OPTICAL ADAPTER FOR OPHTHALMOLOGICAL IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20130083185A1
• Filed: 09/30/2012
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intuitive Medical Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Intuitive Medical Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Coleman, Wyche T. III
• Application Number:
  US13/632,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20130083185A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/78
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/12 for looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes A61B3/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B

Abstract

An optical adapter system for a smart-phone has a lens and a light transmission guide within a housing. The adapter lens is located at the distal end of the housing in optical alignment with the smart-phone'"'"'s camera lens, and the light transmission guide extends from one end that is adjacent to the smart-phone'"'"'s light source toward the distal end of the housing and directs light outside of the housing to the subject being imaged. The optical adapter is preferably used in combination with the smart-phone as an ophthalmic examination tool and can be used with a computer program that runs on the smart-phone'"'"'s processor. The computer program can be calibrated for use with the particular optical adapter and can be used to control the smart-phone'"'"'s imaging system, such as varying the intensity of the light source, and can determine a refractive error in a patient'"'"'s eye.

Claims

1. An optical adapter system for a smart-phone having an imaging system with a camera lens and a light source, a computer processor, and a communications module, comprising:

a housing removably attached to the smart-phone at a proximal end and extending away from said proximal end to a distal end, wherein said proximal end surrounds the camera lens and the light source;

a lens fixedly connected to said distal end of said housing, wherein said lens is located in a fixed position in optical alignment with the camera lens; and

a light transmission guide fixedly connected to said housing, wherein said light transmission guide extends from a first end adjacent to the light source at said proximal end of said housing toward said distal end of said housing at a second end.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein said light transmission guide further comprises a seal at said first end surrounding the light source.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein said light transmission guide further comprises at least one of a GRIN lens, a condensing lens, a fiber optic cable, and a plurality of fiber optic segments.

4. The invention of claim 1 further comprising an eye-piece lens in optical alignment between said lens and the camera lens.

5. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a mirror in optical alignment between said second end of said light transmission guide and said lens.

6. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a computer program running on the computer processor, wherein said computer program determines a calibration factor for the imaging system in the smart-phone according to said lens in said housing.

7. The invention of claim 6, wherein said computer program further comprises a visual acuity test screen.

8. The invention of claim 6, wherein said computer program further comprises a control module for powering the light source for an evaluation period, and wherein said light transmission guide directs light from the light source to a subject at an exterior of said housing.

9. The invention of claim 8, wherein said evaluation period is a greater period of time than a picture-taking mode setting for the imaging system, and wherein said computer program further comprises a countdown time before recording images through the imaging system.

10. The invention of claim 8, wherein said subject is an interior portion of an eye, wherein said computer program further comprises a calculation of a differential power level in the imaging system between focusing of said subject eye and focusing of an emetropic eye.

11. The invention of claim 10, wherein said computer program further comprises a determination of a refractive error in said subject eye based on said differential power level.

12. The invention of claim 8, wherein said computer program produces a plurality of control panel displays, said control panel displays comprising an image preview with a plurality of live subject views received by the imaging system through said lens, an image control selector corresponding with said imaging system, and a capture image command for the imaging system to produce a captured image from at least one of said live subject views.

13. An optical adapter system for viewing and capturing images of a subject, comprising:

a smart-phone comprising an imaging system, a computer processor, a memory and a wireless communications module, said imaging system having a camera lens, a light source and a display screen;

an optical adapter fitting comprising a housing, a lens and a light transmission guide, wherein said housing is removably attached to said smart-phone at a proximal end and extends away from said proximal end to a distal end, wherein said proximal end surrounds said camera lens and said light source, wherein said lens is fixedly connected to said distal end of said housing and is located in a fixed position in optical alignment with said camera lens, and wherein said light transmission guide directs light from said light source to an exterior side of said housing; and

a computer program running on said computer processor and configured to operate said imaging system of said smart-phone in relation to said optical adapter fitting, wherein said computer program comprises a control module for powering said light source and for producing a live subject view on said display screen.

14. The invention of claim 13, wherein said light transmission guide further comprises a seal at said first end surrounding the light source and wherein said directed light from said light source is aimed toward a subject located at said exterior side of said housing.

15. The invention of claim 14, further comprising an eye-piece lens and a minor, wherein said eye-piece lens is situated within said housing in optical alignment between said camera lens and said lens in said adapter, wherein said mirror is situated within said housing in optical alignment between said second end of said light transmission guide and said lens, and wherein said light transmission guide further comprises at least one of a GRIN lens, a fiber optic cable extending from said seal toward said lens, and a plurality of fiber optic segments extending a plurality of paths to locations around a periphery of said lens.

16. The invention of claim 13, wherein said live subject view is a subject eye, wherein said computer program further comprises a calculation of a differential power level in said imaging system between focusing of said subject eye and focusing of an emetropic eye, and wherein said computer program further comprises a determination of a refractive error in said subject eye based on said differential power level.

17. The invention of claim 13, wherein said control module powers said light source for an evaluation period, and wherein said computer program further comprises a countdown time for said evaluation period before recording a plurality of images in said memory during a picture-taking time.

18. The invention of claim 17, wherein said control module increases a light intensity of said light source during said picture-taking time.

19. A method for using an optical adapter system with a smart-phone having an imaging system with a camera lens, a light source, a display screen and a data storage, a computer processor, and a communications module, comprising the steps of:

attaching an optical adapter fitting to the smart phone, wherein said optics comprises a housing, a lens and a means for directing light from the light source to an exterior side of said housing through said lens, wherein said housing is removably attached to the smart-phone at a proximal end and extends away from said proximal end to a distal end, and wherein said proximal end surrounds the camera lens and the light source, wherein said lens is fixedly connected to said distal end of said housing and is located in a fixed position in optical alignment with the camera lens;

powering the light source for an evaluation period, wherein said evaluation period is a greater time than a picture-taking period;

displaying an object on the display screen during said evaluation period;

providing a countdown time before recording images of said object; and

recording a plurality of images of said object in the data storage.

20. The invention of claim 19, further comprising the step of increasing a light intensity of the light source as said images are being recorded.