Wireless scleral search coil including systems for measuring eye movement and methods related thereto

• US 20100045932A1
• Filed: 05/19/2006
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Original Assignee: Johns Hopkins University
• Inventors: Shelhamer, Mark John, Roberts, Dale Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,967,439 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/209
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement

Abstract

Featured is a wireless scleral search coil that includes one or more passive, resonant coils and in a particular embodiment two orthogonal, passive, resonant coils, where each coil resonates at a different frequency. Each resonant coil includes a coil-capacitor circuit, each circuit being configured to resonant at a different frequency. Such a wireless scleral search coil is disposed within a biocompatible material that is shaped to conform and rest upon the eye of a subject. Also featured are system including such a wireless scleral search coil, one or more transmitter coils, an assembly of one or more receiver coils and a calculating sub-system for processing signal data to obtain eye measurement information.

Claims

1. A wireless scleral search device for use in detecting and measuring eye movement;

said wireless scleral search device comprising;

a support member, one surface of which is shaped to facilitate locating the support member on an eye;

a resonating coil being mounted to said support member such that the coil moves with movement of the eye and so that elements thereof do not extend outwardly from the support member; and

wherein the resonating coil being configured so that signals at a resonance frequency are induced in the coil from externally supplied signals and so such resonance frequency signals are outputted by the resonance coil.

2. The wireless scleral search device of claim 1, wherein the resonating coil is configured to form a resonant coil-capacitor combination, where the capacitance and inductance of the coil are such as to resonate at a desired frequency.

3. The wireless scleral search device of claim 1, wherein the resonating coil is disposed within the support member.

4. The wireless scleral search device of claim 1, wherein the support member is formed of a bio-compatible material.

5. A wireless scleral search device for use in detecting and measuring eye movement;

said wireless scleral search device comprising;

a support member, one surface of which is shaped to facilitate locating the support member on an eye;

a first resonating coil and a second resonating coil, each coil being mounted to said support member such that each coil moves with movement of the eye and so that elements thereof do not extend outwardly from the support member; and

wherein the first and second resonating coils being configured so that signals at a resonance frequency are induced in the coil from externally supplied signals and so such resonance frequency signals are outputted by the resonance coil.

6. The wireless scleral search device of claim 5, wherein the first resonating coil and the second resonating coil are mounted to and arranged on the support member such that the first resonating coil and the second resonating coil so the search device can be used to detect and measure horizontal, vertical and torsional eye movement.

7. The wireless scleral search device of claim 5, wherein the first and second resonating coils are configured to form a resonant coil-capacitor combination, where the capacitance and inductance of each coil are such as to resonate at a desired frequency.

8. The wireless scleral search device of claim 5, wherein the first resonating coil and the second resonating coil are configured so that the coils resonant at different frequencies.

9. The wireless scleral search device of claim 5, wherein the first and second resonating coils are disposed within the support member.

10. The wireless scleral search device of claim 5, wherein the support member is formed of a bio-compatible material.

11. A system for detecting and measuring eye movement;

said system including;

a coil assembly, said coil assembly including

a support member, one surface of which is shaped to facilitate locating the support member on an eye, and

at least one resonating coil being mounted to said support member such that the coil moves with movement of the eye and so that elements thereof do not extend outwardly from the support member, where the resonating coil being configured so that signals at a resonance frequency are outputted by the resonating coil;

a transmitting apparatus including at least one antenna, the transmitting apparatus being configured so as to periodically output a signal(s) that is induced in the eye coil so as to cause resonance of the at least one resonating coil, where the at least one antenna is disposed in a predetermined manner with respect to the coil assembly;

a signal receiving apparatus, the signal reception apparatus being configured to receive a resonance signal(s) from the at least one resonating coil during a quiescent period between periodic signals outputted by the transmitting apparatus; and

a measurement determining apparatus, operably coupled to the signal receiving apparatus so as to determine a measurement corresponding to one of a horizontal, vertical or torsional movement of the eye.

12. The detecting and measuring system of claim 11, wherein the resonating coil is configured to form a resonant coil-capacitor combination, where the capacitance and inductance of the coil are such as to resonate at a desired frequency.

13. The detecting and measuring system of claim 11, wherein the resonating coil is disposed within the support member.

14. The detecting and measuring system of claim 11, further comprising a control apparatus being operably coupled to each of the transmitting apparatus and the receiving apparatus to synchronize operation of the transmitting and receiving apparatus.

15. The detecting and measuring system of claim 14, wherein:

the receiving apparatus includes at least one antenna and a receiver;

the control apparatus is configured to control the receiving apparatus so that each of the at least one antenna is operably coupled to the receiver during a signal quiescent period of the transmitting apparatus.

16. The detecting and measuring system of claim 15, wherein the receiving apparatus includes a plurality or antennas each of the plurality of antennas being disposed with respect to the coil assembly such that the measurement determining apparatus can determine a measurement corresponding to one of a horizontal, vertical or torsional rotational movement of the eye.

17. The detecting and measuring system of claim 15, wherein the receiving apparatus includes a plurality or antennas each of the plurality of antennas being disposed with respect to the coil assembly such that the measurement determining apparatus can determine a measurement corresponding to horizontal and vertical translational movement of the eye.

18. The detecting and measuring system of claim 17, wherein the receiving apparatus includes a number or antennas, the number of antennas and the disposition of each antenna with respect to the coil assembly being set such that the measurement determining apparatus can determine a measurement corresponding to horizontal, vertical and torsional rotational movement of the eye.

19-27. -27. (canceled)

28. A method for measuring eye movement comprising the steps of:

providing a resonating coil assembly including a resonating coil and an array of one or more receiver coils;

disposing the resonating coil on an eye;

stimulating the resonating coil so the coil continues to output signals after such stimulating is terminated;

detecting and processing the signals being outputted by the resonating coil in a time sequence following termination of the stimulating;

determining one of the position or orientation of the eye from the detected and processed signals.

29. The method for measuring eye movement of claim 28, wherein said stimulating includes transmitting a sequence of pulses at a predetermined frequency to stimulate the resonating coil.

30. (canceled)