Method and system for designing custom restorations for dental implants

Abstract

A computer-implemented method of designing a dental restoration component, including: receiving a set of design dimensional constraints which must be satisfied for the dental restoration component; receiving a set of design parameters for the dental restoration component; receiving a definition for a penalty function which takes into account at least more than one of said design parameters and which signals a constraint being reached when the value of any of said parameters violates a constraint; and using the penalty function, assigning a value to each of said design parameters for the dental restoration component, consistent with the constraints for said component.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method of designing a dental restoration component, comprising:
 receiving a set of design dimensional constraints which must be satisfied for the dental restoration component;   receiving a set of design parameters for the dental restoration component; receiving a definition for a penalty function which takes into account at least more than one of said design parameters and which signals a constraint being reached when the value of any of said parameters violates a constraint; and   using the penalty function, assigning a value to each of said design parameters for the dental restoration component, consistent with the constraints for said component.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the penalty function is used to assist, along with other factors, assigning a value to at least one of said design parameters. 
     
     
         3 . A computer-implemented method of designing a dental restoration component, comprising:
 receiving a set of design dimensional constraints which must be satisfied for the dental restoration component;   receiving a set of design parameters for the dental restoration component; and using at least in part a penalty function, assigning a value to each of said design parameters for the dental restoration component, consistent with the constraints for said component, said penalty function taking into account at least more than one of said design parameters and which signals a constraint being reached when the value of any of said parameters violates a constraint.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein assigning a value to each of said design parameters comprises assigning said values consistent with the corresponding value of the penalty function being at or near an extreme value of the penalty function. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the extreme value is a minimum value. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein assigning the value to each of said design parameters is not limited to using the penalty function to do so. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , further including recording said assigned parameter values in a data structure on a computer-readable medium. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further including operating a computer-aided manufacturing system in accordance with said values in said data structure, to manufacture at least one of said first and second components. 
     
     
         9 . A computer-implemented method of designing an optimized dental restoration component, comprising:
 a. receiving a set of design dimensional constraints which must be satisfied for the component;   b. receiving a set of design parameters for the component;   c. assigning a value to each of said design parameters, consistent with the constraints for said component;   d. determining whether there is a conflict between possible values for a design parameter and the dimensional constraints for the component and, if there is a conflict, changing a value of at least one design parameter for the component and re-determining whether there is a conflict, until no conflict exists or it is established that for all values of the design parameters for the component there will be conflict;   e. repeating act “c” until values have been assigned to all design parameters of the component and no constraint or parameter value conflicts exist; and   f. executing a penalty function to calculate an acceptable set of design parameter values for the component.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further including recording said acceptable set of parameter values in a data structure on a computer-readable medium. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  further including operating a computer-aided manufacturing system in accordance with said acceptable set of values in said data structure, to manufacture said component. 
     
     
         12 . A method of designing a dental restoration component, comprising:
 defining a set of design dimensional constraints which must be satisfied for the dental restoration component;   defining a set of design parameters for the dental restoration component; defining for a penalty function which takes into account at least more than one of said design parameters and which signals a constraint being reached when the value of any of said parameters violates a constraint; and   using the penalty function, assigning a value to each of said design parameters for the dental restoration component, consistent with the constraints for said component.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the penalty function is used to assist, along with other factors, assigning a value to at least one of said design parameters. 
     
     
         14 . A method of designing a dental restoration component, comprising:
 defining a set of design dimensional constraints which must be satisfied for the dental restoration component;   defining a set of design parameters for the dental restoration component; and using at least in part a penalty function, assigning a value to each of said design parameters for the dental restoration component, consistent with the constraints for said component, said penalty function taking into account at least more than one of said design parameters and which signals a constraint being reached when the value of any of said parameters violates a constraint.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein assigning a value to each of said design parameters comprises assigning said values consistent with the corresponding value of the penalty function being at or near an extreme value of the penalty function. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the extreme value is a minimum value. 
     
     
         17 . The method of any of  claim 14 , wherein assigning the value to each of said design parameters is not limited to using the penalty function to do so. 
     
     
         18 . The method of any of  claim 14 , further including recording said assigned parameter values in a data structure on a computer-readable medium. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further including operating a computer-aided manufacturing system in accordance with said values in said data structure, to manufacture said first and second components. 
     
     
         20 . A method of designing a dental restoration component, comprising:
 a. defining a set of design dimensional constraints which must be satisfied for the component;   b. defining a set of design parameters for the component;   c. assigning a value to each of said design parameters, consistent with the constraints for said component;   d. determining whether there is a conflict between possible values for a design parameter and the dimensional constraints for the component and,
 if there is a conflict, changing a value of at least one design parameter for the component and re-determining whether there is a conflict, until no conflict exists or it is established that for all values of the design parameters for the component there will be conflict; 
   e. repeating act “d” until values have been assigned to all design parameters of the component and no constraint or parameter value conflicts exist; and   f. using a penalty function to calculate an acceptable set of design parameter values for the component.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , further including recording said calculated set of parameter values in a data structure on a computer-readable medium. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , further including operating a computer-aided manufacturing system in accordance with said calculated set of values in said data structure, to manufacture said component. 
     
     
         23 . An article comprising a computer-readable signal, recorded on a computer-readable medium, and comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a computer system to perform a method of designing a dental restoration component, comprising:
 receiving a set of design dimensional constraints which must be satisfied for the dental restoration component;   receiving a set of design parameters for the dental restoration component; receiving a definition for a penalty function which takes into account at least more than one of said design parameters and which signals a constraint being reached when the value of any of said parameters violates a constraint; and using the penalty function, assigning a value to each of said design parameters for the dental restoration component, consistent with the constraints for said component.   
     
     
         24 . The article of  claim 23 , wherein said instructions when executed further cause the penalty function to be used to assist, along with other factors, assigning a value to at least one of said design parameters. 
     
     
         25 . An article comprising a computer-readable signal, recorded on a computer-readable medium, and comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a computer system to perform a method of designing a dental restoration component, comprising:
 receiving a set of design dimensional constraints which must be satisfied for the dental restoration component;   receiving a set of design parameters of said parameters for the dental restoration component; and   using at least in part a penalty function, assigning a value to each of said design parameters for the dental restoration component, consistent with the constraints for said component, said penalty function taking into account at least more than one of said design parameters and which signals a constraint being reached when the value of any of said parameters violates a constraint.   
     
     
         26 . The article of  claim 25 , wherein assigning a value to each of said design parameters comprises assigning said values consistent with the corresponding value of the penalty function being at or near an extreme value of the penalty function. 
     
     
         27 . The article of  claim 26  wherein the extreme value is a minimum value. 
     
     
         28 . The article of any of  claim 25 , wherein assigning the value to each of said design parameters is not limited to using the penalty function to do so. 
     
     
         29 . The article of any of  claim 25 , wherein said instructions further effect recording said assigned parameter values in a data structure on a computer-readable medium. 
     
     
         30 . The article of  claim 25 , further including instructions which, when executed, operate a computer-aided manufacturing system in accordance with said values in said data structure, to manufacture said at least one of first and second components. 
     
     
         31 . An article comprising a computer-readable signal, recorded on a computer-readable medium, and comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a computer system to perform a method of designing an optimized dental restoration component, comprising:
 a. receiving a set of design dimensional constraints which must be satisfied for the component;   b. receiving a set of design parameters for the component;   c. assigning a value to each of said design parameters, consistent with the constraints for said component;   d. determining whether there is a conflict between possible values for a design parameter and the dimensional constraints for the component and, if there is a conflict, changing a value of at least one design parameter for the component and re-determining whether there is a conflict, until no conflict exists or it is established that for all values of the design parameters for the component there will be conflict;   e. repeating act “d” until values have been assigned to all design parameters of the component and no constraint or parameter value conflicts exist; and   f. executing a penalty function to calculate an acceptable set of design parameter values for the component.   
     
     
         32 . The article of  claim 31 , further including instructions which, when executed, operate a computer-aided manufacturing system in accordance with said acceptable set of values to manufacture said component.