Dental fluoroscopic imaging system

Abstract

A dental fluoroscopic imaging system includes a flat panel detector comprising a converter, a plate, a collector, a processing unit, and a transmitter suitable for 2D, intraoral dental fluoroscopy and for 3D extraoral dental fluoroscopy. The converter contains a material capable of transforming low dose radiation received from an emitter after going through the dental examination area into electrical signals. The plate transmits the electric signals to a collector, which amplifies the signals. The processing unit processes the signals into digital images, and the transmitter transfers digital images sequentially to a host computer having software that acquires, processes, transforms, records, freezes, and enhances 2D and 3D images, and compiles videos having video frame rates of between 3 and 100 frames per second. Two dimensional images and video are obtained using a single flat panel detector, while three dimensional images and video are obtained using two flat panel detectors.

1 - 18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A fluoroscopic imaging method, comprising the steps of:
 (a) causing a beam of electromagnetic radiation to travel from an emitter through an examination area to a flat panel detector;   (b) within the flat panel detector, performing the steps of,
 (i) generating digital data representative of digital images based on the electromagnetic radiation of the beam that is received by the flat panel detector, and 
 (ii) transmitting the digital data representative of digital images from the flat panel detector; and 
   (c) at a computer, performing the steps of,
 (i) receiving the digital data representative of digital images transmitted from the flat panel detector, and 
 (ii) processing the data representative of digital images for display of digital images to a user. 
   
     
     
         20 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 19 , further comprising the step of displaying the digital images to a user in real time. 
     
     
         21 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 19 , when the flat panel detector is an intraoral detector. 
     
     
         22 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 19 , when the flat panel detector is an extraoral detector. 
     
     
         23 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 19 , wherein the step performed at the computer of processing the data representative of digital images comprises transforming the digital data representative of digital images transmitted from the flat panel detector. 
     
     
         24 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 19 , wherein the step performed at the computer of processing the data representative of digital images comprises recording the digital data representative of digital images transmitted from the flat panel detector. 
     
     
         25 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 19 , wherein the step performed at the computer of processing the data representative of digital images comprises processing the digital data representative of digital images transmitted from the flat panel detector so as to enhance the represented digital images. 
     
     
         26 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 19 , wherein the step performed at the computer of processing the data representative of digital images comprises compiling a series of the represented digital images into a video having a video frame rate ranging from 3 to 100 frames per second. 
     
     
         27 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 26 , further comprising the step of displaying the video to a user in real time. 
     
     
         28 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 26 , further comprising performing the steps within the flat panel detector such that data representative of a digital image is transmitted to the computer at the video frame rate of the video comprising 3 to 100 digital images per second. 
     
     
         29 . A fluoroscopic imaging method, comprising the steps of:
 (a) causing a first beam of electromagnetic radiation to travel from a first emitter through an examination area to a first flat panel detector;   (b) within the first flat panel detector, performing the steps of,
 (i) transforming electromagnetic radiation of the first beam that is received into electrical signals, 
 (ii) amplifying the electrical signals, 
 (iii) converting the amplified electrical signals into digital data representative of a first digital image, and 
 (iv) transmitting the digital data representative of the first digital image from the first flat panel detector; and 
   (c) at a computer, performing the steps of,
 (i) receiving the digital data representative of the first digital image transmitted from the first flat panel detector, and 
 (ii) generating an image based at least in part on the received data representative of the first digital image. 
   
     
     
         30 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 29 , further comprising the steps of,
 (a) causing a second beam of electromagnetic radiation to travel from a second emitter through the examination area to a second flat panel detector;   (b) within the second flat panel detector, performing the steps of,
 (i) transforming electromagnetic radiation of the second beam that is received into electrical signals, 
 (ii) amplifying the electrical signals, 
 (iii) converting the amplified electrical signals into digital data representative of a second digital image, and 
 (iv) transmitting the digital data representative of the second digital image from the second flat panel detector; and 
   (c) at the computer, performing the steps of,
 (i) receiving the digital data representative of the second digital image transmitted from the second flat panel detector, and 
 (ii) generating the image based at least in part on the received data representative of the second digital image; 
   (d) wherein the first beam and the second beam intersect generally orthogonally at the examination area.   
     
     
         31 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 29 , further comprising the steps of,
 (a) causing a second beam of electromagnetic radiation to travel from a second emitter through the examination area to a second flat panel detector;   (b) within the second flat panel detector, performing the steps of,
 (i) transforming electromagnetic radiation of the second beam that is received into electrical signals, 
 (ii) amplifying the electrical signals, 
 (iii) converting the amplified electrical signals into digital data representative of a second digital image, and 
 (iv) transmitting the digital data representative of the second digital image from the second flat panel detector; and 
   (c) at the computer, performing the steps of,
 (i) receiving the digital data representative of the second digital image transmitted from the second flat panel detector, and 
 (ii) generating the image based at least in part on the received data representative of the second digital image; 
   (d) wherein the digital data representative of the first digital image is transmitted from the first flat panel detector at the same time that the digital data representative of the second digital image is transmitted from the second flat panel detector.   
     
     
         32 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 29 , further comprising the steps of,
 (a) causing a second beam of electromagnetic radiation to travel from a second emitter through the examination area to a second flat panel detector;   (b) within the second flat panel detector, performing the steps of,
 (i) transforming electromagnetic radiation of the second beam that is received into electrical signals, 
 (ii) amplifying the electrical signals, 
 (iii) converting the amplified electrical signals into digital data representative of a second digital image, and 
 (iv) transmitting the digital data representative of the second digital image from the second flat panel detector; and 
   (c) at the computer, performing the steps of,
 (i) receiving the digital data representative of the second digital image transmitted from the second flat panel detector, and 
 (ii) generating the image based at least in part on the received data representative of the second digital image; 
   (d) wherein the image is displayed to a user in real time.   
     
     
         33 . A fluoroscopic imaging method, comprising the steps of:
 (a) causing a first beam of electromagnetic radiation to travel from a first emitter through an examination area to a first flat panel detector;   (b) within the first flat panel detector, performing the steps of,
 (i) transforming electromagnetic radiation of the first beam that is received into electrical signals, 
 (ii) amplifying the electrical signals, 
 (iii) converting the amplified electrical signals into digital data representative of digital images, and 
 (iv) transmitting the digital data representative of digital images from the first flat panel detector; and 
   (c) at a computer, performing the steps of,
 (i) receiving the digital data representative of digital images transmitted from the first flat panel detector, and 
 (ii) displaying a video to a user in real based at least in part on the digital data representative of digital images that is received from the first flat panel detector. 
   
     
     
         34 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 33 , further comprising the step of displaying the video to a user in real time. 
     
     
         35 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 33 , further comprising the steps of,
 (a) causing a second beam of electromagnetic radiation to travel from a second emitter through the examination area to a second flat panel detector;   (b) within the second flat panel detector, performing the steps of,
 (i) transforming electromagnetic radiation of the second beam that is received into electrical signals, 
 (ii) amplifying the electrical signals, 
 (iii) converting the amplified electrical signals into digital data representative of a second digital image, and 
 (iv) transmitting the digital data representative of the second digital image from the second flat panel detector; and 
   (c) at the computer, performing the steps of,
 (i) receiving the digital data representative of digital images transmitted from the second flat panel detector, and 
 (ii) displaying the video to the user in real based in part on the digital data representative of digital images that is received from the second flat panel detector. 
   
     
     
         36 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 33 , wherein the digital data representative of the first digital image is transmitted from the first flat panel detector at a video frame rate of between 3 and 100 images per second, and wherein the digital data representative of the second digital image is transmitted from the second flat panel detector at a video frame rate of between 3 and 100 images per second. 
     
     
         37 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 33 , further comprising processing the digital data received from the first and second flat panel detectors and compiling the video that is displayed to the user at the computer. 
     
     
         38 . The fluoroscopic imaging method of  claim 33 , wherein the first flat panel detector comprises a housing containing a converter, a plate, a collector, a processing unit, and a transmitter which collectively perform said steps within the first flat panel detector.