Focus scanning apparatus recording color

Abstract

Disclosed are a scanner system and a method for recording surface geometry and surface color of an object where both surface geometry information and surface color information for a block of the image sensor pixels at least partly from one 2D image recorded by the color image sensor. A particular application is within dentistry, particularly for intraoral scanning.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A scanner system for recording surface geometry and surface color of an object, the scanner system comprising:
 an intraoral scanner configured as a triangulation scanner, comprising:
 a first light source configured to provide a probe light for illumination of the object, the first light source being configured to illuminate the object during a first time-interval with light having one or more wavelength(s) in the ultraviolet domain, or in the blue domain of the visible domain; 
 a second light source configured to provide a probe light for illumination of the object, the second light source being configured to illuminate the object during a second time-interval with light having a plurality of wavelengths in the visible domain; and 
 at least two image sensors comprising an array of image sensor pixels to capture a plurality of 2D images of light received from the object, the at least two image sensors are arranged to capture 2D images of light received from the object, the at least two image sensors are configured such that a first series of images are captured during the first time-interval, and configured such that a second series of images are captured during the second time-interval; and 
   a data processing system configured to derive:
 surface geometry information based on triangulation from the first series of 2D images; and 
 color information based on averaging the second series of 2D images. 
   
     
     
         3 . The scanner system according to  claim 2 , wherein the first light source is a part of the second light source. 
     
     
         4 . The scanner system according to  claim 2 , wherein the second light source is a part of the first light source. 
     
     
         5 . The scanner system according to  claim 2 , wherein the first light source is a multi-die LED. 
     
     
         6 . The scanner system according to  claim 5 , wherein the wavelength(s) in the ultraviolet domain, or in the blue domain of the visible domain, are provided by a subset of LED-dies in the multi-die LED. 
     
     
         7 . The scanner system according to  claim 2 , wherein the second light source is a multi-die LED. 
     
     
         8 . The scanner system according to  claim 7 , wherein the multi-die LED is a multichromatic light source. 
     
     
         9 . The scanner system according to  claim 8 , wherein wavelengths in the visible domain are provided by selectively activating only a subset of the LED dies in the multi-die LED. 
     
     
         10 . The scanner system according to  claim 2 , wherein the first time-interval is different from the second time-interval, thereby ensuring that the surface geometry information is not acquired concurrently with the color information. 
     
     
         11 . The scanner system according to  claim 2 , wherein the first time-interval do not overlap with the second time-interval, thereby ensuring that the surface geometry information is not acquired concurrently with the color information. 
     
     
         12 . The scanner system according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least two image sensors are monochromatic image sensors, such that color information is provided by acquiring images of the object that are illuminated by three different colors, wherein the three different colors are a part of the plurality of wavelengths in the visible domain from the second light source. 
     
     
         13 . The scanner system according to  claim 2 , wherein the at least two image sensors are polychromatic image sensor, wherein the at least two polychromatic image sensors are color image sensors, each with a color filter, such that color information is provided by acquiring one or more images of the object that are illuminated by a polychromatic light source that provides the plurality of wavelengths in the visible domain from the second light source. 
     
     
         14 . The scanner system according to  claim 13 , wherein each of the color filters is a Bayer filter. 
     
     
         15 . The scanner system according to  claim 12 , wherein the averaging the second series of images is obtained by averaging the images of the object that are illuminated by the three colors. 
     
     
         16 . The scanner system according to  claim 13 , wherein the averaging the second series of images is obtained by demosaicing the one or more images of the object that are illuminated by the polychromatic light source that provides the plurality of wavelengths in the visible domain. 
     
     
         17 . The scanner system according to  claim 2 , wherein the step of averaging of the second series of images comprises averaging color from several views. 
     
     
         18 . The scanner system according to  claim 17 , wherein the step of averaging color from several views comprises computing a weighted average of sub-scan values derived for corresponding points in overlapping sub-scans at that point of an object surface. 
     
     
         19 . The scanner system according to  claim 2 , wherein the light having one or more wavelength(s) in the ultraviolet domain, or in the blue domain of the visible domain, is used for excitation of fluorescence, such that the scanning system is configured to detect fluorescence. 
     
     
         20 . The scanner system according to  claim 19 , wherein the scanning system is further configured to display the detected fluorescence on a display. 
     
     
         21 . The scanner system according to  claim 2 , wherein the data processing is partly integrated in the intraoral scanner.