JP2011056154A - Intraoral camera - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an intraoral camera for dental surgery or the like, improving the convenience of the intraoral camera. <P>SOLUTION: In order to accomplish the object, this intraoral camera includes: a camera body 1 provided with an image pickup window 3a for imaging a subject; and a control pattern 20 provided in a position opposite to the image pickup window 3a. A recognizing part 21 for identifying/recognizing the control pattern 20 and a control part 22 for conducting predetermined control according to the identification/recognition result of the recognizing part are provided in the interior of the camera body 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an intraoral camera.

  The conventional intraoral camera has the following configuration.

  That is, the camera body includes a setting unit configured with an operation panel or the like for setting the camera control mode by directly touching the user, and a control unit for executing the control mode set by the setting unit. It was a composition.

  In a configuration in which the camera body is controlled without using the setting unit, as a control mode setting method for automatically turning off the power, the power is automatically turned on when the camera is not operated for a predetermined time. There is a technique for turning it off (for example, Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2007-158950 A

  The problem in the conventional example is that the convenience of the intraoral camera is low.

  In other words, the dentist or dental hygienist who is the user of the intraoral camera holds the camera body in one hand and possibly another inspection device to keep the patient's mouth open in the other hand. It can be held and both hands are closed.

  In this state, it is very difficult to operate the intraoral camera directly with the finger on the operation panel in the camera body, and convenience is lowered.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve the convenience of an intraoral camera.

  And in order to achieve this object, the present invention comprises a camera body provided with an imaging window for imaging a subject, and a control pattern provided at a position facing the imaging window. A recognition unit that recognizes / recognizes the control pattern and a control unit that performs predetermined control according to the identification / recognition result of the recognition unit are provided, thereby achieving an intended purpose. .

  As described above, the present invention includes a camera body provided with an imaging window for imaging a subject and a control pattern provided at a position facing the imaging window, and the control pattern is identified in the camera body. The recognition unit and the control unit that performs predetermined control according to the recognition / recognition result of the recognition unit are provided, so that the convenience of the intraoral camera can be improved.

  That is, in the present invention, the control mode that the user wants to set is set in advance as a control pattern, the control pattern is acquired from the imaging window of the camera body, identified / recognized, and the control result is determined according to the determination result. Since the control mode can be set, for example, a dentist or dental hygienist who is a user of an intraoral camera holds the camera body in one hand and keeps the patient's mouth open in the other hand. Even when the inspection tool is held, the intraoral camera can be operated by reading a predetermined control pattern from the imaging window of the camera body without directly operating the operation panel on the camera body with a finger. Therefore, as a result, the convenience of the intraoral camera can be improved.

The perspective view of one Embodiment of this invention Cross section The exploded perspective view Cross section of the lens barrel Bottom view of the intraoral insertion part An enlarged perspective view showing the upper surface side of the control box An enlarged perspective view showing the upper surface side of the control box Functional block diagram Flow chart of an example of the process The perspective view of the one embodiment

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a camera body in one embodiment of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a substantially cylindrical camera body 1, and a power source and a video signal output cord 2 are connected to the rear end side of the camera body 1. In addition, on the front side of the camera body 1, an intraoral insertion portion 3 having a cylindrical shape smaller in diameter than the central portion of the camera body 1 is mounted. In the intraoral insertion portion 3, FIG. A lens barrel 4 shown in FIG. 3 is provided. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lens barrel 4 has a configuration in which the diameter of the opening gradually increases from the front side opening 4 a toward the rear side opening 4 b. As shown, four groups of lenses G1 to G4 are arranged.

  Now, an imaging window 3a is provided in the lower surface portion of the intraoral insertion portion 3 optically corresponding to the front opening 4a of the lens barrel 4, and the imaging window 3a and the front opening 4a of the lens barrel 4 are provided. A prism 8 is provided between the two.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the imaging window 3 a has a quadrangular shape, and two illumination elements 9 are arranged on the front and rear sides facing each other. On the other hand, the imaging device 10 shown in FIG. 3 is optically connected to the rear opening 4 b of the lens barrel 4.

  In the above configuration, when acquiring an intraoral image, the intraoral insertion part 3 shown in FIG. 1 is inserted into the oral cavity, and in this state, the illumination element 9 illuminates the imaging unit. At this time, the images obtained from the imaging window 3a are the prism 8, the lens groups G1, G2, G3, and G4, and the fifth and sixth lens groups G5 and G6 shown in FIG. Then, the image is sent to the imaging apparatus 10 and then displayed on the monitor via the code 2.

  When the desired image pickup unit is found while looking at the monitor, if the image pickup button 11 shown in FIG. 1 is pressed, the image at that time is recorded as a still image in the memory in the camera body 1. In this state, in the present embodiment, since the illumination element 9 is disposed in the imaging window 3a, that is, the illumination element 9 is disposed in the vicinity of the imaging portion, the illumination from the illumination element 9 does not have to be increased. A sufficiently clear image can be acquired.

  Hereinafter, the largest feature point in the present embodiment will be described.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a control box 12 for placing the camera body 1 when not in use is provided. On the upper surface of the control box 12, an installation section 13 for the camera body 1 is provided. Specifically, a support leg 14 that supports the rear end side of the camera body 1, that is, a connection side of the cable 2, and a support leg 15 that supports substantially the center of the camera body 1 are provided.

  Of these, the support base 16 is inclined so that the support portion of the support leg 15 is positioned higher than the support leg 14. The support leg 15 is provided with holding arms 17 on both sides of the support base 16. When the camera body 1 is installed on the installation section 13 as shown in FIG. It is made of a soft material so that it can be slightly pushed outward by the central part.

  In other words, the camera body 1 is pushed inward from both sides by the holding arm 17 so that the position in the X-axis direction is stabilized.

  Further, as described above, the support leg 15 is inclined so that the support portion is positioned higher than the support leg 14, and the rear end side of the camera body 1 is provided on the support leg 14. It is stable when pressed against the holding arm 18, and this state is a stable position in the Y-axis direction when the camera body 1 is installed.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the camera body 1 is configured to be detachable from the control box 12.

  In this state, as can be understood from FIGS. 6 and 7, when the camera body 1 is placed on the control box 12, a pattern is displayed on the upper surface of the control box 12 facing the imaging window 3 a of the camera body 1. A unit 19 is provided, and the control pattern 20 selected by the control pattern selection unit 19 a is displayed on the pattern display unit 19.

  That is, after the image in the patient's mouth is acquired, the camera body 1 is returned to the installation unit 13 as shown in FIG. 6, and the control pattern 20 preset by the control pattern selection unit 19a at this time is displayed on the imaging window. Then, the camera body 1 identifies / recognizes the control pattern 20 by the recognition unit 21 in FIG. 8 and performs predetermined control according to the recognition / recognition result of the recognition unit by the control unit 22.

  As an example in the embodiment of the present invention, the flow of processing when the imaging stop mode is set in the control pattern 20 and the function of each block will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, in FIG. 9, as a first step 23, the control pattern 20 is displayed on the pattern display unit 19 of the control box 12. As the second step 24, the camera body 1 is placed on the installation unit 13. As the third step 25, the camera body 1 performs control pattern identification / recognition by the recognition unit 21, and recognizes that the control pattern 20 is in the imaging stop mode.

  Next, as the fourth step 26, the control unit 22 in the camera body 1 turns off the illumination element 9 as the illumination as the imaging stop mode, and as the fifth step 27, after a predetermined time has passed, 1 is turned off.

  FIG. 8 shows a functional block diagram in the embodiment of the present invention.

  With reference to this functional block diagram, the operation of each functional block will be described by taking as an example the case where the imaging stop mode described above is set.

  First, in the control box 12, the image display stop mode is selected by the control pattern selection unit 19 a on the pattern display unit 19 and displayed as the control pattern 20.

  Next, in a state where the camera body 1 is placed on the installation unit 13, an image pickup signal of the control pattern 20 from the image pickup window 3 a in the camera body 1 is optically appropriate by the image pickup unit 28 configured by the lens group. The image pickup signal is captured by the image pickup device 29 as a video signal obtained by converting light into an electric signal. This video signal is converted into a digital video signal in the signal processing unit 30 and sent to the recognition unit 21 to perform control pattern identification / recognition and recognize that the control pattern 20 is in the imaging stop mode. In accordance with the control pattern identification / recognition result in the recognition unit 21, the control unit 22 in the camera body 1 turns off the illumination element 9 of the illumination unit 31 as an imaging stop mode, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, the camera body 1 The power supply unit 32 is turned off.

  Further, as a means for identifying / recognizing the control pattern 20 in the recognition unit 21, when an autofocus control unit is used in the image pickup unit 28, the image pickup window 3a obtained from the autofocus control unit in the camera body is used. A method of identifying / recognizing the control pattern using the subject distance to the control pattern 20 is also possible. By using such a method, it is possible to prevent erroneous recognition of the control pattern 20.

  As the configuration of the control box, as shown in FIG. In the configuration including the display unit 33 as described above, when a plurality of control patterns 20 to be selected are displayed on the display unit 33 and selected, the control pattern can be selected more easily. Moreover, there is also an effect that the entire system of the intraoral camera can be simplified by displaying an image of a subject imaged by the camera body 1 on the display unit 33.

  In the configuration as described above, the dentist or dental hygienist who is the user of the intraoral camera in the embodiment of the present invention holds the camera body 1 in one hand and possibly in the other hand. It is conceivable that another examination instrument is held to keep the patient's mouth open.

  In this state, it is expected that the operation of the intraoral camera is very difficult to directly operate the operation panel on the camera body with a finger. In such a case, it is very convenient for the user that a desired operation can be performed by simply setting the desired operation in the control pattern 20 of the control box 12 and placing the camera body 1 in the control box 12. Becomes higher.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention includes the camera body 1 provided with the imaging window 3a for imaging the subject and the control pattern 20 provided at a position facing the imaging window 3a. In the configuration, a recognition unit 21 for identifying / recognizing the control pattern 20 and a control unit 22 for performing predetermined control according to the identification / recognition result of the recognition unit 21 are provided. The convenience of the intraoral camera can be improved.

  That is, a control mode that the user wants to set is set in advance as a control pattern 20, and the control pattern 20 is acquired from the imaging window 3a of the camera body 1, identified / recognized, and controlled according to the determination result. Since the mode can be set, it is not necessary to directly set the operation panel of the camera body 1, and as a result, the convenience of the intraoral camera can be improved.

  Further, in the prior art, there is a technique for monitoring the time when the camera is not operated, and turning off the power of the camera when the state continues for a predetermined time or more. There may be a situation where the patient continues to show the affected part of the image without performing the operation of recording the image. In such a case, in such a conventional technique, the non-operation state has elapsed for a predetermined time. After that, the power may be turned off while being used. Compared with such a conventional technique, the power-off process of the intraoral camera in the embodiment of the present invention is highly convenient because the user can turn off the power only when the intraoral camera is not used. There is an effect of becoming.

  Furthermore, the control pattern 20 can be identified / recognized by diverting the imaging window 3a conventionally provided in the camera body 1 and parts of a signal processing system for processing the imaging signal obtained from the imaging window 3a. For example, since processing can be performed without adding new parts such as a detection sensor, there is an effect that the cost of parts can be reduced.

  As described above, the present invention includes a camera body provided with an imaging window for imaging a subject and a control pattern provided at a position facing the imaging window, and the control pattern is identified in the camera body. The recognition unit and the control unit that performs predetermined control according to the recognition / recognition result of the recognition unit are provided, so that the convenience of the intraoral camera can be improved.

  In other words, the control mode that the user wants to set can be set in advance as a control pattern, the control pattern can be acquired from the imaging window of the camera body, identified / recognized, and the control mode can be set according to the determination result. Therefore, it is not necessary to directly set the operation panel of the camera body. As a result, the convenience of the intraoral camera can be improved.

  Therefore, for example, it is expected to be widely used as a dental intraoral camera.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body case 2 Code | cord | chord 3 Intraoral insertion part 3a Image pick-up window 4 Lens tube 4a Front side opening 4b Back side opening 5 Spacer tube 6 Spacer tube 7 Spacer tube 8 Prism 9 Illuminating element 10 Imaging device 11 Image pickup button G1 Lens group G2 Lens group G3 lens group G4 lens group 12 Control box 13 Installation section 13
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 Support leg 15 Support leg 16 Support stand 17 Holding arm 18 Holding arm 19 Pattern display part 19a Control pattern selection part 20 Control pattern 21 Recognition part 22 Control part 23 First step 24 Second step 25 Third step 26 Second 4 step 27 5th step 28 imaging unit 29 imaging element 30 signal processing unit 31 illumination unit 32 power supply unit 33 display unit

Claims (7)

A camera main body provided with an image pickup window for picking up an image of the subject, and a control pattern provided at a position facing the image pickup window, and a recognition unit for identifying / recognizing the control pattern in the camera main body, An intraoral camera comprising: a control unit that performs predetermined control according to the recognition / recognition result of the recognition unit. The oral cavity according to claim 1, wherein the control pattern is provided in a control box provided with an installation unit for holding the camera body, and the control pattern is provided in a portion of the installation unit that faces the imaging window of the camera body. Inside camera. The intraoral camera according to claim 2, wherein the control box includes a plurality of control pattern selection units. The intraoral camera according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the camera body can be detachably installed in the control box. The intraoral camera according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control box includes a display unit that displays an image captured by the camera body. The intraoral camera according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of control pattern selection units display a control pattern to be selected on the display unit. An autofocus control unit is provided in the camera body, and the recognition unit is configured to identify / recognize the control pattern using the subject distance from the imaging window to the control pattern obtained from the autofocus control unit. The intraoral camera according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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