the LCD monitor 86, a single-tooth imaging mode icon 121d, for example, a Japanese-style tooth number 122b, for example, an icon 123a with a high remaining battery level, a cursor left move button icon 124c, and an OK button icon 126b The cursor right movement button icon 125b is displayed, and a tooth table 129 is further displayed.

  This tooth table 129 is for designating a tooth number, and includes characters “Select Tooth ID” (select a tooth number) 129a and arranged, for example, a Japanese tooth number 129b. It is out. A cursor icon indicating that attention has been paid is displayed on any of the tooth numbers arranged in the tooth table 129 by, for example, highlight display, reverse display, color change display, or the like.

  In addition, the tooth number 122b displays the focused tooth number before the confirmation of the tooth number, and displays the confirmed tooth number after the confirmation. ing.

  When the first function button 91 corresponding to the cursor left movement button icon 124c is pressed, the cursor icon can be moved in the left direction while changing up and down in order.

  On the other hand, when the third function button 93 corresponding to the cursor right movement button icon 125b is pressed, the cursor icon can be moved in the right direction while being changed up and down in order.

  Then, when the second function button 92 corresponding to the OK button icon 126b is pressed, the tooth number of the position of the cursor icon is determined.

  FIG. 43 shows an example of a Japanese-style tooth table, but when an American-style tooth table is displayed, for example, it becomes as shown in FIG. In the US-style dentition table, a dentition number 129c as shown is arranged in place of the dentition number 129b in the Japanese-style dentition table. Further, the icon displayed in the display area 86B corresponding to this tooth number 129c is also the American tooth number 122c.

  Thus, in the state where the tooth table 129 is displayed, the tooth number is designated by operating the function buttons 91 to 93 (step S35).

  Thereafter, display in the single-tooth imaging mode as shown in FIG. 45 is performed (step S36) (state P9).

  In the example shown in FIG. 45, a single-tooth imaging mode icon 121d, a tooth number 122b, an icon 123a with a large amount of remaining battery, for example, and a face / full jaw imaging mode are superimposed on the through image of the subject by LED light. A switch button icon 124a, a capture button icon 126a, and a guide frame display button icon 125a are displayed.

  Here, the switch button icon 124a for the face / whole jaw shooting mode indicates that the single tooth shooting mode can be changed to the camera mode when the corresponding third function button 93 is pressed.

  The capture button icon 126a is a button icon indicating that the second function button 92 functions as a button for starting image capture, as in the camera mode.

  Further, the guide frame display button icon 125a also displays / hides a guide frame that assists the framing of the image each time the third function button 93 is pressed once as in the camera mode. It is a button icon indicating that a switching function is performed.

Here, in the area where the image of the subject on the screen of the LCD monitor 86 is displayed, for example, a rectangular (or square) frame line is displayed in the single-tooth imaging mode. Similar to the camera mode, this guideline is also a guide display that assists in framing a subject to be photographed. By using such guidelines, for example,
(1) An outline of a range in which an object to be imaged (tooth) is placed at the time of imaging is shown.

Further, the guideline may allow the user to change the size and display position in the screen as desired. In this case, the guidelines further
(3) It is also possible to fulfill the function of indicating the target area. Here, the region of interest is, for example, a region where it is desired to remove regular reflection, and the state of regular reflection can be changed by changing the angle adjustment of the camera. Therefore, it can be used as a guideline for determining an angle at which regular reflection does not occur in the region of interest.

  Such guidelines are not limited to a rectangular (square) shape, and various shapes such as a triangle, a circle, an ellipse, and a mesh can be widely used. Further, the guide display may include an index indicating the dimension of the photographing target.

  As a guideline, when setting the shape and size, an optimum one may be automatically set according to the designated tooth number. Since the sizes of the teeth differ depending on which number of teeth, an example in which a standard width of a tooth specified by the tooth number is displayed as a guideline is considered. Or it is possible to perform an optimal guide display according to whether the tooth specified by the tooth number is an upper tooth or a lower tooth.

  Note that the guideline data in the camera mode and the guideline data in the single-tooth imaging mode are stored in advance in the overlay memory 88 as described above.

  Thereafter, when the processing of step S33 or step S36 is completed, whether or not the imaging mode is newly selected, that is, the first function button 91 or single-tooth imaging corresponding to the switch button icon 124a to the face / full jaw imaging mode. It is determined whether or not the third function button 93 corresponding to the mode switch button icon 124b has been pressed (step S37), and if it has been pressed, the process returns to step S32 and depends on the newly selected shooting mode. The above processing is performed as described above. If a new shooting mode is not selected, the process returns to the process shown in FIG. 59 from this process.

  FIG. 62 is a flowchart showing details of the single-tooth image capturing process in step S10 of FIG.

  In this single-tooth image capturing process, a contact cap 260 is attached to the camera unit 69, the tip of the contact cap 260 is brought into contact with the periphery of the tooth of interest of the subject, and framing is performed on the image on the LCD monitor 86. This is done after determining the imaging range.

  When this processing is started, one primary color LED is first caused to emit light among a plurality of (seven in the above example) band characteristic (referred to as “primary colors” as described above) LEDs (step S41).

  Then, the teeth are imaged under illumination with the emitted primary color (step S42).

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the LEDs of all primary colors (seven primary colors in the above-described example) are caused to emit light (step S43). Select (step S44). Note that the selection of the primary color at this time is set to be the same as the selection of the light emission order in the calibration information acquisition process shown in FIG. 60, for example.

  Then, it returns to said step S41, LED of the newly selected primary color is light-emitted, and a tooth | gear is imaged in step S42.

  Thus, if it is determined in step S43 that all primary color LEDs have emitted light, then the teeth are imaged without emitting the LEDs (single-tooth background imaging) (step S45).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 46, the switch button icon 124a to the face / full jaw shooting mode is deleted (the shooting mode switch button display is deleted) (step S46), and the OK button icon 126b and the cancel button icon 125c are displayed. At the same time, an image save confirmation message display (character “Save This File”) 127 is displayed in the display area 86G (step S47) (state P10). In the screen of FIG. 46, the single-tooth imaging mode icon 121d, the tooth number 122b, and the icon 123a having a large remaining battery capacity, for example, are continuously displayed. In addition, each icon, message, and the like are displayed superimposed on the captured image.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the third function button 93 corresponding to the cancel button icon 125c has been pressed (step S48). If not, whether or not the second function button 92 corresponding to the OK button icon 126b has been pressed. It is determined whether or not (step S49).

  If the second function button 92 has not been pressed, the process returns to step S48, and as described above, an image erasing (more precisely, non-saving of the image) or image fixing operation is performed. Wait to be done.

  If it is determined in step S49 that the second function button 92 has been pressed, the tooth number designated in step S35 shown in FIG. 61 is used as the tooth image of each of the seven primary colors and one tooth. Are associated with the background image (step S50).

  Then, the image of the seven primary color teeth, the background image of one tooth, and the tooth number are stored in the image memory 89 (step S51).

  When the image memory 89 is stored, as shown in FIG. 47, the OK button icon 126b and the cancel button icon 125c are deleted, and the image save completion display (character “This File Saved” (saved to a file) )) 128 is displayed (step S52) (state P11).

  If it is determined that the process in step S52 is completed or the third function button 93 is pressed in step S48, the process returns to the process shown in FIG. Therefore, when the third function button 93 is pressed in step S48, the image and the tooth number are not saved.

  Note that the camera mode shooting process in step S11 in FIG. 59 is substantially similar to the shooting process in a normal digital camera or the like, and thus detailed description is omitted, but the display state is as shown in FIG. It is supposed to transition.

  That is, when the second function button 92 is pressed in the state P4, an image is captured and the state shifts to the state P5 after the capture. The screen of the LCD monitor 86 in this state P5 is as shown in FIG. 41, for example. In other words, the face / all jaw shooting mode icon 121c, for example, the battery remaining amount icon 123a, the OK button icon 126b, the cancel button icon 125c, and the image saving confirmation message display 127 described above are superimposed on the captured image. Is displayed.

  In this state P5, if the third function button 93 corresponding to the cancel button icon 125c is pressed, the state P4 is entered.

  In the state P5, when the second function button 92 corresponding to the OK button icon 126b is pressed, the state shifts to the state P6.

  The screen of the LCD monitor 86 in this state P6 is, for example, as shown in FIG. That is, compared to the screen shown in FIG. 41, the OK button icon 126b and the cancel button icon 125c are deleted, and the above-described image storage completion display 128 is displayed instead of the image storage confirmation message display 127. And after the state P6 continues for the predetermined time, it transfers to the state P4.

  Next, FIG. 63 is a flowchart showing the calibration process.

  This calibration process is a process for actually correcting the single-tooth image, which is the measurement information acquired by the process shown in FIG. 62, using the calibration information acquired by the process shown in FIG. It has become.

  When this process is started, a single-tooth background image is subtracted from the single-tooth image of each primary color (seven primary colors in the above example) (step S61). Since the background image includes the influence of ambient light that is difficult to completely block out, the influence of the dark current of the RGB color image pickup device 5 and the like, the subtraction substantially eliminates these influences. be able to.

  Similarly, the background image of the reference plate is subtracted from the reference plate image of each primary color (step S62).

  Then, the single-tooth image that has been background-corrected by the process of step S61 is corrected for each corresponding primary color based on the reference plate image that has been background-corrected by the process of step S62 (step S63).

  In this way, when all the primary color single-tooth images have been corrected, this processing is terminated.

  63, for example, a single-tooth image and calibration information are externally transmitted via a communication I / F controller 97 and a communication I / F connection contact 98 as communication means. This is performed by transferring the data to the PC 68, which is a processing apparatus, and executing measurement application software on the PC 68. If the communication means transmits the single-tooth image and the calibration information, and further transmits the information of the time interval between the time when the single-tooth image is acquired and the time when the calibration information is acquired, It becomes possible to perform more precise calibration in the PC 68 using the time interval information. In this way, the calibration processing is performed by an external processing device, thereby reducing the processing load on the camera unit 69, reducing the size and weight, and extending the battery operating time. It becomes. Further, by using an external processing device, it is possible to perform complicated processing requiring a long calculation time.

  Further, the calibration process is not limited to being performed by the PC 68, and a correction unit (for example, the camera control CPU 81 may also serve) is provided in the camera unit 69, and is performed by this correction unit. It doesn't matter. In this case, the amount of data transferred from the camera unit 69 to the PC 68 can be reduced.

  FIG. 64 is a flowchart showing processing for transferring an image from the camera unit to the PC.

  This process is a process of executing measurement application software on the PC 68 and acquiring information from the camera unit 69.

  When this process is started, it is determined whether or not the camera unit 69 is connected via the above-described USB2 cable, cradle 72, or the like (step S71).

  Here, until the camera unit 69 is connected, for example, a display for prompting the camera unit 69 to be connected is displayed on a monitor screen attached to the PC 68, and the camera unit 69 is waited for to be connected.

  Thus, if it is determined in step S71 that the camera unit 69 is connected, the PC 68 transmits an image transfer request to the camera unit 69 (step S72), and an image transmitted in response to the image transfer request. Data is received (step S73). At this time, on the camera unit 69 side, a display as shown in FIG. 48 is performed on the screen of the LCD monitor 86 (state P7). That is, on the screen of the LCD monitor 86, a data communication icon 121b and, for example, an icon 123a with a high battery level are displayed.

  After that, it is determined whether all the images stored in the image memory 89 of the camera unit 69 and the data related to the images have been received (step S74), and the process of step S73 is performed until the reception is completed. Do.

  Thus, when the reception is completed, the image transfer process is terminated.

  FIG. 65 is a flowchart showing an error display process.

  This process is performed when the camera control CPU 81 detects that an error has occurred.

  When this process is started, as shown in FIG. 50, for example, an error display 131 is displayed on the screen of the LCD monitor 86 (step S81). The error display 131 includes an icon and a character “ERROR” (error) 131a indicating an error, and an error number (character “Error No .:” and a number (“E001” as an example)) indicating an error type. 131b and characters “Please note the error No.” 131c indicating the operation to be performed (record the error number) 131c.

  Then, it is determined whether or not the error still continues (step S82). If it continues, the process returns to step S81 to continue displaying the error message.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S82 that the error has been resolved, this process ends.

  FIG. 66 is a flowchart showing battery monitoring processing. This battery monitoring process is performed by the camera control CPU 81 at an appropriate time interval or the like.

  The battery capacity of the lithium ion battery 99 is detected by the camera control CPU 81 that also serves as battery capacity detection means.

  When this process is started, the camera control CPU 81 acquires the battery capacity of the lithium ion battery 99 (step S91).

  Then, it is determined whether or not the acquired battery capacity is large (step S92). If it is determined that the battery level is high, an icon 123a having a high battery level as shown in FIG. 55 is displayed in the display area 86C (step S93), and the process returns to step S91.

  If it is determined in step S92 that the battery capacity is not large, it is determined whether or not the battery capacity is slightly high (step S94). If it is determined that the remaining battery level is slightly high, an icon 123b having a relatively high battery level as shown in FIG. 56 is displayed in the display area 86C (step S95), and the process returns to step S91.

  If it is determined in step S94 that the battery capacity is not slightly large, it is determined whether or not the battery capacity is slightly small (step S96). Here, when it is determined that the remaining battery level is slightly low, an icon 123c having a low remaining battery level as shown in FIG. 57 is displayed in the display area 86C (step S97), and the process returns to step S91.

  If it is determined in step S96 that the battery capacity is not slightly small, it is determined whether or not the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position of the cradle 72 (step S98). Here, if it is determined that the battery is placed at a predetermined position, an icon 123d with a low remaining battery level as shown in FIG. 58 is displayed in the display area 86C (step S99), and the process returns to step S91.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S98 that the camera unit 69 is not placed at the predetermined position of the cradle 72, a battery exhaustion error display 132 as shown in FIG. 51 is displayed (step S100). The battery exhaustion error display 132 includes characters “Low battery” (battery exhausted) 132a, an icon (or an image etc.) 132b indicating battery exhaustion, and characters “Please put on the cradle.” (In the cradle). 132c).

  If the process of this step S100 is performed, it will return to step S91 and will perform the process mentioned above.

  In the above description, the guideline is changed depending on whether the photographing mode is the single-tooth photographing mode or the camera mode, but the camera mode is the face photographing mode or the full jaw photographing mode. You may make it change a guideline according to it. At this time, it is possible to determine whether the photographing mode is the face photographing mode or the full jaw photographing mode according to the detection result by the position detecting contact 80.

  In the above description, an example of the single-tooth imaging mode in which one tooth (single tooth) is an imaging target has been described as the tooth imaging mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of adjacent teeth are used. At the same time, it can also be used as a target for measurement photography. In this case, since it is no longer “single tooth”, for example, it is desirable that the name of the tooth imaging mode is “target tooth imaging mode” or the like. At this time, as a matter of course, the configuration is such that the tooth numbers can be designated for all the target teeth in the image.

  As described above, since the camera unit 69 is for performing accurate measurement, the light emission state by the LED illumination units 70a and 70b, which are light sources, is stabilized, and the illuminated teeth and the reference plate 110 are displayed. It is important to stabilize the RGB color imaging device 5 for photographing. For this reason, warm-up is performed at the time of start-up, but nevertheless, when the camera unit is used alone, for example, light is emitted from the LED illumination units 70a and 70b due to heat generation from the RGB color imaging device 5 and other circuits. There is a possibility that the intensity of light changes or the dark current or the like of the RGB color image sensor 5 changes. Furthermore, it is conceivable that the intensity of light emitted from the LED illumination units 70a and 70b also changes as the voltage of the lithium ion battery 99 decreases.

  Therefore, the camera unit 69 limits the time for continuous use, and prompts the user to perform calibration again after a predetermined time.

  The method at this time is not limited to the example described above, and various methods can be considered.

  First, in the example described above (referred to as the first example), calibration is first performed after startup, and when the subsequent elapsed time reaches a predetermined time (first predetermined time), the calibration is performed again. This is a case in which a warning display or the like is displayed. The first predetermined time is shorter than a predetermined time (second predetermined time) at which the reliability of the single-tooth image can be ensured. It is conceivable that the warning display is continuously performed until the second predetermined time is reached. Alternatively, when a predetermined time shorter than the second predetermined time (referred to as a third predetermined time) is reached, a display that prompts the user to acquire a single-tooth image is performed, and this display is displayed on the second predetermined time. It may be performed until time is reached.

  The next conceivable example (second example) does not necessarily need to be calibrated after startup. When imaging is first performed in the single-tooth imaging mode, the timer is then started and the elapsed time Is measured and the calibration is urged to be performed within a predetermined time (which is different from the first predetermined time, but the first predetermined time in this example) that can ensure the reliability of the single-tooth image. It is. At this time, since imaging in the single-tooth imaging mode may be performed a plurality of times, warning display for prompting calibration immediately after imaging is not performed, but a predetermined second less than the first predetermined time is not performed. It is conceivable that the warning display is performed from when the predetermined time has elapsed until the first predetermined time is reached.

  As described above, the predetermined time during which the reliability of the single-tooth image can be ensured is the case where the measurement start time is the time when the calibration information is acquired (first example) and the time when the single-tooth image itself is acquired. And a case (second example) in which the measurement start time is considered.

  Furthermore, when there is no calibration information acquired within a predetermined time (regardless of before and after the time) that can ensure the reliability of the single-tooth image, that is, in the first example, the second predetermined time has elapsed. However, if the calibration information is not acquired, or in the second example, if the calibration information is not acquired even after the first predetermined time has elapsed, the single-tooth image ( It is conceivable to attach a mark (invalid mark) or the like indicating that the reliability cannot be reduced and an accurate measurement image cannot be obtained.

  Then, when the calibration information is not acquired even after a lapse of a predetermined time that can ensure the reliability of the single-tooth image, the camera control CPU 81 serving as the control means performs the subsequent single-tooth image mode (or single-tooth image). It is also conceivable to prohibit imaging in the image mode and the camera mode).

  In the above description, the time is measured by the timer. However, the time stamp given when the acquired measurement information (single-tooth image) is stored in the image memory 89 as a file and the acquired calibration information (see A time interval or the like may be determined using a time stamp attached when the image is stored in the image memory 89 as a file.

  Further, if the time interval between the acquisition time point of the single tooth image and the acquisition time point of the calibration information as described above is associated with the single tooth image and stored in, for example, the header of the single tooth image, the calibration information is later included in the calibration information. Based on this, it is possible to perform more precise correction when correcting a single-tooth image.

  Then, since the calibration information may be acquired before and after the acquisition point of the single tooth image, the calibration of the single tooth image is performed using the calibration information closest in time at that time. And good. At this time, if the time intervals are equal, it may be possible to use previous calibration information in terms of time. This is because it can be considered that the voltage of the lithium ion battery 99 is higher at the previous time point, that is, the reliability of the acquired calibration information is higher.

  Alternatively, using calibration information acquired at a time point before the time point when a single tooth image is acquired, and calibration information acquired at a time point after the time point when the single tooth image is acquired It is even better if the calibration information at the time when the single-tooth image is acquired is estimated and the calibration is performed based on the estimated calibration information.

Specifically, the time interval between the acquisition time of the single tooth image and the previous acquisition time of calibration information (A) is T1, and the calibration information (B is the time of acquisition of the single tooth image and the subsequent time). ) Is the time interval from the acquisition time point T2, and the calibration information (X) at the acquisition time point of the single-tooth image is represented by the following formula:
X = A * {T2 / (T1 + T2)} + B * {T1 / (T1 + T2)}
It can be estimated by Such weighting has an advantage that it is possible to obtain estimated calibration information with relatively high reliability while being easy to calculate. Here, weighting is performed in inverse proportion to the time interval, but weighting may be performed by a more complicated function using the time interval as a variable. In addition, for the reasons described above, a larger weight may be applied to the calibration information acquired at the previous time point.

  Note that the calibration information is not limited to using two, and a single-tooth image is acquired using three or more calibration information including calibration information whose acquisition points are closest in time. The calibration information at the time point may be estimated.

  Furthermore, it is not limited to using two pieces of calibration information that sandwich a single-tooth image in time, but a plurality of pieces of calibration information acquired at a previous time in time, or acquired at a later time in time. You may make it estimate the calibration information in the time of a single-tooth image being acquired using several calibration information.

  Further, as described above, the light emission luminance of the LEDs provided in the LED illumination units 70a and 70b may change depending on the voltage of the lithium ion battery 99, and consequently, the balance of the light emission luminance of each LED changes. Therefore, there is a possibility that accurate measurement cannot be performed. Therefore, the voltage of the lithium ion battery 99 may be monitored by the camera control CPU 81 that also serves as a voltage detection unit, and a display that prompts acquisition of calibration information in response to a voltage drop may be performed by the LCD monitor 86.

  Specifically, the voltage of the lithium ion battery 99 monitored by the camera control CPU 81 is determined when the camera unit 69 starts operating with the lithium ion battery 99 as a power source and when the calibration information is acquired last time. It is conceivable to perform a notification that prompts the user to acquire calibration information when the voltage at the later time decreases by a predetermined value or more.

  Alternatively, when the voltage of the lithium ion battery 99 monitored by the camera control CPU 81 is lowered by a predetermined value or more from the voltage at the time of the last acquisition of the single-tooth image, a notification is made to prompt the user to acquire calibration information. You may do it.

  In the above description, the reference plate 110 as the predetermined color chart is provided on the cradle 72. However, the position where the reference plate 110 is provided is not limited to this. Regardless of the position, the change in the position of the imaging unit relative to the reference plate is detected by the above-described technique, and the change in position is detected because the calibration information is acquired. If it is before completion, it is possible to set the camera unit in a state where information acquisition for calibration is incomplete.

  In addition, detecting the completion of acquisition of calibration information is not limited to strictly detecting the acquisition completion point of calibration information, and some strict acquisition completion point is exceeded by some other signal or the like. It also includes cases where it is detected at the time.

  According to the first embodiment, when a change in the relative position of the imaging unit with respect to the reference plate is detected before the acquisition of the calibration information is completed, the information for calibrating the camera unit is detected. Since the acquisition is set to an incomplete state, it is possible to prevent the single-tooth imaging from being performed while the calibration information is incomplete.

  Furthermore, when information acquisition for calibration is incomplete, the fact is displayed as a calibration error, so that the user can easily recognize it, and then acquire information for calibration again. Can be reliably performed.

  And since the operation to be performed when the acquisition of information for calibration is incomplete is also displayed, it is difficult to determine what operation should be performed by the user when an error is notified. Disappear.

  In addition, when an error occurs, a sound such as an alarm is generated together with the display, so that the user can more reliably notice the occurrence of the error.

  In addition, since the mounting state of the camera unit with respect to the cradle is detected electrically or based on the image captured by the imaging unit, reliable detection is possible. At this time, it is possible to further improve the detection accuracy by using both electrical detection and detection based on an image.

  On the other hand, the user is required to acquire calibration information because notification is made to prompt the user to acquire calibration information within the limit time that can maintain the reliability of the single-tooth image that is measurement information. You can recognize that there is. In this way, it is possible to ensure the reliability of the measurement information by acquiring the calibration information within a predetermined time.

  And if the elapsed time from the time when calibration information is acquired exceeds the limit time that can maintain the reliability of measurement information, the acquisition of measurement information is prohibited and The useless acquisition is eliminated, and the storage capacity of the image memory 89 can be used effectively.

  The calibration information can be easily obtained by a simple operation of imaging the reference plate. Moreover, since the reference plate is disposed at a position where the imaging unit 73 can be photographed as it is when the camera unit 69 is placed at a predetermined position on the cradle 72, the operation is easier and the cradle 72 side It is possible to acquire calibration information with high reliability using the supplied power.

  Furthermore, accurate calibration is possible by using the calibration information that is closest in time from the time when the single-tooth image as measurement information is acquired. At this time, if there are multiple pieces of calibration information that are closest in time, using the previous calibration information in time makes the calibration information more reliable under a more stable battery power supply. It becomes. In addition, the calibration information at the time when the single-tooth image is acquired is estimated using a plurality of pieces of calibration information that are close in time, and optimal calibration can be performed by using the estimated calibration information. .

  If the calibration information does not exist within the time interval that can maintain the reliability of the measurement information before and after the acquisition of the single-tooth image as the measurement information, the measurement information is invalidated. As a result, the information whose reliability is impaired is not inadvertently used.

  In addition, since the calibration information is acquired in consideration of the voltage drop of the battery, more accurate calibration processing of the measurement information can be performed.

  Thus, by obtaining reliable calibration information, the tooth shade can be accurately obtained.

  In the above, the dental imaging apparatus is described as an embodiment and the invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to dental use, but is applied to a spectrocolorimetric apparatus or a multispectral camera that performs calibration using a color chart. Needless to say, it can be done.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and applications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Appendix]
According to the embodiment of the present invention described in detail above, the following configuration can be obtained.

(Appendix 1)
A dental imaging device used for imaging a tooth,
A plurality of LED light sources that illuminate a subject to be photographed and have different band characteristics;
Imaging means capable of imaging an imaging target illuminated by an LED light source;
Calibration that controls to acquire calibration information for calibration by causing the imaging means to image a predetermined color chart as an imaging target that is placed at a predetermined position and illuminated by the LED light source Control means,
Temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the LED light source or the vicinity of the LED light source;
When the difference between the temperature detected by the temperature detection means and the temperature detected by the temperature detection means when the calibration information was previously acquired is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the dental imaging device is calibrated. Setting means for setting the information acquisition for the incomplete state;
A dental imaging apparatus comprising:

  The present invention can be suitably used for a dental imaging apparatus that can be used to photograph teeth.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an imaging system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The front view which shows the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The left view which shows the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The right view which shows the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The top view which shows the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The bottom view which shows the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The rear view which shows the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a display example at the time of warming up on an LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example after the warm-up is finished on the LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view showing a display example before imaging in a face / full jaw imaging mode on an LCD monitor arranged on the back side of the camera unit of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example when confirming image storage in the face / full jaw photographing mode on the LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example when image storage in the face / full jaw photographing mode is completed on the LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit of the first embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display of the Japanese-style tooth chart on the LCD monitor arrange | positioned at the back side of the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of a display of the American-style tooth chart in the LCD monitor arrange | positioned at the back side of the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of a display before imaging of the single tooth imaging | photography mode in the LCD monitor arrange | positioned at the back side of the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of a display at the time of the image preservation | save confirmation of the single tooth imaging | photography mode in the LCD monitor arrange | positioned at the back side of the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of a display at the time of completion of image preservation | save in the single tooth imaging | photography mode in the LCD monitor arrange | positioned at the back side of the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of a display at the time of communication with PC in the LCD monitor arrange | positioned by the back side of the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of a display of imaging | photography mode selection after the image preservation | save of the single-tooth imaging | photography mode in the LCD monitor arrange | positioned at the back side of the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a general error message on an LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display of a battery exhaustion error in the LCD monitor arrange | positioned at the back side of the camera unit of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of an error during warm-up on an LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display example of a calibration incomplete error on the LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of calibration display on an LCD monitor disposed on the back side of the camera unit according to the first embodiment. In the said Embodiment 1, the perspective view which shows the camera unit with which the cover was opened in the cradle from the upper left viewpoint. In the said Embodiment 1, the perspective view which shows the camera unit with which the cover was closed in the state which was attached from the viewpoint of the upper left of a back surface. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating specific configurations of a camera unit and a cradle in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an RGB color image sensor in the camera unit of the first embodiment. In the said Embodiment 1, the diagram which shows the zone | band characteristic of seven types of LED. The figure which shows a mode that the subject's face is image | photographed by the face imaging | photography mode in the said Embodiment 1. FIG. In the said Embodiment 1, the figure which shows a mode that the whole subject's jaw is image | photographed by all jaw imaging | photography mode. The figure which shows a mode that the subject's tooth | gear is image | photographed by the single-tooth imaging | photography mode in the said Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration mainly on a back side of the camera unit in the first embodiment. In the said Embodiment 1, the perspective view which shows the structure of the cradle of the state which closed the cover. FIG. 3 is a development view showing an index provided on the focus lever in the first embodiment. The figure which shows the example of each display area, such as an icon, in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The state transition diagram which shows the change of the display in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display at the time of warm-up in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display after completion | finish of warm-up in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display before imaging of the face and all jaw imaging | photography mode in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display at the time of the image storage confirmation in the face and all jaw imaging | photography mode in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display at the time of the completion of image preservation | save in the face and all jaw imaging | photography mode in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display of the Japanese-style tooth chart on the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display of the US-type tooth chart on the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display before the imaging | photography of the single tooth imaging | photography mode in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display at the time of the image preservation | save confirmation of the single tooth imaging | photography mode in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display at the time of completion of the image storage of the single tooth imaging | photography mode in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display at the time of communication with PC in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display of imaging | photography mode selection after the image preservation | save of the single tooth imaging | photography mode in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display of the general error message in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display of a battery exhaustion error in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display of the error during warm-up in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of a display of the calibration incomplete error in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which expands and shows the example of the calibration display in the LCD monitor of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the icon with many battery residual amounts in the said Embodiment 1. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the battery remaining amount in Embodiment 1 mentioned above, or a little more icons. The figure which shows the example of the little battery remaining amount in the said Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the example of the icon with few battery residual amounts in the said Embodiment 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing when imaging is performed by a camera unit in the first embodiment. 60 is a flowchart showing details of calibration information acquisition processing in step S4 of FIG. 60 is a flowchart showing details of mode selection processing in step S7 of FIG. The flowchart which shows the detail of the single-tooth image imaging process in step S10 of the said FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing calibration processing in the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing processing for transferring an image from a camera unit to a PC in the first embodiment. 5 is a flowchart showing error display processing in the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing battery monitoring processing in the first embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 5 ... RGB color imaging device 5a ... Imaging device 5b ... Color filter array 16 ... Shooting lens 17 ... Signal processing part 18 ... A / D converter 69 ... Camera unit (dental imaging device)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 70 ... Illumination unit 70a, 70b ... LED illumination part 72 ... Cradle 72a ... Concave part 72b ... Concave part 72c ... Bridge part 72d ... Battery charge / USB terminal 72e ... Cover 73 ... Imaging unit (imaging means)
74: illumination optical system 75 ... LED memory 76 ... temperature sensor (temperature detection means)
79 ... Focus lever 79a ... Knurl 79b, 79c, 79d ... Index 79e, 79f ... Arrow 79g ... Index 80 ... Contact for position detection 81 ... Camera control CPU (control means, calibration control means, calibration information acquisition completion detection means, (Setting means, position change detection means, second mounting state detection means, error notification control means, timing means, correction means, voltage detection means)
82 ... Local bus 83 ... LED driver 84 ... Data I / F
85 ... Composite output terminal 86 ... LCD monitor (display means, notification means)
86A, 86B, 86C, 86D, 86E, 86F, 86G ... display area 87 ... LCD controller 88 ... overlay memory 89 ... image memory 90 ... operation unit I / F
91 ... First function button 92 ... Second function button 93 ... Third function button 95 ... Charging LED
96 ... Alarm buzzer (pronunciation means)
97 ... Communication I / F controller (communication means)
98 ... Communication I / F connection contact (position change detection means, first placement state detection means, communication means)
99 ... Lithium ion battery 100 ... Charging contact 102 ... Power switch 104 ... Power lamp 105 ... Power connection connector 106 ... AC adapter 110 ... Reference plate 111 ... Micro switch 121a ... PC connection icon 121b ... Data communication icon 121c ... Face / Jaw Shooting mode icon 121d ... Single-tooth shooting mode icon 122a ... Warm-up icon 122b ... Japanese-style tooth number 122c ... US-style tooth number 123a ... Battery remaining high icon 123b ... Battery remaining slightly high icon 123c ... Battery remaining slightly Small amount of icon 123d ... Battery low icon 124a ... Switch button icon 124b to full jaw shooting mode ... Switch button icon 124c to single tooth shooting mode ... Cursor left move button icon 125a ... Guide button Display button icon 125b ... Cursor right move button icon 125c ... Cancel button icon 126a ... Capture button icon 126b ... OK button icon 127 ... Image save confirmation message display 128 ... Image save completion display 129 ... Tooth table 129b ... Japanese style Tooth type number 129c ... American type tooth number 131 ... Error indication 132 ... Battery out error indication 133 ... Warm-up error indication 134 ... Calibration incomplete error indication 135 ... Calibration indication 260 ... Contact cap 260a ... Hook part

Claims (8)

A dental imaging device used when imaging a tooth,
Imaging means for imaging an imaging target;
Calibration control means for controlling to acquire calibration information for calibration by causing the imaging means to image a predetermined color chart arranged at a predetermined position;
Calibration information acquisition completion detection means for detecting completion of acquisition of the calibration information;
Position change detection means for detecting a change in the relative position of the imaging means with respect to the color chart;
If a change in relative position is detected by the position change detection means before the completion of acquisition of the calibration information is detected by the calibration information acquisition completion detection means, the dental imaging device is calibrated. Setting means for setting the information acquisition for incomplete status,
A dental imaging apparatus comprising:   The setting means detects the position change detection means after the calibration control means starts acquiring calibration information and before the calibration information acquisition completion detection means detects completion of the calibration information acquisition. The dental apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the relative position change is detected by the step, the dental imaging apparatus is set to a state in which information acquisition for calibration is incomplete. Imaging device. Display means for displaying an image picked up by the image pickup means;
Calibration that the information acquisition for calibration is incomplete on the display means when the dental imaging apparatus is set to the state where the information acquisition for calibration is incomplete by the setting means An error notification control means for controlling to display an error;
The dental imaging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The error notification control means is further configured to control the display means to display an operation to be performed when information acquisition for calibration is incomplete. The dental imaging apparatus as described. It further comprises a sound generation means for generating sound,
4. The dental imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the error notification control means performs notification by generating a sound together with the display of the calibration error.   The color chart is a cradle for placing the dental imaging device, and when the dental imaging device is placed at a predetermined position, the relative position between the color chart and the imaging means The dental imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dental imaging apparatus is provided in a cradle configured to be in a predetermined position.   The position change detection means detects a placement state of the dental imaging apparatus with respect to the cradle based on a first placement state detection means that electrically detects the image and a second image that is picked up by the imaging means. The dental imaging apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the dental imaging apparatus is configured to include at least one of the mounting state detection unit.   The first placement state detection means detects a placement state of the dental imaging device with respect to the cradle by detecting an electrical connection state with an electric circuit provided in the cradle. The dental imaging apparatus according to claim 7.