Ophthalmoscope using natural pupil dilation

• US 10,524,655 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Issued: 01/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Karargyris, Alexandros, Zimmerman, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Greece, James R
• Application Number:
  US15/716,596
• Publication Number:
  US 20190090739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 351205, 351206, 351246
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0025 characterised by electronic signal processing, e.g. eye models
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/0091 Fixation targets for viewing direction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/112 for measuring diameter of pupils
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/147 Details of sensors, e.g. sensor lenses fingerprint or palmprint sensors G06V40/13; vascular sensors G06V40/145; eye sensors G06V40/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction

Abstract

An ophthalmic device having a single or dual compartment configuration selectively emits infrared and visible light beams onto one or a pair of target eyes. The device performs eye fundus imaging and aids in the detection of ailments as indicated by anomalies in the pupillary reflex.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a power source;

a light source comprising an infrared light source and a visible light source, the light source being operatively connected to the power source;

an image sensor positioned adjacent to the light source along a first axis, wherein the light source is either inline or coaxial relative to the image sensor;

a lens positioned between the light source and the image sensor, inline relative to the image sensor along the first axis;

a housing unit comprising the power source, the light source, the image sensor, or the lens, or any combination thereof, and further comprising an opening having an external-light blocking eyepiece, the opening being positioned adjacent to the light source opposite the lens and inline relative to the lens along the first axis;

a control unit comprising a processor and a tangible storage device storing program instructions executable by the processor, the program instructions comprising instructions to;

emit, by the visible light source, at least two beams of visible light in sequence, during a period of time for visible light emission, by energizing the visible light source via the power source, the at least two beams of visible light comprising a first beam of visible light having a first energy and a second beam of visible light having a second energy greater than the first energy; and

an input/output (I/O) device, wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to;

detect, by the image sensor, a response time of pupil constriction in the eye in response to emitting the at least two beams of visible light;

generate, by the processor, a delta report comprising data showing a divergence between the measured response time of pupil constriction and an expected response time of pupil constriction; and

output, by the I/O device, the delta report.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to:

emit, by the infrared light source, infrared light in the direction of the opening for a period of time by energizing the infrared light source via the power source;

capture, by the image sensor, a reflection of the infrared light;

identify, by the image sensor, an image of an eye by analyzing the captured reflection of the infrared light;

measure, by the image sensor, pupil dilation in the eye by analyzing the identified image of the eye; and

determine, by the processor, that the pupil is dilated by a first amount greater than or equal to a pre-configured dilation measurement.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the period of time for visible light emission is greater than zero and less than or equal to 200 milliseconds.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each of the at least two beams of visible light are emitted for an equal portion of the period of time for visible light emission.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to:

emit, by the infrared light source, a beam of infrared light;

capture, by the image sensor, a reflection of the beam of infrared light; and

output, by the I/O device, one or more images of the captured reflection of the beam of infrared light.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is coaxial relative to the light source, and the apparatus further comprises:

a mirror positioned inline relative to the image sensor and the lens along the first axis, and inline relative to the light source along a second axis, the first axis being perpendicular relative to the second axis.

7. An apparatus comprising a housing unit, the housing unit comprising a first compartment and a second compartment operatively connected to one or more power sources, each of the first compartment and the second compartment comprising:

a light source comprising an infrared light source and a visible light source, the light source being operatively connected a power source;

an image sensor positioned adjacent to the light source along a first axis, wherein the light source is either inline or coaxial relative to the image sensor;

a lens positioned between the light source and the image sensor, inline relative to the image sensor along the first axis;

an opening having an external-light blocking eyepiece, the opening being positioned adjacent to the light source opposite the lens and inline relative to the lens along the first axis;

at least one control unit comprising a processor and a tangible storage device storing program instructions executable by the processor, the program instructions comprising instructions to;

emit, by either or both of respective visible light sources of the first compartment and the second compartment, at least two beams of visible light in sequence in one compartment, during a period of time for visible light emission, by energizing the visible light source via the power source, the at least two beams of light comprising a first beam of visible light having a first energy and a second beam of visible light having a second energy greater than the first energy; and

an input/output (I/O) device, and wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to;

detect, by the image sensor, a response time of pupil constriction in the eye in response to emitting the at least two beams of visible light in the first compartment, the second compartment, or both;

generate a delta report comprising data showing a divergence between the measured response time of pupil constriction and an expected response time of pupil constriction; and

output, by the I/O device, the delta report.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to:

emit, by respective infrared light sources of the first compartment and the second compartment, infrared light in the direction of the opening for a period of time by energizing the infrared light source via the power source;

capture, by respective image sensors of the first compartment and the second compartment, a reflection of the infrared light;

identify, by respective image sensors of the first compartment and the second compartment, an image of an eye by analyzing the captured reflection of the infrared light;

measure, by respective image sensors of the first compartment and the second compartment, pupil dilation in the eye by analyzing the identified image of the eye; and

determine, by the processor, for each of the first compartment and the second compartment, that the pupil is dilated by a first amount greater than or equal to a pre-configured dilation measurement.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the period of time for visible light emission is greater than zero and less than or equal to 200 milliseconds.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each of the at least two beams of visible light are emitted for an equal portion of the period of time for visible light emission.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to:

detect, by the image sensor of the first compartment, a response time of pupil constriction in the eye positioned at the opening of the first compartment, in response to emitting the at least two beams of visible light in the first compartment, wherein emission of the at least two beams of visible light in sequence is exclusive to the first compartment for the period of time for visible light emission;

generate a delta report comprising data showing a divergence between the measured response time of pupil constriction of the eye in the first compartment and the measured response time of pupil constriction of the eye in the second compartment; and

output, by the I/O device, the delta report.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions to:

emit, by respective infrared light sources of the first compartment and the second compartment, respective beams of infrared light;

capture, by respective image sensors of the first compartment and the second compartment, a reflection of the respective beams of infrared light; and

output, by the I/O device, one or more images of the captured reflection of the respective beams of infrared light in the first compartment and the second compartment.