Patent ID: 8400635
Filing Date: 2013-03-19
Classification: G01J

Abstract:
1. A dental shade measuring device comprising: illumination means for successively illuminating at least one part of a tooth with light of different colors; at least one monochrome sensor sensitive to intensity of light coming from the tooth part, in response to the illumination, to generate for each different color of illumination, at least one measurement signal; means for converting the measurement signals corresponding to the tooth part, into coordinates of a measurement point, in a shade space in which “reference” points are also defined, corresponding to the preset shades of a dental shade guide; automatic shade search means for automatically searching a shade corresponding to the reference point closest to the measurement point, in the shade space, for the tooth part; wherein the illumination means comprise substantially monochrome light sources; wherein the light sources are cold sources; and wherein the light sources comprise electroluminescent diodes or laser diodes, centered on the colors red, green, blue, yellow and orange.