Patent ID: 7702492
Filing Date: 2010-04-20
Classification: A61C,G06T

Abstract:
1. A system for generating an electronic model of a dental study cast, the electronic model having a common coordinate system, the system comprising: a base plate module configured to couple to a scanning device; a first scanning module configured to couple to the base plate module, the first scanning module being configured to position a first study cast of a first dental arch within the scanning device to generate a first electronic model of the first dental arch, the first scanning module including a first plurality of alignment spheres configured to be scanned by the scanning device; a second scanning module configured to position a second study cast of a second dental arch within the scanning device to generate a second electronic model of the second dental arch, the second scanning module including a second plurality of alignment spheres configured to be scanned by the scanning device, the second scanning module being configured to couple selectively to the base plate module and to the first scanning module; an articulator configured to couple to the first and second scanning modules to form a combined scanning apparatus, the articulator being configured to position the first scanning module relative to the second scanning module to orient an occlusal surface of the first study cast towards an occlusal surface of the second study cast; and a data processing system configured to generate the electronic models corresponding to each of the dental arches within a common coordinate system, the data processing system being configured to obtain position data of at least one of the alignment spheres from the combined scanning apparatus, the data processing system also being configured to transform position data of the first electronic model and the second electronic model based on the position data obtained from the alignment sphere, whereby a composite electronic model in a common coordinate system is generated, the composite electronic model representing the teeth of the upper jaw and the teeth of the lower jaw of the patient.