SCANNING OBJECT CARRIER

Abstract

A scanning object carrier (1), which is provided for installation on a scanner rocker (2) of a scanning device (3) for scanning at least one, in particular dental, object (20), wherein the scanning object carrier (1) includes a base body (4) and at least one fastening device (5) for fastening the base body (4) to the scanner rocker (2) and at least one object fixing device (6) for fixing the object (20) to the scanning object carrier (1), wherein the object fixing device (6) is mounted in a pivotable manner on the base body (4) relative to the base body (4), and wherein the object fixing device (6) is mounted in a pivotable manner on the base body (4) between two end positions (7, 8) by freely following gravity.

Claims

1. A scanning object carrier provided for assembly on a scanner rocker of a scanning device configured for scanning at least one, object, the scanning object carrier comprising: a base body, a fastening device configured to fasten the base body on the scanner rocker, an object fixing device configured to affix the object on the scanning object carrier, the object fixing device is supported on the base body for pivoting movement relative to the base body, and the object fixing device is pivotally supported on the base body for movement between two end positions freely following a force of gravity.

2. The scanning object carrier according to claim 1, wherein the base body further comprises two end stops configured to limit a pivoting motion of the object fixing device in the end positions.

3. The scanning object carrier according to claim 1, wherein the object fixing device is supported on the base body for pivoting movement between the end positions along a section of a circular path.

4. The scanning object carrier according to claim 1, further comprising a pivot arm, the object fixing device is fixed on the pivot arm, and the pivot arm is held on the base body for pivoting movement about an object carrier pivot axis.

5. The scanning object carrier according to claim 4, wherein the object fixing device is fixed on the pivot arm at a distance from an object carrier pivot axis and a counterweight is arranged on the pivot arm on a side of the pivot arm opposite the object fixing device, as seen with respect to the object carrier pivot axis.

6. The scanning object carrier according to claim 1, wherein the object fixing device is supported on the base body for pivoting movement between the end positions by a pivot angle in a range from 75° to 105°.

7. An arrangement comprising a scanning device configured for scanning at least one object and a scanning object carrier according to claim 1 that is mounted on the scanner rocker of the scanning device.

8. The arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the scanner rocker is pivotable about a rocker pivot axis of the scanning device and the object fixing device is held on the base body of the scanning object carrier for pivoting movement about an object carrier pivot axis, and the rocker pivot axis and the object carrier pivot axis are aligned coaxial to each other.

9. A method for scanning at least one object, comprising fixing the object on an object fixing device of the scanning object carrier according to claim 1, fixing the base body of the scanning object carrier using the fastening device on the scanner rocker of the scanning device, then scanning a first side of the object in a first scanning process, wherein the object fixing device is located in a first of the two end positions during the first scanning process, and then pivoting the object fixing device with the object fixed therein is exclusively by the pivoting of the scanner rocker and by the effect of gravity into a second of the end positions, and then scanning a second side of the object in a second scanning process, wherein the object fixing device is located in the second of the end positions during the second scanning process.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first scanning process and the second scanning process are performed with a same scanner head of the scanning device, and the scanner head is arranged fixed in place in the scanning device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first side of the object and the second side of the object are opposite sides of the object.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Additional features and details of preferred variants of the invention will be explained below with reference to the accompanying figures. Shown are:

[0020] FIGS. 1 and 2, a greatly schematized representation of a known scanning device from the prior art,

[0021] FIGS. 3 to 5, schematized representations of an embodiment of a scanning object carrier according to the invention,

[0022] FIG. 6, a schematized side view of an arrangement with a scanning device according to FIGS. 1 and 2 and with a scanning object carrier according to FIGS. 3 to 5; and

[0023] FIGS. 7 and 8, the two end positions in which the scanning process is performed with the arrangement according to FIG. 6, each in a view in a direction parallel to the object carrier pivot axis.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] FIGS. 1 and 2 show, in a greatly schematized representation, a known scanning device 3 from the prior art for scanning a, in particular, dental, object 20. In an optionally present housing shown here only with a box-like shape, for such scanning devices 3, there is usually a hollow space in which a scanner rocker 2 is supported so that it can pivot about its rocker pivot axis 16. The drive required for the pivoting motion is not shown separately here. For the actual scanning process, at least one scanner head 17 is provided. This is the detector that scans or, in other words, samples or measures the object 20 to be scanned. The object 20 to be scanned, which is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, can be supported on the scanner rocker 2 either directly on the plate 18 or according to the invention with a scanning object carrier 1 according to the invention explained farther below. In FIG. 1, a view is shown from the direction parallel to the rocker pivot axis 16.

[0025] The scanner rocker 2 is shown in FIG. 1 in a vertically downward hanging position drawn with solid lines and two positions pivoted from this hanging position, drawn with dotted lines. FIG. 2 shows a side view from a direction orthogonal to the rocker pivot axis 16. In the shown variant, the plate 18 is supported on the scanner rocker 2 so that it can rotate about a rotational axis 19. The latter, however, is not absolutely necessary. Openings for inserting the object 20 to be scanned into the optionally present housing of the scanning device 3 and the like are omitted here in this greatly simplified, schematic representation, but other known features corresponding to scanning device 3, like in the prior art, can also be constructed.

[0026] In FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, for example, a schematized scanning object carrier 1 formed according to the invention is shown. FIG. 3 shows a view from the direction parallel to the object carrier pivot axis 13. FIG. 4 shows a side view from a direction orthogonal to the object carrier pivot axis 13. FIG. 5 shows a view such as FIG. 3, wherein here, however, both end positions of the object fixing device 6 are shown. The scanning object carrier 1 of this embodiment has a base body 4, a fastening device 5, and an object fixing device 6. The fastening device 5 is used for fastening the scanning object carrier 1 on the plate 18 and thus on the scanner rocker 2. The fastening device 5 can have very different constructions, as already explained above.

[0027] The object fixing device 6 is used for fixing the object 20 to be scanned on the scanning object carrier 1. It can also have a different construction than those already explained above.

[0028] The object fixing device 6 is supported so that it can pivot relative to the base body 4 between the end positions 7 and 8. In the preferred embodiment shown here, the base body 4 has two end stops 9 and 10, which limit the pivoting motion of the object fixing device 6 in the end positions 7 and 8. In the shown embodiment, this is realized by the contact of the pivot arm 12 on one of the two end stops 9 or 10. In FIG. 5, the first of the end positions 7 is shown with solid lines and the second of the end positions 8 is shown with dotted lines.

[0029] In the illustrated embodiment, the ability of the object fixing device 6 to pivot and thus also the object 20 to be scanned relative to the base body 4 of the scanning object carrier 1 is realized by a pivot arm 12. The object fixing device 6 is fixed on this pivot arm 12. The pivot arm 12 is held on the base body 4 so that it can pivot about the object carrier pivot axis 13. The object fixing device 6 is here fixed on the pivot arm 12 at a distance from the object carrier pivot axis 13. A counterweight 14 is arranged on the pivot arm 12 on the opposite side. The object fixing device 6 and the counterweight 14 are located on mutually opposing sides of the pivot arm 12 with respect to the object carrier pivot axis 3. Through this arrangement, in this embodiment it is achieved that the object fixing device 6 is supported on the base body 4 so that it can pivot together with the object 20 to be scanned and fixed on the fixing device along a section 11 of a circular path between the end positions 7 and 8. The section 11 of the circular path is drawn with dotted lines in FIG. 5.

[0030] In the embodiment shown here, the pivot angle 15, about which the object fixing device 6 can pivot between its end positions 7 and 8, being supported on the base body, is 90°. Other preferred ranges for the pivot angle 15 are specified above.

[0031] According to the invention, the construction of the scanning object carrier 1 shown here as an embodiment has no separate drive mechanism for pivoting the object fixing device 6 relative to the base body 4. Instead, it is provided according to the invention that the object fixing device 6 is supported on the base body 4 so that it can pivot between the end positions 7 and 8 freely following the force of gravity.

[0032] Generally speaking, the pivoting of the object fixing device 6 relative to the base body 4 can be produced by the force of gravity such that the scanning object carrier 1 is pivoted as a whole assembly. This is preferably created by a pivoting of the scanner rocker 2 together with a scanning object carrier 1 mounted on the rocker.

[0033] To further explain this, reference will be made to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 6 shows an arrangement according to the invention in a schematized side view from the direction orthogonal to the object carrier pivot axis 13 and also to the rocker pivot axis 16, in which the scanning object carrier 1 according to the invention is mounted on the scanner rocker 2 of the scanning device 3 by means of its fastening device 5. In FIG. 6 it is easy to see that in preferred constructions, as shown here, the rocker pivot axis 16 and the object carrier pivot axis 13 are arranged or at least can be arranged coaxial to each other.

[0034] FIGS. 7 and 8 show the arrangement according to the invention in the end positions of the object fixing device 6, in which opposing sides of the object 20 to be scanned and fixed on the object fixing device 6 can be scanned by means of the scanner head 17. FIGS. 7 and 8 each show views in the direction parallel to the object carrier pivot axis 13 and to the rocker pivot axis 16.

[0035] In FIG. 7, the object fixing device 6 is in the first of its end positions 7 in which the object fixing device 6 or here, the pivot arm 12, contacts the end stop 9. This end position 7 can be created by corresponding pivoting of the scanner rocker 2 together with the scanning object carrier 1 about the rocker pivot axis 16. The force of gravity applied to the object fixing device 6 and the object 20 on one side and on the counterweight 14 on the other side provides for a corresponding free pivoting into the end position 7 shown in FIG. 7. In this position, for the method according to the invention, a first scanning process is now performed by the scanner head 7. Then the object fixing device 6 is pivoted with the object 20 fixed on this fixing device only by the pivoting of the scanner rocker 2 and by the corresponding effect of the force of gravity into the second of its end positions 8. This position created in this way is shown in FIG. 8, in which the object fixing device 6 is located in the second of its end positions 8. If this position according to FIG. 8 is reached, the second side of the object 20 can be scanned in a second scanning process by the scanner head 17.

[0036] The comparison of FIGS. 7 and 8 shows that, as an example, through the ability of the object fixing device 6 to freely pivot according to the invention relative to the base body 4 of the scanning object carrier 1, a separate drive mechanism in the scanning object carrier 1 can be completely eliminated. The pivoting of the object fixing device 6 together with the object 20 to be scanned is realized exclusively through a pivoting of the entire scanning object carrier 1 by the scanner rocker 2 and a corresponding effect of the force of gravity. The force of gravity here provides a certain pivot angle of the scanner rocker 2 for pivoting the object fixing device 6 together with the object 20 fastened to this fixing device from one of its end positions 7 or 8 into the other end position 7 or 8.

LEGEND FOR THE REFERENCE SYMBOLS

[0037] 1 Scanning object carrier [0038] 2 Scanner rocker [0039] 3 Scanning device [0040] 4 Base body [0041] 5 Fastening device [0042] 6 Object fixing device [0043] 7 First of the end positions [0044] 8 Second of the end positions [0045] 9 End stop [0046] 10 End stop [0047] 11 Section of a circular path [0048] 12 Pivot arm [0049] 13 Object carrier pivot axis [0050] 14 Counterweight [0051] 15 Pivot angle [0052] 16 Rocker pivot axis [0053] 17 Scanner head [0054] 18 Plate [0055] 19 Rotational axis [0056] 20 Object