To be tested eye photographing device

• US 20030174279A1
• Filed: 04/14/2003
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: KOWA Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: KOWA Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Nagayama, Hiroki, Imamura, Hiroki, Suzuki, Takayoshi, Kobayashi, Koji
• Application Number:
  US10/363,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20030174279A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/200
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B

Abstract

When a photographing switch (55) is operated, a mirror (26) is moved out of the optical path, a strobe (14) is made to emit a flash of light, and the eye to be examined is photographed by a photographing unit (33). The image of the eye is recorded in image primary recording means (52). In such an arrangement, the image of an eye to be examined can be recorded in image primary recording means provided in the unit of the photographing device. Therefore, the image can be taken independently of the recording preparation state of an external recording device, the timing of flash of the strobe can be set not through an external recording device, and the image of an eye can be reliably and smoothly recorded. Further, since the image recorded in image primary recording means can be recorded in image secondary recording means (60), the same effect of recording the image in an external recording device can be produced if the image secondary recording means is provided to an external recording device.

Claims

1. A device for photographing an eye to be examined in which a strobe is made to emit a flash of light to photograph an eye to be examined, comprising:

a means for activating the strobe;

a photographing unit for photographing an eye to be examined illuminated by strobe flash; and

image primary recording means for primarily recording an image of the eye to be examined photographed by the photographing unit,

characterized in that an image recorded in the image primary recording means can be recorded in image secondary recording means that is connectable to the image primary recording means.

2. A device for photographing an eye to be examined according to claim 1, characterized in that the image primary recording means is provided in a unit of the eye photographing device and the image secondary recording means is provided outside the unit.

3. A device for photographing an eye to be examined according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the image primary recording means record a prescribed frame of images of the eye to be examined from the photographing unit in synchronization with the strobe flash.

4. A device for photographing an eye to be examined according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a prescribed time after an image of the eye to be examined is recorded in the image primary recording means, the image is automatically recorded in the image secondary recording means.

5. A device for photographing an eye to be examined according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that after an image of the eye to be examined is recorded in the image primary recording means, the image is recorded in the image secondary recording means in response to an operation of a recording switch.

6. A device for photographing an eye to be examined according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that previously recorded image information is erased and new image information is recorded when it is recorded in the image primary recording means.

7. A device for photographing an eye to be examined according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that image information recorded in the image secondary recording means is retained even if electric power from an external source is interrupted.

8. A device for photographing an eye to be examined according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized that it is provided with means for reproducing and displaying an image recorded in the image primary recording means, wherein an image is inhibited from being recorded in the image primary recording means either during display of an image recorded in the image primary recording means or during recording in the image secondary recording means.

9. A device for photographing an eye to be examined according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a selection switch is operated to record an image of the eye to be examined produced from the photographing unit directly in the image secondary recording means, not through the image primary recording means.

10. A device for photographing an eye to be examined according to claim 5 or 9, characterized in that the recording switch or selection switch is provided on the unit of the device for photographing an eye to be examined.

11. A device for photographing an eye to be examined according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that an image of the eye to be examined is recorded on CD-R or CD-RW together with image-reading software after the image has been recorded in the image primary recording means.

12. A device for photographing an eye to be examined according to claim 11, characterized in that an image of the eye to be examined that is recorded on CD-RW can be viewed by means of image-reading software recorded on the CD-RW and additional information can be appended to the image concerned.

13. A system for photographing an eye to be examined in which a strobe is made to emit a flash of light to photograph an eye to be examined, comprising:

a means for activating the strobe;

a photographing unit for photographing an eye to be examined illuminated by strobe flash;

image primary recording means for primarily recording an image of the eye to be examined photographed by the photographing unit; and

image secondary recording means that is connectable to the image primary recording means;

characterized in that an image of the eye to be examined photographed by the photographing unit is recorded in the image primary recording means and then recorded in the image secondary recording means.

14. A system for photographing an eye to be examined according to claim 13, characterized in that a prescribed time after an image of the eye to be examined is recorded in the image primary recording means, the image is automatically recorded in the image secondary recording means.

15. A system for photographing an eye to be examined according to claim 13, characterized in that after an image of the eye to be examined is recorded in the image primary recording means, the image is recorded in the image secondary recording means in response to an operation of a recording switch.

16. A system for photographing an eye to be examined according to claim 13, characterized in that an image of the eye to be examined is recorded on CD-R or CD-RW together with image-reading software after the image has been recorded in the image primary recording means.

17. A system for photographing an eye to be examined according to claim 16, characterized in that an image of the eye to be examined that is recorded on CD-RW can be viewed by means of image-reading software recorded on the CD-RW and additional information can be appended to the image concerned.