VIDEO INFRARED OPHTHALMOSCOPE

• US 20100245765A1
• Filed: 10/27/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Dyer Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Dyer Holdings, LLC
• Inventors: Higgins, James, Dyer, David S.
• Application Number:
  US12/606,868
• Publication Number:
  US 20100245765A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 351/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/13 Ophthalmic microscopes

Abstract

An opthalmoscope includes a wearable headset. The wearable headset has a light source, a beam splitter reflecting infrared radiation from the light source to an eye, a camera collecting radiation reflected by the eye through the beam splitter, an analog to digital convertor receiving a raw signal from the camera based on the collected radiation, the analog to digital convertor converting the raw signal to a digital signal; a black and white to color converter converting the digital signal into a color signal, a streaming video converter processing the color signal into a video signal, and a pair of video monitors displaying an image of the eye based on the video signal. The wearable headset also has a video transmitter, the video transmitter transmitting the video signal to a computer over a network, the computer extracting a plurality of images from the video signal.

Claims

1. An indirect opthalmoscope, comprising:

a wearable headset;

the wearable headset comprising a light source, a beam splitter reflecting infrared radiation from the light source to an eye, a camera collecting radiation reflected by the eye through the beam splitter, an analog to digital convertor receiving a raw signal from the camera based on the collected radiation, the analog to digital convertor converting the raw signal to a digital signal;

a black and white to color converter converting the digital signal into a color signal, a streaming video converter processing the color signal into a video signal, and a pair of video monitors displaying an image of the eye based on the video signal;

the wearable headset further comprising a video transmitter, the video transmitter transmitting the video signal to a computer over a network, the computer extracting a plurality of images from the video signal.

2. The indirect opthalmoscope of claim 1, wherein the video monitors comprise high-resolution liquid crystal display screens.

3. The indirect opthalmoscope of claim 1, wherein the light source further comprises a rheostat dimmer circuit.

4. The indirect opthalmoscope of claim 1, wherein the light source further comprises an infrared filter and a focusing lens, the infrared filter substantially blocking visible and ultraviolet radiation, and the focusing lens focusing the infrared radiation from the light source on the beam splitter.

5. The indirect opthalmoscope of claim 1, further comprising a power supply to supply power to the light source, the power supply selected from the group consisting of a rechargeable lithium ion battery, a nickel cadmium battery, or an alkaline battery.

6. The indirect opthalmoscope of claim 1, wherein the network is selected from the group consisting of a wired network, and a wireless network.

7. The indirect opthalmoscope of claim 1, wherein the computer comprises:

a real-time video capture capturing images from the video signal, a black-and-white to color converter converting the images to color, 3-D rendering software, and a messaging system.

8. The indirect opthalmoscope of claim 1, wherein the wearable headset is selected from the group consisting of a pair of glasses and a pair of goggles.

9. The indirect opthalmoscope of claim 1, wherein the light source is selected from the group consisting of a light emitting diode, an electric lamp, a mercury vapor lamp, a halogen lamp, and a tungsten filament lamp.

10. The indirect opthalmoscope of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a halogen lamp with an infrared pass filter, the infrared path filter substantially blocking visible and ultraviolet radiation.

11. The indirect opthalmoscope of claim 1, wherein the black and white to color converter maps intensities of grayscale pixels to colors.

12. A direct opthalmoscope, comprising:

a light source, a beam splitter reflecting infrared radiation from the light source through one of a plurality of focusing lenses to an eye, a camera collecting radiation reflected by the eye through the beam splitter, an analog to digital convertor receiving a raw signal from the camera based on the collected radiation, the analog to digital convertor converting the raw signal to a digital signal;

a black and white to color converter converting the digital signal into a color signal, a streaming video converter processing the color signal into a video signal, and a video monitor displaying an image of the eye based on the video signal;

the direct opthalmoscope further comprising a video transmitter, the video transmitter transmitting the video signal to a computer over a network, the computer extracting a plurality of images from the video signal.

13. The direct opthalmoscope of claim 12, wherein the video monitor comprises high-resolution liquid crystal display screens.

14. The direct opthalmoscope of claim 12, wherein the light source further comprises a rheostat dimmer circuit, an infrared filter, and a focusing lens, the infrared filter substantially blocking visible and ultraviolet radiation, and the focusing lens focusing the infrared radiation from the light source on the beam splitter.

15. The direct opthalmoscope of claim 12, further comprising a power supply to supply power to the light source, the power supply selected from the group consisting of a rechargeable lithium ion battery, a nickel cadmium battery, or an alkaline battery.

16. The direct opthalmoscope of claim 12, wherein the network is selected from the group consisting of a wired network, and a wireless network.

17. The direct opthalmoscope of claim 12, wherein the computer comprises:

a real-time video capture capturing images from the video signal, a black-and-white to color converter converting the images to color, 3-D rendering software, and a messaging system.

18. The direct opthalmoscope of claim 12, wherein the light source is selected from the group consisting of a light emitting diode, an electric lamp, a mercury vapor lamp, a halogen lamp, and a tungsten filament lamp.

19. The direct opthalmoscope of claim 12, wherein the light source comprises a halogen lamp with an infrared pass filter, the infrared path filter substantially blocking visible and ultraviolet radiation.

20. The direct opthalmoscope of claim 12, wherein the black and white to color converter maps intensities of grayscale pixels to colors.

21. A method of scanning an eye, comprising:

providing a light source;

emitting infrared radiation from the light source toward a beam splitter;

reflecting the infrared radiation with the beam splitter through a focusing lens;

focusing the infrared radiation with the focusing lens on the eye;

collecting radiation reflected by the eye through the beam splitter at a camera;

producing an image signal representative of an image of the eye with the camera based on the collected radiation; and

displaying the image of the eye produced by the image signal on a display.

22. The method of scanning an eye of claim 21, further comprising transmitting the image of the eye over a network to another computer.