Method and system for measuring binocular alignment

• US 10,420,467 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Neurolens Incorporated
• Original Assignee: eyeBrain Medical, Inc.
• Inventors: Krall, Jeffrey P., Plumley, Aric
• Primary Examiner(s): Tra, Tuyen
• Application Number:
  US15/696,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20190069777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 749 Days
• Field of Search: 351200, 351201
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0091 Fixation targets for viewing direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/08 for testing binocular or stereoscopic vision, e.g. strabismus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/09 for testing accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/327 Calibration thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/008 Aspects relating to glasses for viewing stereoscopic images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention include a method to determine a binocular alignment, the method comprising: measuring a disassociated phoria of a first eye and a second eye of a patient at an apparent distance; and determining an accommodative convergence of the first eye and the second eye at the apparent distance using the measured disassociated phoria. In other embodiments, a system to determine a binocular alignment comprises a stereo display, for a projection of images for a first eye and a second eye; an accommodation optics, to modify the projection of the images according to an apparent distance; an eye tracker, to track an orientation of the first eye and the second eye; and a computer, coupled to the stereo display, the accommodation optics and the eye tracker, to manage a determination of the binocular alignment.

Claims

1. A system to determine a binocular alignment, comprising:

a stereo display, to project visible images for a first eye and a second eye;

an accommodation optics, to modify the projected visible images according to an apparent distance;

an eye tracker, to track an orientation of the first eye and the second eye; and

a computer, coupled to the stereo display, the accommodation optics and the eye tracker, to manage a determination of the binocular alignment, wherein the eye tracker includes

infrared light emitting diodes, positioned close to a front of the system, to project infrared eye-tracking beams on the first eye and the second eye;

an infrared light source, to illuminate the first eye and the second eye with an infrared imaging light; and

infrared telescopes with infrared cameras, to detect the infrared eye-tracking beams and the infrared imaging light, reflected from the first eye and the second eye.

2. The system of claim 1, the eye tracker comprising:

an image recognition system, to determine an orientation of the first eye and the second eye, using

the detected infrared eye tracking beams, and

the detected infrared imaging light.

3. The system of claim 1, comprising:

infrared-transmissive visible mirrors,

to redirect the projected visible images from the stereo display to the first eye and the second eye; and

to transmit an infrared eye tracking beam from the first eye and the second eye;

wherein

screens of the stereo display are positioned peripheral to a main optical pathway of the system, and

infrared telescopes of the eye tracker are positioned in the main optical pathway of the system.

4. The system of claim 1, comprising:

visible-transmissive infrared mirrors,

to redirect an infrared eye tracking beam from the first eye and the second eye; and

to transmit the projected visible images from the stereo display to the first eye and the second eye;

wherein

the stereo display is positioned in a main optical pathway of the system, and

infrared telescopes of the eye tracker are positioned peripheral to the main optical pathway of the system.

5. The system of claim 4, the stereo display comprising:

a first stereo display screen and a second stereo display screen.

6. The system of claim 4, the stereo display comprising:

a stereo display screen; and

synchronizing glasses, including at least one of shutter glasses, and polarized glasses.

7. The system of claim 1, the accommodation optics comprising:

phoropter wheels with a series of accommodation optics lenses of varying optical power, to simulate the apparent distance for the first eye and the second eye.

8. The system of claim 1, the accommodation optics comprising:

at least one of

curved mirrors, trial lenses, flip in/flip out lenses, adjustable liquid lenses, deformable mirrors, z-directionally movable mirrors, rotating diffractive optical elements, translating diffractive optical elements, variable focus moire lenses, and focusing lens groups.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the accommodation optics and the stereo display are combined into a single light field display, including

a microlens array, where the visible images shown on the stereo display combined with the optical characteristics of the microlens array are used to vary the apparent distance as seen by a patient.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the accommodation optics and the stereo display are combined into a single light field display, including

at least one mems scanner, a focus modulator, and a light source.

11. The system of claim 1, the accommodation optics comprising:

a pair of at least one of rotatable deflectors, rotatable prisms and adjustable prisms, to deflect the projection of the images to the first eye and the second eye to simulate a vergence of the apparent distance for the first eye and the second eye.