US 10,743,764 B2Granted

Wide field fundus camera

AssigneeRetivue, LLC

InventorsPaul A. Yates, Ming Lai

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A wide field fundus camera is disclosed to implement multiple illumination beam projectors and to capture multiple retinal images at a various viewing angles to mimic wide field retinal examination with an indirect ophthalmoscope. The wide field fundus camera may incorporate a consumer image recording device with fast auto focusing so as to make the device quick to respond and easy to use. The wide field fundus camera may include narrow and broad slit beam illuminations to enhance autofocusing and imaging through less transparent crystalline lens and through haze due to Purkinje reflections from crystalline lens surfaces. Control of multiple illumination beam projectors in a programmable manner can be used to assess alignment of each illumination beam projector with the eye and to capture said multiple retinal images. Furthermore, a method is disclosed to montage said multiple retinal images into a single montage and to remove haze and reflections.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A wide field fundus camera for imaging a retina of a subject eye, comprising:

an aspherical lens having a symmetric viewing axis and disposed to form a wide field of view retinal image of the retina;
a focusing lens positioned along said viewing axis to reimage said retinal image;
an image recording device disposed to capture said reimaged retinal image;
a plurality of illumination beam projectors positioned around said viewing axis and each configured to project an illumination beam at a corresponding illumination beam angle relative to the viewing axis and toward said aspherical lens to thereby illuminate a corresponding one of a plurality of different portions of said retina within said wide field of view;
a secondary beam projector configured to project a secondary beam at a secondary beam angle relative to the viewing axis, and onto the retina to facilitate alignment and focus of the retina;
a cross polarization system incorporated between said subject eye and said image recording device, to reject specular reflections of said illumination beams;
and
an electronic controller configured to sequentially power said plurality of illumination beam projectors in a programmable manner and thereby facilitate capture of images of the plurality of retinal portions.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/267,713Filed 5 Feb 2019 · division
Priority: 14 Sep 2014
Published: US 2019/0167098 A16 Jun 2019
Granted: 18 Aug 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

A61B 3/125
For looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes: with contact lenses
A61B 3/0008
Apparatus for testing the eyes; Instruments for examining the eyes: provided with illuminating means
A61B 3/0025
Operational features thereof: characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models
A61B 3/12
Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions: for looking at the eye fundus,…

Family

Application62/050,132Us provisional application · filed 14 Sep 2014
PCT/US2015/049950Parent of this division · filed 14 Sep 2015
US 2019/0167098 A1Pre-grant publication · published 6 Jun 2019
Application15/510,923Parent of this division
US 10,258,232 B2Parent of this division
US 2017/0280995 A1Published application
US 10,743,764 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.