Patents by Inventor Michael ELVERS

Michael ELVERS has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230309938
    Abstract: A method for generating a panoramic image with reduced overlapping of neighboring teeth, including: acquiring 2D x-ray images respectively at a different radiographic directions by a rotating an x-ray source and an x-ray detector around the jaw of a patient. It includes a step of identifying one or more regions each including at least one pair of overlapping neighboring teeth in the 2D x-ray images and/or in temporary panoramic images reconstructed from the 2D x-ray images for which an optimal radiographic directions are determined, among the corresponding radiographic directions, which reduces the overlap in the panoramic image to be reconstructed. It includes determining one or more optimal radiographic directions respectively among the corresponding radiographic directions of the 2D x-ray images for which one or more regions each including at least one pair of overlapping neighboring teeth has been identified, to reduce the overlaps in the panoramic image to be reconstructed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2021
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Applicant: DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc.
    Inventors: Kai STANNIGEL, Stefan EICHNER, Michael ELVERS
  • Publication number: 20220202382
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for generating a panoramic layer image (1, 2) of an object (3) to be imaged, by employing a 2D panoramic X-ray device, wherein the object is imaged by projecting X-rays (6) generated by an X-ray source (7) through the object (3) in a projection direction (8) and recording said X-rays (6) with an X-ray detector (9), wherein several 2D X-ray projection images are continuously recorded from various imaging directions while the X-ray source (7) and the X-ray detector (9) move around the object (3), wherein at least one panoramic layer image (1, 2) is calculated from the recorded 2D X-ray projection images by means of a reconstruction method. The panoramic layer image (2) is calculated by selecting and employing at least one partial area (50, 52, 55, 57, 65) from at least two 2D X-ray projection images (51) in relation to an active sensor area (73).
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2020
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Applicant: DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc.
    Inventors: Michael ELVERS, Ulrich SCHULZE-GANZLIN, Stefan EICHNER
  • Publication number: 20220207794
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of metal artefact reduction in x-ray dental volume tomography, the method comprising: a step (S1) of obtaining two-dimensional x-ray images (1) or a sinogram (2) of at least part (v) of a patient jaw (3a), acquired through relatively rotating an x-ray source (4) and a detector (5) around the patient jaw (3a); the method being characterized by further comprising: a step (S2) of detecting metal objects (6) in the two-dimensional x-ray images (1) or the sinogram (2) by using at least a trained artificial intelligence algorithm to generate 2D masks (7) which represent the metal objects (6) in the two-dimensional x-ray images (1) or 3D masks which represent the metal objects (6) in the sinogram (2), respectively; and a step (S4; S5) of reconstructing a three dimensional tomographic image (8) respectively based on two-dimensional x-ray images (1) or the sinogram (2) and the 2D masks (7) or the 3D masks as generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2020
    Publication date: June 30, 2022
    Applicant: DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc.
    Inventors: Christina SARTI, Kai STANNIGEL, Michael ELVERS