US Patent 11844153 Intraoral scanning device with defogging element and protective sleeve

An intraoral scanning device comprises housing comprising a head configured for insertion into a patient oral cavity, the head comprising a sloped surface and an aperture for transmission of optical signals, a transparent element positioned within the aperture, wherein the transparent element is at an acute angle with respect to the sloped surface, and a defogging unit comprising a heating unit. The intraoral scanning device further comprises a protective sleeve configured to cover at least a part of the head when the protective sleeve is coupled to the housing. The protective sleeve comprises an additional aperture that aligns with the aperture and an additional transparent element in the additional aperture. A gap separates the additional transparent element from the transparent element when the protective sleeve is coupled to the housing, and heat generated by the heating unit is transferred from the heating unit to the additional transparent element despite the gap that separates the additional transparent element from the transparent element.