Methods and systems for performing confocal microscopy

• US 10,371,949 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2016
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Inventors: Samec, Nicole Elizabeth, Macnamara, John Graham, Harrises, Christopher M., Schowengerdt, Brian T., Abovitz, Rony, Baerenrodt, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Lhymn, Sarah
• Application Number:
  US15/269,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20170007123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 345619, 345632, 345633
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0204 Acoustic sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0247 Pressure sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0008 provided with illuminating means A61B3/117 takes precedence; goniolenses used for laser treatment A61F9/009; illuminating means for optical instruments G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0025 characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/005 Constructional features of the display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/022 for testing contrast sensitivity
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/024 for determining the visual field, e.g. perimeter types
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/028 for testing visual acuity; for determination of refraction, e.g. phoropters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0285 Phoropters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/032 Devices for presenting test symbols or characters, e.g. test chart projectors A61B3/036 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/036 for testing astigmatism
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/063 for testing light sensitivity, i.e. adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/066 for testing colour vision
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/08 for testing binocular or stereoscopic vision, e.g. strabismus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/085 for testing strabismus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/10 Objective types, i.e. instruments for examining the eyes independent of the patients' perceptions or reactions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1005 for measuring distances inside the eye, e.g. thickness of the cornea A61B3/11 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/101 for examining the tear film
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1015 for wavefront analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/102 : for optical coherence tomography [OCT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1035 : for measuring astigmatism testing astigmatism A61B3/036
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 : for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/12 : for looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes A61B3/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1216 : for diagnostics of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1241 : specially adapted for observation of ocular blood flow, e.g. by fluorescein angiography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/13 : Ophthalmic microscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 : Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/165 : Non-contacting tonometers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 : using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 : Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0077 : Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 : Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/12 : Audiometering
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• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 : using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
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• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/361 : Detecting fibrillation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 : Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/398 : Electrooculography [EOG], e.g. detecting nystagmus; Electroretinography [ERG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 : Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/10 : Eye inspection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/461 : Displaying means of special interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0004 : Eyes or part of the face surrounding the eyes
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/004 : Hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2009/00863 : Retina
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/0026 : Ophthalmic product dispenser attachments to facilitate positioning near the eye
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/165 : Wearable interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0022 : by the tactile sense, e.g. vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0027 : by the hearing sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0066 : with heating or cooling
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• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3375 : Acoustical, e.g. ultrasonic, measuring means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/507 : Head Mounted Displays [HMD]
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0648 : the light being directed to the eyes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 : comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 : comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0185 : Displaying image at variable distance
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/0032 : Optical details of illumination, e.g. light-sources, pinholes, beam splitters, slits, fibers G02B21/0036 - G02B21/008; means for illumination of specimens in general G02B21/06
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 : with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 : characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0179 : Display position adjusting means not related to the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/027 : considering wearer's parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 : Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 : Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10148 : Varying focus
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10152 : Varying illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30041 : Eye; Retina; Ophthalmic
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 : delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 : for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 : for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

Configurations are disclosed for a health system to be used in various healthcare applications, e.g., for patient diagnostics, monitoring, and/or therapy. The health system may comprise a light generation module to transmit light or an image to a user, one or more sensors to detect a physiological parameter of the user'"'"'s body, including their eyes, and processing circuitry to analyze an input received in response to the presented images to determine one or more health conditions or defects.

Claims

1. A wearable augmented reality device comprising:

an augmented reality head-mounted display configured to pass light from the world into an eye of a wearer wearing the wearable augmented reality display, wherein the display comprises;

a waveguide stack comprising a plurality of waveguides, wherein each waveguide of the plurality of waveguides has an associated diffractive out-coupling optical element,

wherein the plurality of waveguides are configured to output, via the respective associated diffractive out-coupling optical elements, image light with different amounts of wavefront divergence corresponding to a plurality of depth planes, wherein one or more waveguides of the plurality of waveguides are configured to output the image light with a different amount of wavefront divergence than one or more other waveguides of the plurality of waveguides,

wherein the image light provides images to the eye of the wearer;

a confocal microscope, the confocal microscope comprising;

a light source comprising an aperture configured to form a point light source; and

an imaging system to image the eye,

wherein the light source is configured to project light beams to the eye, the light beams having temporally varying wavelengths.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the wavelengths include visible wavelengths.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the wavelengths include infrared wavelengths.

4. The device of claim 1, where the confocal microscope is configured to vary the angle at which the light beams are projected onto the eye based on a portion of an eye space to be imaged.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a fluid delivery system configured to deliver a fluorescent dye to the eye.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the confocal microscope comprises at least one pinhole aperture configured to pass light reflected from the eye.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the confocal microscope comprises at least one imaging optical element with optical power to focus light reflected from the eye.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the pinhole aperture is disposed in an optical path between the at least one imaging optical element and the imaging system.

9. The device claim 7, wherein the pinhole aperture is positioned between the light source and the at least one imaging optical element, such that out of focus light reflected from the eye is suppressed.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the pinhole aperture is positioned between the light source and the imaging system, such that out of focus light reflected from the eye is suppressed.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the imaging system comprises an optical detector.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the confocal microscope comprises a fiber scanning device.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the fiber scanning device comprises a light source and is configured to project the light beams.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the fiber scanning device comprises the imaging system and is configured to receive light reflected from the eye.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the fiber scanning device include includes an optical detector.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises an adaptable optics element configured to output the light beams.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the adaptable optics element comprises a variable focus element.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the light source is a scanning laser ophthalmoscope comprising a laser.

19. The device claim 1, wherein the display is further configured to visualize in real time an image projected onto a retina of the eye.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the light source provides the image light to the plurality of waveguides.