초록 ▼

A jaw tracking device, which fits entirely in the mouth and can be attached to conventional removable dental appliances, tracks the location and movement of the lower jaw with high precision and speed when the mouth is closed or nearly closed by recording the projection of light from a light emittin

A jaw tracking device, which fits entirely in the mouth and can be attached to conventional removable dental appliances, tracks the location and movement of the lower jaw with high precision and speed when the mouth is closed or nearly closed by recording the projection of light from a light emitting diode, laser diode, or fiberoptic source fixed to the lower dental arch onto one or two position sensitive detectors (PSDS) fixed to the upper dental arch. Since the system acquires data quickly enough to record the minute deflections of the lower jawbone which occur each time the jaw is closed eccentrically, it can be used with acoustic sensors attached to the individual teeth in order to analyze a person's bite. Since each PSD relies on only four outputs, its data can be easily transmitted by telemetry so that it can be used to track the location of the jaw during sleep without requiring wires protruding from the mouth of the sleeping subject.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [21.] An apparatus for tracking a person's lower jaw movement comprising:a position sensitive detector;means for mounting the position sensitive detector to a first dental arch on said person;a light source; andmeans for mounting the light source to a second dental arch on said person,

[ We claim:] [21.] An apparatus for tracking a person's lower jaw movement comprising:a position sensitive detector;means for mounting the position sensitive detector to a first dental arch on said person;a light source; andmeans for mounting the light source to a second dental arch on said person, said light source shining on said detector when said light source is on, said detector generating electrical data related to the position of said light on said detector when said apparatus is in operative condition.