Otoscanner with camera for video and scanning
First Claim
1. An otoscanner comprising:
- an otoscanner body, the otoscanner body comprising a hand grip, the otoscanner body having mounted upon it an ear probe, a tracking illumination emitter, a plurality of tracking illumination sensors, and a display screen, the otoscanner body having mounted within it an image sensor;
the ear probe comprising a wide-angle lens optically coupled to the image sensor, a laser light source, a laser optical element, and a source of non-laser video illumination, the wide-angle lens having sufficient depth of field, the depth of field defined by planes of focus, such that all imaging light on an interior surface of a scanned object is disposed between the planes of focus and in focus at the image sensor;
the plurality of tracking illumination sensors disposed upon the otoscanner body so as to sense reflections of tracking illumination emitted from the tracking illumination emitter and reflected from tracking targets installed at positions that are fixed relative to a scanned ear;
the display screen coupled for data communications to the image sensor, the display screen displaying images of the scanned ear, andthe image sensor coupled for data communications to a data processor, with the data processor configured so that it functions by constructing, in dependence upon a sequence of images captured when the scanned ear is illuminated by laser light and tracked positions of the ear probe inferred from reflections of tracking illumination sensed by the tracking illumination sensors, a 3D image of the interior of the scanned ear;
wherein the image sensor operates at a video frame rate that is twice a standard video frame rate;
the laser light source is strobed during capture by the image sensor of alternate video frames;
video frames are captured by the image sensor when only the non-laser video illumination illuminates the scanned ear; and
images for constructing 3D images are captured by the image sensor only when the strobed laser light illuminates the scanned ear.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An otoscanner including an otoscanner body, the body comprising a hand grip, the body having mounted upon it an ear probe, a tracking illumination emitter, a plurality of tracking illumination sensors, and a display screen, the otoscanner body having mounted within it an image sensor; wherein the image sensor operates at a video frame rate that is twice a standard video frame rate; a laser light source is strobed during capture by the image sensor of alternate video frames; video frames are captured by the image sensor when only the non-laser video illumination illuminates the scanned ear; and images for constructing 3D images are captured by the image sensor only when the strobed laser light illuminates the scanned ear.
217 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An otoscanner comprising:
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an otoscanner body, the otoscanner body comprising a hand grip, the otoscanner body having mounted upon it an ear probe, a tracking illumination emitter, a plurality of tracking illumination sensors, and a display screen, the otoscanner body having mounted within it an image sensor; the ear probe comprising a wide-angle lens optically coupled to the image sensor, a laser light source, a laser optical element, and a source of non-laser video illumination, the wide-angle lens having sufficient depth of field, the depth of field defined by planes of focus, such that all imaging light on an interior surface of a scanned object is disposed between the planes of focus and in focus at the image sensor; the plurality of tracking illumination sensors disposed upon the otoscanner body so as to sense reflections of tracking illumination emitted from the tracking illumination emitter and reflected from tracking targets installed at positions that are fixed relative to a scanned ear; the display screen coupled for data communications to the image sensor, the display screen displaying images of the scanned ear, and the image sensor coupled for data communications to a data processor, with the data processor configured so that it functions by constructing, in dependence upon a sequence of images captured when the scanned ear is illuminated by laser light and tracked positions of the ear probe inferred from reflections of tracking illumination sensed by the tracking illumination sensors, a 3D image of the interior of the scanned ear; wherein the image sensor operates at a video frame rate that is twice a standard video frame rate;
the laser light source is strobed during capture by the image sensor of alternate video frames;
video frames are captured by the image sensor when only the non-laser video illumination illuminates the scanned ear; and
images for constructing 3D images are captured by the image sensor only when the strobed laser light illuminates the scanned ear. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification