Method for calibration of manipulator utilized in apparatus and method for customized shaping of orthodontic archwires and other medical devices

{
  "publication_number": "US10130987B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Method for calibration of manipulator utilized in apparatus and method for customized shaping of orthodontic archwires and other medical devices",
  "abstract": "An apparatus and method for bending or shaping orthodontic archwires or other medical devices into a complex, patient individual shape is described. The apparatus comprises of two moveable, compact, manipulators with, in total, at least three revolute joints defining three rotation axes and at least three prismatic joints defining at least three translation axes. Gripping tools are provided on the manipulators. The two manipulators are arranged to allow a relative movement in six degrees of freedom. A reduced complexity embodiment is also described having only one or two revolute joints.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A method of calibrating a bending apparatus comprising at least a first moveable manipulator and at least a second moveable manipulator, comprising the steps of: positioning a wire such that the wire is held by a bending core comprised of the first moveable manipulator and the second moveable manipulator; (a) moving a first axis of the first moveable manipulator (b) measuring a resulting movement of the wire, repeating steps (a) and (b) for each of a plurality of axes of each of the first moveable manipulator and the second moveable manipulator and measuring the resulting movement of the wire, wherein each of the plurality of axes are moved in different directions; recording each movement of each of the plurality of axes of each of the first moveable manipulator and the second moveable manipulator and recording each corresponding measured resulting movement of the wire; comparing the recorded movements of the wire to desired movements of the wire to determine positions and orientations of each of the plurality of axes; developing a real model of the bending core based on the positions and orientations of each of the plurality of axes, thereby calibrating the bending apparatus.",
    "2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of axes are moved in a translational direction.",
    "3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of axes are moved in a rotational direction.",
    "4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of axes are moved in translational and rotational directions.",
    "5. The method of claim 1, wherein the resulting movements of the wire are measured by a vision system.",
    "6. The method of claim 5, wherein, the vision system is configured to measure single bends in the wire as soon as they are made.",
    "7. The method of claim 6, wherein the wire is made from an alloy.",
    "8. The method of claim 5, further comprising iteratively bending and measuring bends in the wire until correct over-bending values are found.",
    "9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wire is made from an alloy."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "A. Field of the Invention\n\nThis invention relates to machines and methods for automatically bending or shaping patient-specific orthodontic archwires, retainers, or other orthodontic or medical devices to a configuration having a desired geometry.\n\nB. Description of Related Art\n\nIn orthodontics, a patient suffering from a malocclusion is treated by affixing brackets to the surface of the teeth and installing an archwire in the slots of the brackets. The archwire and brackets are designed to generate a customized force system that applies forces to teeth, by which individual teeth are moved relative to surrounding anatomical structures into a desired occlusion. The most common approach to creating such a force system is to use off-the-shelf brackets, with or without built-in standardized prescription values, and designing a customized archwire that has complex bends designed to move or rotate the teeth in the desired direction.\n\nThese complex bends are characterized by superposition of rotation along the length axis, change in angles in two planes orthogonal to the length axis, and displacements in the length axis and transverse to the wire. In general, these deformations are described by six degrees of freedom. In orthodontics, the change in angles are specified as torque, rotation and angulation. The displacements are specified according their direction relative to the teeth geometry as mesial-distal, buccal-lingual and occlusal-gingival.",
  "cpc": [
    "B21F 45/008",
    "A61C 7/002",
    "A61C 7/20",
    "B21C 51/00",
    "B21F 1/008",
    "B21F 23/005",
    "B25J 9/1682",
    "B25J 9/1692",
    "B25J 9/1697",
    "G01B 11/24",
    "G05B 2219/37426",
    "G05B 2219/45097",
    "G05B 2219/45167",
    "Y10T 29/49568"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "A61C 7/00",
    "A61C 7/20",
    "B21C 51/00",
    "B21F 1/00",
    "B21F 45/00",
    "B25J 9/16",
    "G01B 11/24"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Orametrix Inc"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Friedrich Riemeier",
    "Werner Butscher",
    "Frank Witte",
    "Christoph Radinger",
    "Andrew Cordell",
    "Rohit Sachdeva"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2016-01-07",
  "publication_date": "2018-11-20",
  "grant_date": "2018-11-20",
  "priority_date": "2009-05-04",
  "application_number": "US-201614990375-A",
  "family_id": "50273040",
  "cited_by_count": 29,
  "citations": [
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    "US5447432A",
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  ]
}