Patent Document ID: 20030012423
Application ID: 09894627
Patent Status: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for creating a dental model from a series of images of an intra-oral object, said method comprising the steps of: (a) capturing a series of images of an intra-oral object from a plurality of capture positions, where the object includes common surface features and a control target arranged with respect to the object to provide control features; (b) measuring the control features from the images of the control target included with the images of the object; (c) analytically generating a 3-dimensional model of the object by photogrammetrically aligning the measurements of the control features, thereby providing a photogrammetrically aligned 3-dimensional model of the object while reducing image errors due to the variable orientations of the capture positions; and (d) adjusting the photogrammetrically aligned 3-dimensional model of the object by aligning the common features of the model to like features on an image of the object, thereby producing an aligned dental model from the series of images.