METHOD FOR CREATING A 3D SCAN AND CONTACT ELEMENT FOR SUCH A METHOD

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for creating a 3D scan of a body part, the method comprising the following steps: a. Molding a contact element to the body part, b. Capturing a first partial scan of the body part, c. Removing the body part from the contact element, d. Capturing a second partial scan of the contact element, and e. Creating the 3D scan at least also from the first partial scan and the second partial scan.

Claims

1. A method for creating a 3D scan of a body part, the method comprising the following steps: a. Molding a contact element to the body part, b. Capturing a first partial scan of the body part, c. Removing the body part from the contact element, d. Capturing a second partial scan of the contact element, and e. Creating the 3D scan at least also from the first partial scan and the second partial scan.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, prior to capturing the first partial scan, the body part is positioned on a contact surface in such a way that the contact element is arranged between the body part and the contact surface.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the contact element is brought into a deformable state prior to molding and, after molding on the body part, it is brought into a dimensionally stable state.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the contact element is brought into the deformable state by heating, especially in a water bath.

5. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact element is not moved relative to a reference marking, which is preferably arranged on the contact surface, between the capture of the first partial scan and the capture of the second partial scan.

6. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first partial scan and/or the second partial scan is captured with a 3D scanner, preferably a mobile 3D scanner.

7. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body part is a foot and the contact element is molded to at least one part of the sole of the foot, preferably the entire sole of the foot.

8. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body part is brought into a target position during molding of the contact element.

9. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the target position depends on the size, geometric shape and/or design of the contact element.

10. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact element is made of a silicone, preferably a 2-part silicone, which is hardened prior to capturing the first partial scan.

11. A contact element for a method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the contact element has an original shape and can be brought into a deformable state, especially by heating, and into a dimensionally stable state, especially by cooling.

12. The contact element according to claim 11, characterized in that the contact element is at least also made of a material that deforms into an original shape without the application of external force when it is brought into the deformable state.

13. The contact element according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the original shape is adapted to the shape of the body part.

Description

[0025] In the following, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be explained in more detail by way of the attached figures: They show

[0026] FIGS. 1 to 4—different steps in a method according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention,

[0027] FIG. 5—a contact element and

[0028] FIGS. 6 to 8—steps in a method in another example of an embodiment of the method.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a contact element 2 that is inserted into a container 4, which contains heated water. This heats the contact element 2. It is made at least partially, but preferably completely, of a material with a shape memory. Such a material can be brought back into its original shape by heating, for example. This occurs in the step of the method shown in FIG. 1.

[0030] FIG. 2 depicts the molding of the contact element 2 to the body part 6, which is a foot in the example of an embodiment shown. As depicted in FIG. 2, the shape of the contact element 2 can be manually manipulated in order to press it into the desired shape. Consequently, the contact element 2 does not capture the shape of the body part 6 when it is not subjected to a load, but the person performing the method, such as an orthopedic technician, can palpate as usual and thus bring the body part 6 into the desired shape and subject it to the desired load; this can, for example, provide a certain support depending on the medical indication. The contact element 2 is held in the position shown in FIG. 2 until it hardens and is in a dimensionally stable state.

[0031] The body part 6, in this example with the contact element 2, is then positioned on a contact surface 8, as shown in the left-hand part of FIG. 3. A scanner 10 is used to capture a first partial scan of the body part 6. In the example of an embodiment shown, the scanner 10 is a mobile scanner that can consequently be manually moved and guided around the body part 6 so that the first partial scan in the example of an embodiment shown extends around the entire foot. Since the contact element 2 is situated between the contact surface 8 and the body part 6, only a small part of the contact element 2 is visible. Consequently, only this small part can be included in the first partial scan. Therefore, as indicated by the “+” in FIG. 3, a second partial scan is captured in which the body part 6 has been removed from the contact element 2. This is depicted in the right-hand part of FIG. 3. In the example of an embodiment shown, the contact element 2 is still situated on the contact surface 8, which preferably features reference markings. Since the contact element 2 is in its dimensionally stable state, the capture of the contact element 2 can now be used to infer the part of the body part 6 that was not visible during the capture of the first partial scan.

[0032] FIG. 4 schematically shows that the first partial scan and the second partial scan are amalgamated in an electronic data processing device 12 to create a 3D scan. This 3D scan is displayed on the monitor 14 of the electronic data processing device 12.

[0033] FIG. 5 depicts, in an enlarged representation, a contact element 2 that can be used in a method described here. In FIG. 5, it is in its original shape and is adapted to the shape of a sole of a foot. The heel area 16 features two upwardly curved sections 18, while in the sole area there is a cushioning bulge 20 that mimics an arch of the foot. Of course, other shapes, paddings, cushions or reinforcements are possible. These can then be adapted to the individual body part and worked out during the molding process. The preforming, however, provides the orthopedic technician with initial starting points, so ideally only minor adjustments are necessary.

[0034] FIG. 6 depicts the capture of the first partial scan using a scanner 10. In the example shown, the body part is an arm with a hand. The lower arm rests on a first contact element 2. The hand surrounds a second contact element 2, depicted in FIG. 7. The hand is brought into a target position by the second contact element 2 and held in this position. The second contact element 2 is made from a quick-hardening material, such as a 2-part silicone, that is arranged on a base body, which is not depicted. The base body is, for example, a tube or a pipe that, for example, which can be of different lengths and/or diameters. This renders it possible to select a suitable base body for the respective hand, so that the amount of hardening material required is reduced as much as possible. Furthermore, the desired target position can be adjusted via the selection of the base body; for example, a larger diameter can be used to bring a hand into a grip pattern that is suitable for holding a glass. Alternatively, the contact element itself can be in different basic shapes and thus force the desired target position.

[0035] FIG. 8 depicts the second contact element 2 as it is captured in the second partial scan.

REFERENCE LIST

[0036] 2 contact element [0037] 4 container [0038] 6 body part [0039] 8 contact surface [0040] 10 scanner [0041] 12 electronic data processing device [0042] 14 monitor [0043] 16 heel area [0044] 18 section [0045] 20 bulge