IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,743,762
Granted Patent B2
US 10,743,762 · App. 16/146,144 · Granted Aug 18, 2020

Ophthalmologic apparatus

Inventors: Hitoshi Shimizu (Tokyo, JP); Masashi Nakajima (Ageo, JP); Tony H. Ko (Milpitas, CA); Jonathan Liu (Tokyo, JP); Yasufumi Fukuma (Wako, JP)
Assignee: TOPCON CORPORATION
A61B3/1225A61B3/0025A61B3/0058A61B3/0083A61B3/102A61B3/1005A61B3/14
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,743,762
App. No.
16/146,144
Granted
Aug 18, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

An ophthalmologic apparatus according to the embodiments includes an OCT optical system, an alignment unit, an image forming unit, a first calculator, and a second calculator. The OCT optical system is configured to acquire OCT data of a fundus of a subject's eye by projecting measurement light onto the fundus. The alignment unit is configured to perform alignment of the OCT optical system with reference to a predetermined site of the subject's eye. The image forming unit is configured to form a tomographic image of the fundus based on the OCT data acquired by the OCT optical system which has been aligned by the alignment unit. The first calculator is configured to calculate a first tilt angle of the tomographic image. The second calculator is configured to calculate a second tilt angle of the fundus by correcting the first tilt angle based on alignment result of the OCT optical system with respect to the predetermined site by the alignment unit.

Claims (55)

1. An ophthalmologic apparatus comprising:

an OCT optical system configured to acquire OCT data of a fundus of a subject's eye by projecting measurement light onto the fundus;

an alignment unit configured to perform alignment of the OCT optical system with reference to a predetermined site of the subject's eye;

an image forming unit configured to form a tomographic image of the fundus based on the OCT data acquired by the OCT optical system which has been aligned by the alignment unit;

a first calculator configured to calculate a first tilt angle of the tomographic image; and

a second calculator configured to calculate a second tilt angle of the fundus by correcting the first tilt angle based on alignment result of the OCT optical system with respect to the predetermined site by the alignment unit.

2. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a misalignment amount specifying unit configured to specify a misalignment amount between a measurement optical axis of the OCT optical system which has been aligned by the alignment unit and an eyeball optical axis of the subject's eye, wherein

the second calculator calculates the second tilt angle based on the misalignment amount.

3. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 2 , wherein

the second calculator outputs the first tilt angle as the second tilt angle when the measurement optical axis substantially coincides with the eyeball optical axis.

4. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 2 , wherein

the misalignment amount specifying unit specifies, as a shift amount, a displacement amount of the eyeball optical axis with respect to the measurement optical axis in a direction intersecting the measurement optical axis, and

the second calculator calculates the second tilt angle by correcting the first tilt angle based on the shift amount, when the eyeball optical axis is shifted with respect to the measurement optical axis.

5. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 4 , wherein

the second calculator calculates the second tilt angle by correcting the first tilt angle according to a linear expression with the shift amount as variable.

6. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 2 , wherein

the misalignment amount specifying unit specifies, as a tilt amount, an angle formed by the eyeball optical axis with respect to the measurement optical axis, and

the second calculator calculates the second tilt angle by correcting the first tilt angle based on the tilt amount, when the eyeball optical axis is tilted with respect to the measurement optical axis.

7. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 6 , wherein

the second calculator calculates the second tilt angle by correcting the first tilt angle according to a linear expression with the tilt amount as variable.

8. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 2 , wherein

the misalignment amount specifying unit specifies, as a shift amount, a displacement amount of the eyeball optical axis with respect to the measurement optical axis in a direction intersecting the measurement optical axis, and specifies, as a tilt amount, an angle formed by the eyeball optical axis with respect to the measurement optical axis, and

the second calculator calculates the second tilt angle by correcting the first tilt angle based on the shift amount and the tilt amount, when the eyeball optical axis is shifted and tilted with respect to the measurement optical axis.

9. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 8 , wherein

the second calculator calculates the second tilt angle by correcting the first tilt angle according to a combining expression obtained by linearly combined a linear expression with the shift amount as variable and a linear expression with the tilt amount as variable.

10. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 2 , further comprising:

a fixation projection system configured to project a fixation flux onto the fundus in acquiring the OCT data, wherein

the eyeball optical axis is a visual axis.

11. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the alignment unit comprises:

an alignment light projection system configured to project alignment light onto the subject's eye;

a movement mechanism configured to move relatively e subject's eye and the OCT optical system;

two or more imaging units configured to photograph an anterior segment of the subject's eye, onto which the alignment light is being projected, from different directions; and

a position determination unit configured to specify a first position of a reflection image of a cornea by the alignment light and a second position of the predetermined site by analyzing two or more photographic images obtained by the two or more imaging units, and to determine a movement target position of the OCT optical system based on the first position and the second position.

12. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

when a value, which is obtained by converting a difference of a distance in a vertical direction between an image region of a site corresponding to a predetermined layer region of the fundus at a right end of a frame of the tomographic image and an image region of the site at a left end of the frame into a value corresponding to an actual dimension, is d and a value, which is obtained by converting a distance in a horizontal direction of the frame of the tomographic image into a value corresponding to an actual dimension, is c,

the first calculator calculates the first tilt angle by obtaining arctan (|d|/c).

13. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:

a corneal shape measurement unit configured to perform measurement of at least a corneal curvature radius of the subject's eye;

an eye refractometry unit configured to perform measurement of an eye refractive power of the subject's eye; and

an intraocular distance calculator configured to calculate an axial length of the subject's eye based on the OCT data, wherein

the first calculator converts the distance of the frame of the tomographic image in the horizontal direction into the actual dimension based on the corneal curvature radius, the eye refractive power, and the axial length.

14. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising:

a corneal shape measurement unit configured to perform measurement of at least a corneal curvature radius of the subject's eye; and

an intraocular distance calculator configured to calculate an axial length of the subject's eye based on the OCT data, wherein

the OCT optical system includes a focusing lens that is movable along the measurement optical axis, and

the first calculator converts the distance of the frame of the tomographic image in the horizontal direction into the actual dimension based on the corneal curvature radius, a position of the focusing lens on the measurement optical axis, and the axial length.

15. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 12 , wherein

the first calculator converts the difference of the distance into the actual dimension by multiplying the difference of the distance by a predetermined pixel spacing value.

16. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a storage unit that stores the second tilt angle calculated by the second calculator in association with information representing acquisition timing of the OCT data; and

a controller that controls a display means to display information representing a change over time of the second tilt angle based on the second tilt angle and the information representing the acquisition timing stored in the storage unit.

17. The ophthalmologic apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a controller that controls a display means to display information representing a reference range of a tilt angle of the fundus so as to be superimposed on the tomographic image formed by the image forming unit.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 28, 2018
From: SHIMIZU, HITOSHI; NAKAJIMA, MASASHI; KO, TONY H.; LIU, JONATHAN; FUKUMA, YASUFUMI
To: TOPCON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 047865/0162 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200100673A1 · Apr 2, 2020