Abstract: A method for generating a digital model of dentition, executed at least in part by a computer, acquires a 3-D digital mesh that is representative of the dentition along a dental arch, including includes braces, teeth, and gingival tissue. The method modifies the 3-D digital mesh to generate a digital mesh dentition model by processing the digital mesh and automatically detecting one or more initial bracket positions from the acquired mesh, processing the initial bracket positions to identify bracket areas for braces that lie against tooth surfaces, identifying one or more brace wires extending between brackets, removing one or more brackets and one or more wires from the dentition model, and forming a reconstructed tooth surface within the digital mesh dentition model where the one or more brackets have been removed. The modified 3-D digital mesh dentition model is displayed, stored, or transmitted over a network to another computer.

Abstract: A system and method for quantifying viewer engagement with a video playing on a display in a respondent household includes an agreed upon camera arrangement to monitor viewer engagement. The system and method includes the ability to determine what sources of content are being accessed by the household, and other data such as time of viewing, and source of content.

Abstract: Method and apparatus embodiments can generate a volume fluorescence image of a tooth. Method and apparatus embodiments can project structured light patterns onto a tooth and generate a contour (volume) image of the tooth surface from acquired corresponding structured light projection images; then acquire one or more fluorescence images of the tooth generated under blue-UV illumination. A composite image that shows fluorescence image content mapped to the generated contour image can be transmitted, stored, modified and/or displayed.

Abstract: A method for color shade matching obtains a 3D tooth surface representation using an intraoral scanner wherein the 3D tooth surface representation comprises surface data and a spatially resolved angular distribution of color vectors, wherein the spatially resolved angular distribution of color vectors associates one or more point positions from the surface data to the corresponding angular distribution of color vectors. The method identifies one or more shade values, where each shade value is associated with one angular distribution of color vectors from the spatially resolved angular distribution of color vectors, by comparing the angular distribution of color vectors to a set of reference angular distributions of color vectors, wherein each reference angular distribution in the set is associated with a corresponding shade value. The method displays, stores, or transmits the surface data with an indication of the one or more shade values.

Abstract: An intraoral scanning apparatus has a mouthpiece and a transport apparatus that defines at least a first curved track within the mouthpiece. An image sensor is movable along the first curved track. A scanner is movable along the first curved track, scanning in synchronization with the image sensor and having an illumination source that has a laser light source and beam-shaping optics in the path of the laser light for forming a linear light pattern. At least one actuator is energizable to move the image sensor and scanner along the first curved track for image acquisition. A control logic processor synchronizes the scanner and image sensor for automated acquisition of surface contour data. A display is in signal communication with the control logic processor to process and display the acquired surface contour data.

Abstract: An apparatus for intraoral imaging has an illumination source that directs light to an object. An imaging apparatus forms an image at an image sensor array from reflected light from the object, the imaging apparatus having an optical stop along an optical axis. A phase modulator is disposed at or near the optical stop. An image processor conditions data from the image sensor array and provides processed image data of the object.

Abstract: A method for acquiring image data obtains, for an intraoral feature, optical coherence tomography (OCT) data in three dimensions wherein at least one dimension is pseudo-randomly or randomly sampled and reconstructs an image volume of the intraoral feature using compressive sensing, wherein data density of the reconstructed image volume is larger than that of the obtained OCT data in the at least one dimension or according to a corresponding transform. The method renders the reconstructed image volume for display.

Abstract: Systems and methods for obtaining a panoramic image are provided. One system includes a gantry, an x-ray source, a receptor, and at least one controller. The x-ray source is mounted on the gantry and is configured to alternatively output x-ray radiation at a first energy level and x-ray radiation at a second energy level. The receptor is mounted on the gantry so that x-ray radiation from the x-ray source impinges on the receptor. The receptor is configured to output a plurality of frames of data including a first frame and a second frame sequential to the first frame. The controller is configured to control the x-ray source so that data in the first frame is generated based on x-ray radiation of the first energy level and data in the second frame is based on x-ray radiation of the second energy level.

Abstract: Methods and systems are described for removing reflective artifacts from an imaging model. An x-ray detector captures x-ray images that include a structure and an imaging device captures a surface scan of the same structure. An image processor constructs a three-dimensional CT model of the structure from the x-ray images and constructs a three-dimensional surface model of the structure from the surface scan. The image processor is configured to resize and orient the surface model and/or the CT model so that they are the same scale and orientation, overlay the surface model onto the CT model, and detect data points in the combined data set that extend beyond a surface of the structure in the surface model. The detected data points represent artifacts in the CT model and are adjusted by interpolation to produce an artifact-reduced CT model.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product are disclosed for diagnosing a condition of an eye such as macular degeneration and/or cataracts. The system may include an optical system, which may project light at an eye and record lipofuscin fluorescence from a retina of the eye to form an image of the retina. A computing device may process the image to apply one or more image acceptance criteria and/or one or more image clarity criteria. If the image fails to meet the one or more image acceptance criteria, the image may be re-taken. Based on the level of conformance of the image to the one or more image clarity criteria, the system may indicate that the macular pigment level cannot be provided with confidence, indicate that the eye likely has one or more cataracts, and/or calculate and provide the macular pigment content based on a correction factor, if needed.

Abstract: Systems and methods are presented for evaluating a dental condition. A first digital representation of at least a portion of an oral cavity of a first patient is compared to a second digital representation of the oral cavity of the same patient. The first digital representation is representative of the oral cavity of the first patient at a first time and the second digital representation is representative of the oral cavity of the first patient at a second, later time. At least one clinically-significant difference between the first digital representation and the second digital representation are automatically identified and the first digital representation is displayed in a way that highlights the at least one clinically significant difference.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product are disclosed for diagnosing a condition of an eye such as macular degeneration and/or cataracts. The system may include an optical system, which may project light at an eye and record lipofuscin fluorescence from a retina of the eye to form an image of the retina. A computing device may process the image to apply one or more image acceptance criteria and/or one or more image clarity criteria. If the image fails to meet the one or more image acceptance criteria, the image may be re-taken. Based on the level of conformance of the image to the one or more image clarity criteria, the system may indicate that the macular pigment level cannot be provided with confidence, indicate that the eye likely has one or more cataracts, and/or calculate and provide the macular pigment content based on a correction factor, if needed.

Abstract: An apparatus for dental and facial imaging including a rotatable gantry having an axis of rotation generally in the direction of local gravitational vertical; a source of penetrating radiation mounted on the gantry; an elongated detector for detecting radiation and producing image data, the detector mounted opposite the source on the gantry, and having a length, a long axis, and a short axis The gantry, source, and detector configured to receive the head of a patient between the source and the detector, with the axis of rotation of the gantry passing through the patient's head. The detector is mounted rotatably to the gantry and movable between a first position where the long axis of the detector is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the gantry and a second position where the long axis of the detector is generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the gantry.

Abstract: A method of managing visiting guests by face recognition includes: extract the face image of the visiting guest; determine if the face image of the guest is stored in the database; display the face image data comprising the face image, guest information and visiting information if the face image is stored or enroll the new face image data and then display the face image data just registered; set up at least one authorized item; execute the visiting goal confined by the authorized items; monitor the status of the visiting guest; wait until the guest leaves; and finally record and update log page and face image data of the visiting guest in the database. Therefore, the method can reduce security guard workload, assist security guards or automatically and solely execute the function of guard entrance without any careless mistakes, and update visiting guest information in real time.

Abstract: A method and a system for generating an image by obtaining x-ray image data, segmenting the x-ray image data into a first portion above a vertical threshold and a second portion below the vertical threshold. Further, the method and the system include generating an arch for the second plurality of slices, and generating an image based on the arch.

Abstract: For dental and facial imaging, a source of x-rays (14) or other penetrating radiation and a detector (20) are mounted opposite one another on a rotatable gantry (28), so that the head of the patient can be positioned between the source (14) and the detector (20), with the axis of rotation (36) of the gantry passing through the patient's head. The detector or the source are mounted so they can translate and/or pivot horizontally or vertically. The gantry is angulated so that the source or the detector may not be at the same height relative to the patient's head. The gantry can telescope, moving the source and the detector closer together or further apart. The collimator changes dynamically with the motion of the gantry and/or the source and detector to scan a smaller portion of the scan field.

Abstract: A mechanism for rapidly detecting and localizing external markers placed on a patient in projection images. Markers can be detected even in the presence of dense surrounding anatomy and extensive patient motion. Once the positions of the marker points on the projection images are extracted, the marker points can be used to perform marker-based patient motion detection. In addition to motion correction, the rapid detection and localization may also be used for scanner calibration, automatic cephalometric measurements, and quality control assessment.

Abstract: An intraoral x-ray sensor with embedded standard computer interface. The sensor includes a data transfer cable with improved mechanical strength and heat transferring properties. The cable is quad-twisted USB cable and includes two data lines, a ground line, and fillers twisted within a metallic sheath, e.g., a metal braided shield. The cable is symmetrically organized about a centerline. The symmetric cable has an improved life due to the ability to withstand mechanical stress (e.g., rotational stress). The sensor includes a processor and a housing with an inner metallization layer. The sheath is coupled to the inner metallization layer to transfer heat generated by the processor from the inner metallization layer to the sheath.

Abstract: A driving system for virtual web camera enabling several applications to access corresponding virtual web cameras is disclosed. The driving system includes the operations of: linking an upper filter to top of USB Video Class Driver as a driver for the virtual web camera through an upper filter driver mechanism provided by an operating system; executing the upper filter to perform initialization and generate device objects, each corresponding to a real web camera as the virtual web camera and having a specific device name; a file handle for the device object being assigned to the application, which opens the device object and then communicates with the web camera without changing the source code; and releasing the file handle when the file handle is closed at the request of the application such that another application can open and use the device object without interfering with other current applications.

Abstract: A method for obtaining a still image frame with anti-vibration clearness includes the following steps. Multiple raw image frames are captured during a capturing period according to a capturing instruction. The raw image frames are compressed respectively, according to a predetermined compression rule, into multiple compressed image frames each of which has a data length after such compression. The compressed image frames are stored according to a predetermined sequence. The data lengths of the compressed image frames stored are compared according to the predetermined sequence. The desired still image frame is obtained through the compressed image frame of which the data length has a unique feature among all the compressed image frames.