Optical measuring device and method for capturing at least one parameter of at least one eye wherein an illumination characteristic is adjustable

• US 9,033,502 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2012
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SensoMotoric Instruments GmbH (Apple Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SensoMotoric Instruments GmbH (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Nistico, Walter, Hoffmann, Jan, Schmidt, Eberhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Parihar, Suchin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alexander, William R
• Application Number:
  US14/005,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20140055747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 351205-210, 351/213
• US Class Current: 351/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical measuring device (1) for capturing at least one parameter of at least one eye (10l, 10r) of a test person (31) wearing the optical measuring device (1), comprising a frame (4), which is configured to fix the optical measuring device (1) to the head of the test person (31), at least one capturing unit (3l, 3r), which is configured to optically capture the at least one parameter of the at least one eye (10l, 10r), and an illumination unit (9, 21, 22) for illuminating the at least one eye (10l, 10r), wherein an illumination characteristic is adjustable by means of the illumination unit (9, 21, 22).

Claims

1. An optical measuring device for capturing at least one parameter of at least one eye of a test person wearing the optical measuring device, comprising:

a frame, which is configured to fix the optical measuring device to the head of the test person,

at least one capturing unit, which is configured to optically capture the at least one parameter of the at least one eye, and

an illumination unit for illuminating the at least one eye, and adjusting an illumination characteristic in correlation with the capturing performed by the capturing unit,

wherein the at least one capturing unit is configured to capture and discern the illumination characteristic, and

wherein the illumination unit is configured to be adjustable with regard to a spatial structured illumination distribution to provide the adjusted illumination characteristic.

2. The optical measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the illumination unit is attached to the frame in such a way that with the optical measuring device fixed to the head of the test person it faces the at least one eye and is configured to emit radiation in such a way that the radiation at least partly hits the at least one eye.

3. The optical measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the illumination unit comprises at least two illumination segments which with regard to their luminosity, or luminous color, or main radiation direction, or temporal sequence of the light emission, or any combination thereof, are separately adjustable.

4. The optical measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the illumination unit comprises at least one optical waveguide and/or at least two illuminants, in particular light-emitting diodes.

5. The optical measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the illumination unit is configured to emit visible light and/or light in the infrared spectral range.

6. The optical measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the frame comprises at least one frame element for receiving an eyeglass lens, wherein with the optical measuring device fixed to the head of the test person the portion framed by the frame element is positioned in front of the at least one eye of the test person, and the illumination unit is arranged on or within the frame element.

7. The optical measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the at least one capturable parameter concerns an orientation, or a position, or an eyelid closure, or a pupil diameter, or a limbus characteristic, or a sclera characteristic, or an iris characteristic, or a characteristic of a blood vessel, or a cornea characteristic of the at least one eye, or any combination thereof.

16. The optical measuring device according to claim 1, wherein:

the capturing unit is configured to discriminate between deliberate reflections and reflections resulting from undesired stray light on the basis of the illumination characteristic.

8. A method for capturing at least one parameter of at least one eye of a test person, by means of a measuring device fixed to the head of the test person, the method comprising:

illuminating the at least one eye; and

optically capturing the at least one parameter of the at least one eye,

setting an illumination characteristic; and

illuminating the at least one eye according to the set illumination characteristic;

wherein the illuminating is regulated in dependency of a spatial, structured illumination distribution to provide the illumination characteristic and the illumination characteristic is correlated to the capturing, wherein the capturing captures and discerns the illumination characteristic.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein:

optically capturing the at least one parameter of the at least one eye comprises;

optically capturing of at least two light reflections and/or features of the at least one eye; and

determining the at least one parameter of the at least one eye by means of the captured light reflections and/or features.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein:

the at least two light reflections and/or features are captured at different illuminations.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein:

capturing data which concern a viewing behavior of the test person, or an eye motion characteristic, or a pupil change, or an environmental condition, or inputs of the test person, or any combination of the thereof;

in dependency on the captured data, setting an illumination program for the spatial illumination distribution;

regulating the spatial illumination distribution according to the set illumination program.

17. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

discriminating between deliberate reflections and reflections resulting from undesired stray light on the basis of the illumination characteristic.

12. An optical measuring device for capturing at least one parameter of at least one eye of a test person wearing the optical measuring device, comprising:

a frame, which is configured to fix the optical measuring device to the head of the test person,

at least one capturing unit, which is configured to optically capture the at least one parameter of the at least one eye, and

an illumination unit for illuminating the at least one eye and adjusting an illumination characteristic;

wherein the illumination unit comprises at least two illumination segments, which are separately adjustable with regard to at least one of their illumination characteristics.

18. The optical measuring device according to claim 12, wherein:

the at least two illumination segments are separately adjustable with regard to at least one characteristic of luminosity, wavelength, main radiation direction and temporal sequence of the light emission to provide the illumination characteristic, and

the capturing unit is configured to capture and discern the illumination characteristic to discriminate between deliberate reflections and reflections resulting from undesired stray light on the basis of the illumination characteristic.

20. The optical measuring device according to claim 12, wherein:

the at least two illumination segments are separate, individual and, with regard to their illumination characteristics, homogenous entities within the illumination unit, and

the at least two illumination segments are spatially separated.

21. The optical measuring device according to claim 20, wherein:

the frame contains at least one opening, which is filled with a frame insert,

the frame comprises a rim that encloses the frame insert, and

the at least two illumination segments are spatially separated located along the rim.

13. A method for capturing at least one parameter of at least one eye of a test person, by means of a measuring device fixed to the head of the test person, the method comprising:

illuminating the at least one eye; and

optically capturing the at least one parameter of the at least one eye,

setting an illumination characteristic; and

illuminating the at least one eye according to the set illumination characteristic, wherein the illuminating comprises at least two illumination segments which are adjusted separately with regard to at least one of their illumination characteristics.

19. The method according to claim 13, wherein:

the at least two illumination segments are adjusted separately with regard to at least one characteristic of luminosity, wavelength, main radiation direction and temporal sequence of the light emission to provide the illumination characteristic, and

the capturing captures and discerns the illumination characteristic to discriminate between deliberate reflections and reflections resulting from undesired stray light on the basis of the illumination characteristic.

14. An optical measuring device for capturing at least one parameter of at least one eye of a test person wearing the optical measuring device, comprising:

a frame, which is configured to fix the optical measuring device to the head of the test person,

at least one capturing unit, which is configured to optically capture the at least one parameter of the at least one eye, and

an illumination unit for illuminating the at least one eye and adjusting an illumination characteristic,

wherein the optical measuring device is configured to;

capture data which concern a viewing behavior of the test person or an eye motion characteristic or a pupil change or an environmental condition or inputs of the test person;

in dependency on the captured data, set an illumination program for the temporal or spatial illumination distribution or the illumination pattern; and

regulate the temporal illumination sequence or the spatial illumination distribution or the illumination pattern according to said illumination program.

15. A method for capturing at least one parameter of at least one eye of a test person, by means of a measuring device fixed to the head of the test person, the method comprising:

illuminating the at least one eye;

optically capturing the at least one parameter of the at least one eye,

setting an illumination characteristic;

illuminating the at least one eye according to the set illumination characteristic,

capturing data which concern a viewing behavior of the test person or an eye motion characteristic or a pupil change or an environmental condition or inputs of the test person; and

in dependency on the captured data, setting an illumination program for the temporal, or spatial, or both temporal and spatial, illumination distribution, or for the illumination pattern or for both; and

regulating (1) at least one of the temporal illumination sequence and the spatial illumination distribution, or (2) the illumination pattern, or (3) both (1) and (2), according to said illumination program.

22. An optical measuring device for capturing at least one parameter of at least one eye of a test person wearing the optical measuring device, comprising:

a frame, which is configured to fix the optical measuring device to the head of the test person,

at least one capturing unit, which is configured to optically capture the at least one parameter of the at least one eye, and

an illumination unit for illuminating the at least one eye and adjusting an illumination characteristic,

wherein the frame contains at least one opening, which is filled with a lens,

wherein the frame comprises a rim that encloses the lens,

wherein the capturing unit comprises at least one eye camera integrated into the rim in front of the at least one eye, and

wherein the eye camera is arranged such that the optical path for the capturing of the at least one parameter of the eye excludes the lens.