System for capturing an image of the retina for identification

• US 7,224,822 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2001
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Morphotrust USA Incorporated (Advent International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Retinal Technologies LLC (Advent International Corporation)
• Inventors: Heacock, Gregory L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella; Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu; Tom Y.
• Application Number:
  US10/038,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20020093645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,044 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/117, 382155-127, 340/5.53, 340/5.38, 356/71, 902/3, 902/6, 713/186, 713/200, 707/6, 348/78, 351/206, 351/207, 396/18
• US Class Current: 382/117
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/152 for aligning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1171 based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

A system for capturing an image of the retina includes an alignment system that aligns the eye along a predetermined axis of the system and at a predetermined distance from the system to illuminate a predetermined area of the retina and to capture an image thereof. The predetermined area of the retina includes the optic disk. The system includes a non-scanned illumination source of red and green light symmetric aspheric lens for a high quality and high contrast image.

Claims

1. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification comprising:

a source of illumination light;

a lens through which the illumination light passes to illuminate the retina, the lens receiving light reflected from the retina;

an image signal generator responsive to light reflected from the retina to generate a signal representing an image of an illuminated area of the retina; and

an alignment system to align the eye along an axis that is at a predetermined angle with respect to a centerline of the lens, the alignment system including an elongated straight channel having an end into which a user looks, the longitudinal axis of the channel being the axis along which the eye is aligned and an object being disposed in the channel at a distance from the end into which the user looks wherein the aspect ratio of the diameter of the channel to the length of the channel from the location of the object to the end into which the user looks is such that the object is viewable when the eye is aligned along the longitudinal axis and is not viewable when the eye is not aligned along the longitudinal axis, and the system including an ultrasound transducer, and the system being responsive to the transducer to determine when the eye is at a predetermined distance from the image capturing system and providing an indication to the user when the eye is at the predetermined distance.

2. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 wherein said object is a light.

3. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 wherein the object is a light, the light is flashing when the eye is not at the predetermined distance, the flashing rate of the light changing as the distance of the eye approaches the predetermined distance and the flashing stopping when the eye is at the predetermined distance.

4. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 wherein the object is a light and the aspect ratio of the diameter of the channel at the location of the light to the length of the channel from the end into which the user looks to the location of the light is in a range of 0.02 to 0.084.

5. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 wherein the object is a light and the aspect ratio of the diameter of the channel at the location of the light to the length of the channel from the end into which the user looks to the light is approximately 0.04.

6. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 wherein the angle is such as to illuminate the optic disk to generate a signal representing an image thereof.

7. The system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 wherein said indication is visual.

8. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 wherein the said indication is audible.

9. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 wherein the illumination source is a non-scanned light source.

10. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 wherein the illumination source includes a green light and a red light.

11. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 10 wherein the lights are light emitting diodes.

12. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 wherein said lens has at least one rotationally symmetric aspheric surface.

13. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 wherein said image signal generator is a CCD camera.

14. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 1 including a pinhole lens disposed between the image signal generator and the lens.

15. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification comprising:

a source of illumination light;

a lens through which the illumination light passes to illuminate the retina, the lens receiving light reflected from the retina;

an image signal generator responsive to light reflected from the retina to generate a signal representing an image of an illuminated area of the retina; and

an alignment system including a member with an elongated straight channel therein, the channel having an end into which a user looks and a longitudinal axis at an angle with respect to a centerline of the lens, the angle being selected such that when the eye is aligned along said axis, said centerline intersects an area of the retina other than the fovea and an object disposed in the channel at a distance from the end into which the user looks wherein the aspect ratio of the diameter of the channel to the length of the channel from the location of the object to the end into which the user looks is such that the object is viewable when the eye is aligned along the longitudinal axis and is not viewable when the eye is not aligned along the longitudinal axis.

16. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 15 wherein said object is a light.

17. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 16 including an ultrasound transducer for determining when the eye is at a predetermined distance from the image capturing system and wherein the light is flashing when the eye is not at the predetermined distance, the flashing rate of the light changing as the distance of the eye approaches the predetermined distance and the flashing stopping when the eye is at the predetermined distance.

18. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 15 wherein the object is a light and the aspect ratio of the diameter of the channel at the location of the light to the length of the channel from the end into which the user looks to the location of the light is in a range of 0.02 to 0.084.

19. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 15 wherein the object is a light and the aspect ratio of the diameter of the channel at the location of the light to the length of the channel from the end into which the user looks to the light is approximately 0.04.

20. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 15 wherein the channel is a tubular channel with a black channel wall.

21. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 15 wherein the alignment system determines when the eye is a predetermined distance from the image capturing system.

22. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 21 including an ultrasound transducer.

23. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 21 wherein the object is a light that is viewable when the eye is aligned along the longitudinal axis and the light has at least a first state and a second state, the light changing state when the eye is a predetermined distance from the image capturing system.

24. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 15 wherein the illumination source is a non-scanned light source.

25. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 15 wherein the illumination source includes a green light and a red light.

26. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 25 wherein the lights are light emitting diodes.

27. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 15 wherein said lens has at least one rotationally symmetric aspheric surface.

28. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 15 wherein said image signal generator is a CCD camera.

29. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification comprising:

a source of illumination light;

a lens through which the illumination light passes to illuminate the retina, the lens receiving light reflected from the retina;

an image signal generator responsive to light reflected from the retina to generate a signal representing an image of an illuminated area of the retina; and

an alignment system including;

an elongated channel having an end into which a user looks and a longitudinal axis at an angle with respect to a centerline of the lens;

a light disposed in the channel at a distance from the end into which a user looks so that the user'"'"'s eye is aligned along the longitudinal axis when the light is visible, the light having at least a first state and a second state; and

a distance detector to determine when the eye is a predetermined distance from the image capturing system, the light changing state when the eye is at the predetermined distance.

30. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 29 wherein the light is flashing in one state and the light is continuously on in another state.

31. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 29 wherein the light is in a flashing state when the eye is not at the predetermined distance and the light is continuously on when the eye is at the predetermined distance.

32. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 31 wherein the flashing rate changes as the eye approaches the predetermined distance.

33. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 29 wherein the channel is a tubular channel with a black channel wall.

34. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 29 wherein the distance detector includes an ultrasound transducer.

35. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 29 wherein the ultrasound transducer is adjacent the channel.

36. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 29 wherein the object is a light and the aspect ratio of the diameter of the channel at the location of the light to the length of the channel from the end into which the user looks to the location of the light is in a range of 0.02 to 0.084.

37. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 29 wherein the object is a light and the aspect ratio of the diameter of the channel at the location of the light to the length of the channel from the end into which the user looks to the light is approximately 0.04.

38. A system for capturing an image of a retina of an eye for identification as recited in claim 29 wherein the angle is such as to illuminate the optic disk to generate a signal representing an image thereof.