Ophthalmologic apparatus

Abstract

To provide an ophthalmologic apparatus capable of preventing damage and disconnection of a cable that connects a monitor and a control device.SOLUTION: The ophthalmologic apparatus includes: a mount 12 provided on a table 9; a head (inspection head 22) provided on the mount 12; a monitor 23; a monitor arm 24 provided on the table 9 and holding the monitor 23 rotatably at least in a periaxial direction of a central shaft (rotary shaft C1) of an arm tip portion 24b; a cable 26 for connecting the monitor 23 and the control device 25; and a rotation regulation unit 50 for, when the monitor 23 is rotated from a predetermined reference angle position A1 in the periaxial direction of the central shaft, allowing the rotation of the monitor 23 to predetermined regulation angle positions A2L, A2R between 90° from the reference angle position A1 and 180° from the reference angle position A1, and regulates the rotation of the monitor 23 beyond the regulation angle positions A2L, A2R.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ophthalmic apparatus equipped with a monitor. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known an ophthalmic device that performs observation, photographing, or measurement of ocular characteristics of a subject's eye. Such an ophthalmic device is provided with a monitor (touch panel monitor) that displays an observation image of the subject's eye, a photographed image (fundus image, etc.) of an observed part of the subject's eye, or a measurement result of the ocular characteristics of the subject's eye, and receives operations by an examiner (see Patent Document 1). This allows the examiner to perform operations related to observation, photographing, or measurement of the ocular characteristics of the subject's eye while checking the screen of the monitor.

[0003] At this time, some subjects have poor eyelid opening, and for such subjects, the examiner stands close to the subject and helps them open their eyes. In this case, if the monitor is fixed in position, the monitor screen cannot be seen from the subject's side, which reduces work efficiency. Therefore, in the ophthalmic device described in Patent Document 1, the monitor is attached to the top surface of the head that performs observation, photography, or measurement of the subject's eye characteristics via a two-axis monitor holder so that the monitor can be displaced freely. As a result, the monitor can be freely rotated around the first rotation axis parallel to the vertical direction and the second rotation axis perpendicular to the vertical direction, so that the monitor screen can be directed toward the examiner even when the examiner is helping the subject open their eyes. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-010675 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the ophthalmic device described in the above Patent Document 1, a monitor is attached to a head so as to be freely displaceable, and this head is aligned with the subject's eye when photographing the subject's eye or measuring the eye characteristics. Therefore, the monitor moves together with the head when aligning the head with the subject's eye. As a result, even if the examiner can see the monitor screen before starting head alignment, the examiner may have difficulty or be unable to see the monitor screen after head alignment is completed.

[0006] Therefore, it is conceivable to attach a monitor arm to a table on which an ophthalmologic apparatus is installed and to have the monitor held by the monitor arm rotatably in two rotational directions (first rotational axis and second rotational axis). In this case, the monitor is prevented from moving together with the head during alignment of the head with respect to the examined eye, and the monitor screen can always be directed in the direction desired by the examiner.

[0007] However, if the monitor is attached to the monitor arm so as to be rotatable about the first rotation axis, when the examiner rotates the monitor about the first rotation axis by a large angle, the cable connecting the monitor and its control device will be significantly twisted, which may result in damage or breakage of the cable.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide an ophthalmic apparatus capable of preventing damage and disconnection of a cable connecting a monitor and a control device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An ophthalmologic apparatus for achieving the object of the present invention comprises a stand provided on the top surface of a table, a head provided on the stand and performing at least one of observing, photographing, and acquiring eye characteristics of the test eye, a monitor, a monitor arm provided on the table and having an arm tip for holding the monitor, holding the monitor rotatably at least in a direction around the central axis of the arm tip, a cable connecting the monitor and a monitor control device via the monitor arm, and a rotation restriction unit that, when the monitor is rotated in a direction around the central axis from a predetermined reference angle position, allows rotation of the monitor to a predetermined restricted angle position between 90° from the reference angle position and 180° from the reference angle position, and restricts rotation of the monitor beyond the restricted angle position.

[0010] According to this ophthalmologic apparatus, when the monitor is rotated about the central axis, the cable is prevented from being significantly twisted and damaged or broken.

[0011] In another aspect of the ophthalmic device of the present invention, the central axis is parallel to the vertical direction, and the direction in which the head moves away from the examined eye in the working distance direction of the head perpendicular to the vertical direction is defined as rearward, the monitor arm is provided on the table at a position rearward of the stand when viewed from one of the vertical directions, and the reference angular position is the angular position of the monitor where the normal direction of the monitor screen coincides with the rear when viewed from one of the vertical directions.

[0012] In the ophthalmologic apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the monitor arm can be selectively attached to a plurality of different attachment positions on the table, thereby allowing the examiner to attach the monitor arm to any attachment position according to his / her preference.

[0013] In the ophthalmologic apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, a cable connects the monitor and the control device via the inside of the monitor arm. By hiding the cable inside the monitor arm, the appearance can be improved.

[0014] In the ophthalmologic apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the distal end of the arm holds the monitor rotatably about a rotation axis perpendicular to the central axis, thereby allowing tilt adjustment of the monitor.

[0015] In an ophthalmologic apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, a first actuator is provided for rotating the monitor in a direction around the central axis, whereby the monitor can be rotated in a direction around the central axis without manual operation by the examiner.

[0016] An ophthalmologic apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a first actuator that rotates a monitor about a central axis, and a second actuator that rotates the monitor about a rotation axis, whereby the monitor can be rotated about the central axis and about the rotation axis without manual operation by an examiner.

[0017] An ophthalmologic apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes a face detection unit that continuously detects the position and orientation of the examiner's face, and a drive control unit that drives at least one of the first actuator and the second actuator based on the detection result of the face detection unit to orient the display screen of the monitor toward the face, thereby allowing the orientation of the display screen of the monitor to follow the orientation of the examiner's face.

[0018] In an ophthalmologic apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the head has a plurality of operation modes, and for each operation mode, an angular position of the monitor around the central axis is predetermined, and a rotation control unit is provided that drives a first actuator to rotate the monitor to an angular position corresponding to the operation mode. This allows the monitor to be automatically rotated to an angular position corresponding to the operation mode of the head, thereby reducing the examiner's efforts.

[0019] In an ophthalmologic apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, the monitor is a touch panel monitor that accepts an input operation by an examiner.

[0020] In an ophthalmic apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, a remote controller is provided that accepts input operations by an examiner, thereby enabling the examiner to input various operations of the ophthalmic apparatus even when the examiner is away from a predetermined position. Effect of the Invention

[0021] The present invention can prevent damage and disconnection of the cable connecting the monitor and the control device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a side view of the ophthalmologic apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a monitor. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a table, a monitor, and a monitor arm. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view of the table, monitor, and monitor arm. [Diagram 5] 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams for explaining modified examples of the mounting position of the monitor arm. [Figure 6] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of a first actuator that rotates the entire monitor arm and a second actuator. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a first actuator that rotates only the tip of the arm in the monitor arm, and a second actuator. [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of the monitor angle positions for each operation mode of the inspection head when the monitor arm is attached to the arm attachment portion at the left corner of the table. [Figure 9] 13A and 13B are diagrams showing an example of the monitor angular positions for each operation mode of the inspection head when the monitor arm is attached to the arm attachment portion at the right corner of the table. [Figure 10] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining restrictions on the rotation range when the monitor is rotated in a direction around a rotation axis. FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining restrictions on the rotation range when the monitor is rotated in a first rotation direction. FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining restriction of the rotation range when the monitor is rotated in a second rotation direction. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an ophthalmologic apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a block diagram for explaining a modified example in which the display screen of the monitor is adapted to follow the direction of the subject's face. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] [First embodiment] <Overall configuration of ophthalmic equipment> 1 is a side view of an ophthalmic apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment. In the figure, the X direction is the left-right direction based on the subject or examiner, the Y direction is the up-down direction, and the Z direction is the front-back direction (also called the working distance direction) parallel to the front direction approaching the subject (subject's eye E) and the rear direction away from the subject.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 1, the ophthalmic apparatus 10 is a multifunction machine that combines a fundus camera that performs fundus photography of the subject's eye E and an optical coherence tomography that performs OCT photography to obtain a tomographic image of the subject's eye E using OCT (optical coherence tomography). The ophthalmic apparatus 10 is provided on the upper surface of a table 9. The ophthalmic apparatus 10 includes a stand 12, a face support unit 14, an XZ movement mechanism 16, a Y movement mechanism 18, a head rotation mechanism 20, an operation lever 21, an examination head 22, a monitor 23, a monitor arm 24, and a control device 25. The table 9 may also be included in the configuration of the ophthalmic apparatus 10 of the present invention.

[0025] A stand 12 (also called a base) is provided on the upper surface of the table 9. A plurality of legs 12a are provided on the lower surface of the stand 12. This forms a gap between the lower surface of the stand 12 and the upper surface of the table 9. In addition, a monitor arm 24, which will be described later, is provided on the upper surface of the table 9 at a position on the rear side of the stand 12 in the Z direction (on the examiner side).

[0026] A face support part 14 is provided at the front end part of the front side in the Z direction (the side of the eye E to be examined) of the stand 12. Furthermore, an XZ movement mechanism 16 and an operation lever 21 are provided on the upper surface of the stand 12 from the front side in the Z direction (the side of the eye E to be examined) toward the rear side in the Z direction (the side of the examiner). Furthermore, a connection terminal 12b to which a cable 26 to be described later is connected is provided on a side surface of the stand 12 (or a surface other than the side surface is also acceptable).

[0027] The face support portion 14 has a chin rest 14a and a forehead rest 14b whose positions can be adjusted in the Y direction (up and down direction), and supports the subject's face in a position facing the examination head 22.

[0028] Although not shown, the XZ movement mechanism 16 includes a movement stage that is movable in the XZ directions relative to the stand 12, and an electric drive mechanism (a known actuator such as a motor drive mechanism) that moves the movement stage in the XZ directions. The XZ movement mechanism 16 moves the Y movement mechanism 18, the head rotation mechanism 20, and the inspection head 22 together in the XZ directions.

[0029] Although not shown, the Y movement mechanism 18 includes a lifting platform that is provided so as to be movable in the Y direction, and an electric drive mechanism that moves the lifting platform in the Y direction. The Y movement mechanism 18 moves the head rotation mechanism 20 and the inspection head 22 together in the Y direction. This allows the head rotation mechanism 20 and the inspection head 22 to be moved together in the X, Y, and Z directions by the XZ movement mechanism 16 and the Y movement mechanism 18.

[0030] The head rotation mechanism 20 includes a head rotation shaft 20a parallel to the Y direction and an electric drive mechanism for rotating the head rotation shaft 20a, and rotates (swings) the inspection head 22 around the head rotation shaft 20a.

[0031] The operation lever 21 is an operation unit for manually moving the inspection head 22 in each of the X, Y and Z directions. For example, when the operation lever 21 is tilted in the Z direction (front-back direction) or the X direction (left-right direction), the above-mentioned XZ movement mechanism 16 moves the inspection head 22 in the Z direction or the X direction. When the operation lever 21 is rotated around its longitudinal axis, the Y movement mechanism 18 moves the inspection head 22 in the Y direction (up-down direction) according to the direction of the rotation. Note that the operation lever 21 may be omitted if the XZ movement mechanism 16 and the Y movement mechanism 18 can be driven by a touch operation on a monitor 23 (touch panel monitor) described later.

[0032] The examination head 22 corresponds to the head of the present invention, and includes a fundus camera unit and an OCT unit, although illustration is omitted. The fundus camera unit photographs an observation image (anterior eye image) of the subject's eye E and outputs the observation image to a control device 25 described later, or photographs the fundus of the subject's eye E and outputs a fundus image, which is a front image of the fundus, to the control device 25. The OCT unit photographs the subject's eye E using OCT, and outputs detection signals and the like required to generate a tomographic image of the subject's eye E to the control device 25. Note that the specific configurations of the fundus camera unit and the OCT unit are publicly known techniques, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0033] The monitor 23 is, for example, a touch panel monitor, and is electrically connected to the control device 25 via a cable 26 connected to the connection terminal 12b. The monitor 23 is rotatably (displaceably) held by a monitor arm 24 provided at the rear end of the table 9 on the rear side in the Z direction. The monitor 23 displays an observation image and a fundus image of the subject's eye E output from the examination head 22, a tomographic image of the subject's eye E output from the control device 25, or a control panel 29 (see FIG. 2) that accepts input of a touch operation by the examiner.

[0034] The monitor arm 24 holds the monitor 23 rotatably (displaceably) around a rotation axis C1 parallel to the Y direction and around a rotation axis C2 perpendicular to the Y direction. This allows the posture of the monitor 23 to be rotated (displaced) around both the rotation axes C1 and C2. In this embodiment, the rotation of the monitor 23 around the rotation axes C1 and C2 is performed by electric drive.

[0035] One end of the cable 26 is connected to the monitor 23 via the inside of the monitor arm 24, and the other end is connected to the control device 25 via the connection terminal 12b. This cable 26 is used for transmitting various signals between the monitor 23 and the control device 25. Examples of such a cable 26 include a cable that complies with a commercially available standard capable of transmitting video signals and operation signals, or a cable that complies with a manufacturer's proprietary standard. Power may be supplied from the control device 25 (power source) to the monitor 23 via the cable 26. Also, a cable arrangement groove may be formed in the table 9 or the like, and the cable 26 may be arranged (hidden) in the cable arrangement groove to improve the appearance.

[0036] The control device 25 is provided, for example, inside the stand 12 (or inside the examination head 22) and controls the overall operation of each part of the ophthalmic device 10 in response to input operations on the operating lever 21 and input operations on the control panel 29 of the monitor 23 (see Figure 2).

[0037] When an operation to start fundus photography or OCT photography is input to the control panel 29 (see FIG. 2) of the monitor 23, the control device 25 operates the XZ movement mechanism 16, the Y movement mechanism 18, the head rotation mechanism 20, and the examination head 22 to perform auto-alignment of the examination head 22 with respect to the subject's eye E. In this auto-alignment of the examination head 22, the examination head 22 is brought close to the subject's eye E from an oblique direction to prevent the examination head 22 from approaching the subject's nose, etc.

[0038] Specifically, for example, when the subject eye E is the left eye, the control device 25 drives the XZ movement mechanism 16, the Y movement mechanism 18, and the head rotation mechanism 20 to move the inspection head 22 toward the left eye from a diagonally forward left direction as viewed from the left eye (see reference symbol VIIIB in FIG. 8). When an anterior segment image of the left eye is captured by the inspection head 22 approaching the left eye, the control device 25 detects the relative position of the left eye with respect to the inspection head 22 based on the anterior segment image. Next, the control device 25 drives the XZ movement mechanism 16 and the Y movement mechanism 18 based on the detection result of the relative position of the left eye to perform auto-alignment of the inspection head 22 with respect to the left eye.

[0039] On the other hand, when the subject eye E is, for example, the right eye, the control device 25 drives the XZ movement mechanism 16, the Y movement mechanism 18, and the head rotation mechanism 20 to move the inspection head 22 toward the right eye from the diagonally forward right as viewed from the right eye (see reference symbol VIIIC in FIG. 8). Thereafter, similar to the automatic alignment of the inspection head 22 with respect to the left eye, the control device 25 detects the relative position of the right eye with respect to the inspection head 22 and executes automatic alignment of the inspection head 22 with respect to the right eye.

[0040] Then, when the control device 25 completes the auto-alignment of the inspection head 22 with respect to the subject's eye E (left eye or right eye), it operates the inspection head 22 (the fundus camera unit or OCT unit described above) to perform fundus photography or OCT photography of the subject's eye E. Furthermore, when the control device 25 performs OCT photography of the subject's eye E, it generates a tomographic image of the subject's eye E by a known method based on the detection signal output from the OCT unit.

[0041] The control device 25 also drives a first actuator 34 (see FIG. 6) described later to rotate the monitor 23 in a direction around the rotation axis C1, and drives a second actuator 40 (see FIG. 6) described later to rotate the monitor 23 in a direction around the rotation axis C2. Specifically, the control device 25 drives at least one of the first actuator 34 and the second actuator 40 in response to an input operation on a control panel 29 (see FIG. 2) of the monitor 23 to rotate the monitor 23. The control device 25 also rotates the monitor 23 to an angular position around the rotation axis C1 corresponding to an operation mode of the examination head 22 (ophthalmic device 10), which will be described in detail later (see FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 described later).

[0042] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the monitor 23. As shown in Fig. 2, the control device 25 causes the monitor 23 to display a photographed image display screen 28 and a control panel 29. For example, an anterior eye image (observation image), a fundus image, or a tomographic image is displayed as a photographed image of the subject's eye E on the photographed image display screen 28. Note that in Fig. 2, a fundus image of the subject's eye E is displayed on the photographed image display screen 28.

[0043] The control panel 29 is an operation screen that accepts input of various operations of the ophthalmologic apparatus 10 by touch operation. In Fig. 2, a light amount adjustment icon 29a, a position adjustment icon 29b, and a monitor rotation icon 29c are illustrated as operation icons in the control panel 29. The light amount adjustment icon 29a accepts an adjustment operation to adjust the amount of illumination light irradiated to the subject's eye E. The position adjustment icon 29b accepts an adjustment operation to adjust the position of a known internal fixation target. The monitor rotation icon 29c accepts a rotation operation to rotate the monitor 23 around the rotation axes C1 and C2.

[0044] It should be noted that the types and layout of icons arranged in the control panel 29 can be changed as appropriate. In addition, although the captured image display screen 28 and the control panel 29 are simultaneously displayed on the screen of the monitor 23 in Fig. 2, it is also possible to selectively display either one of them.

[0045] <Monitor arm> Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the table 9, the monitor 23, and the monitor arm 24. Fig. 4 is a side view of the table 9, the monitor 23, and the monitor arm 24.

[0046] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the monitor arm 24 is selectively and detachably attached to the rear end of the table 9 on the rear side in the Z direction and to both ends in the X direction at that rear end, i.e., to one of the left and right corners on the rear side in the Z direction of the table 9 (hereinafter simply referred to as the left and right corners).

[0047] At this time, arm attachment parts 9a (see FIG. 3) to which the monitor arm 24 can be detachably attached are formed at the left and right corners of the table 9. The number of arm attachment parts 9a formed on the table 9 is not particularly limited, and may be one or three or more. In addition, the position where the arm attachment part 9a is formed, i.e., the position of the monitor arm 24, is also not particularly limited as long as it is a position that does not interfere with the movement of the inspection head 22.

[0048] The monitor arm 24 is formed, for example, in a columnar shape (including a substantially columnar shape) parallel to the Y direction, and has an arm base end 24a and an arm tip end 24b. A cable 26 is housed (wired) inside the monitor arm 24 (see FIG. 4).

[0049] The monitor arm 24 has an arm base end 24a detachably and rotatably attached to the arm attachment portion 9a. The central axis of the monitor arm 24 attached to the arm attachment portion 9a is the rotation axis C1. The monitor arm 24 is rotated around the rotation axis C1 by a first actuator 34 (see FIG. 6) described below. By rotating the monitor arm 24 around the rotation axis C1 in this manner, the screen of the monitor 23 can be oriented to face the left or right of the gantry 12 when viewed from the examiner's side.

[0050] The shape of the monitor arm 24 is not particularly limited as long as at least the central axis (rotation axis C1) of the arm tip 24b is parallel to the Y direction, and parts other than the arm tip 24b may be bent or curved.

[0051] Also, instead of rotating the entire monitor arm 24 around the rotation axis C1 by the first actuator 34 (see FIG. 6), only the arm tip 24b of the monitor arm 24 may be rotated around the rotation axis C1 (see FIG. 7). In this case, the arm attachment portion 9a holds the monitor arm 24 so that it cannot rotate around the rotation axis C1.

[0052] A wiring path (not shown) for the cable 26 is formed inside the monitor arm 24 (see FIG. 4). This allows the cable 26 to connect the monitor 23 and the connection terminal 12b (control device 25) through the inside of the monitor arm 24. Hiding the cable 26 inside the monitor arm 24 in this way can improve the appearance.

[0053] A horizontal rotation shaft portion 30 that holds the monitor 23 is provided at the arm tip portion 24b (see FIG. 3).

[0054] The horizontal rotation shaft unit 30 has a rotation shaft C2 perpendicular to the Y direction (parallel to the horizontal direction), and is a so-called tilt mechanism that rotatably holds the monitor 23 around the rotation shaft C2. This allows the monitor 23 to rotate around the rotation shaft C1 together with the monitor arm 24 or the arm tip 24b, and also rotate around the rotation shaft C2 via the horizontal rotation shaft unit 30. Therefore, by rotating the monitor 23 around the two axes (rotation shafts C1 and C2), the orientation of the screen of the monitor 23 can be adjusted.

[0055] The rotation shaft C2 of the horizontal rotation shaft portion 30 is rotationally driven by a second actuator 40 (see FIG. 6) which will be described later.

[0056] Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a modified example of the mounting position of the monitor arm 24. In the examples shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, the monitor arm 24 is mounted to the arm mounting part 9a at the left corner of the table 9 as seen from the examiner's side, but as shown in Fig. 5, the monitor arm 24 may be mounted to the arm mounting part 9a at the right corner of the table 9 as seen from the examiner's side. In this case, the monitor 23 and the monitor arm 24 can be rotated around the rotation axis C1 corresponding to the arm mounting part 9a at the right corner.

[0057] By providing a plurality of arm attachment portions 9a on the table 9 in this manner, the monitor arm 24 can be selectively attached to a plurality of different attachment positions on the table 9. As a result, the monitor arm 24 can be attached to any attachment position according to the examiner's preference (handedness, etc.).

[0058] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a first actuator 34 that rotates the entire monitor arm 24, and a second actuator 40. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a first actuator 34 that rotates only the arm tip portion 24b in the monitor arm 24, and a second actuator 40.

[0059] 6, a first actuator 34 that rotates the entire monitor arm 24 is provided for each of the arm attachment parts 9a inside the table 9. The first actuator 34 is composed of a motor 35, a worm gear 36, a drive shaft 37, and a worm wheel 38.

[0060] The motor 35 is a drive source for the first actuator 34, and has a motor shaft 35a perpendicular to the Y direction (parallel to the X direction in this embodiment). The worm gear 36 is fixed to the motor shaft 35a, and is rotated integrally with the motor shaft 35a by the motor 35.

[0061] The drive shaft 37 is provided at the bottom of the arm attachment portion 9a and is held at the bottom so as to be rotatable around the rotation axis C1. The drive shaft 37 is detachably connected to the arm base end 24a attached to the arm attachment portion 9a. When the drive shaft 37 is connected to the arm base end 24a, it rotates together with the monitor arm 24 in the direction around the rotation axis C1.

[0062] The worm wheel 38 is fitted and fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the drive shaft 37, and meshes with the worm gear 36. As a result, when the motor shaft 35a of the motor 35 rotates, the drive shaft 37 is rotated in a direction around the rotation axis C1 via the worm gear 36 and the worm wheel 38, and further the monitor arm 24 and the monitor 23 are rotated integrally with the drive shaft 37. In addition, by switching the rotation direction of the motor shaft 35a, the rotation direction of the drive shaft 37 (the monitor arm 24 and the monitor 23) can be switched.

[0063] When the monitor arm 24 is attached to the table 9 in an undetachable manner, the drive shaft 37 may be omitted and the worm wheel 38 may be fixedly fitted onto the outer circumferential surface of the arm base end portion 24a.

[0064] 7, a first actuator 34 that rotates only the arm tip 24b of the monitor arm 24 is provided at a position below the arm tip 24b in the Y direction within the monitor arm 24. This first actuator 34 is composed of a motor 35A, a worm gear 36A, a drive shaft 37A, and a worm wheel 38A.

[0065] The motor 35A and the worm gear 36A are basically the same as the motor 35 and the worm gear 36 already shown in FIG. 6, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0066] The drive shaft 37A is fixedly connected to the arm tip portion 24b, and rotates integrally with the arm tip portion 24b in the direction around the rotation axis C1.

[0067] The worm wheel 38A is fitted and fixed to the outer circumferential surface of the drive shaft 37A and meshes with the worm gear 36A. As a result, when the worm gear 36A is rotated by the motor 35A, the drive shaft 37A is rotated in a direction around the rotation axis C1 via the worm gear 36A and the worm wheel 38A, and further, the arm tip 24b and the monitor 23 are rotated integrally with the drive shaft 37A. In addition, by switching the rotation direction of the worm gear 36A by the motor 35A, the rotation direction of the drive shaft 37A (the arm tip 24b and the monitor 23) can be switched.

[0068] In addition, the first actuator 34 is not particularly limited to being composed of worm gears 36, 36A and worm wheels 38, 38A, etc., and its configuration is not particularly limited as long as it is capable of rotating the monitor arm 24 or the arm tip portion 24b in the direction around the rotation axis C1.

[0069] 6 and 7, the second actuator 40 is a worm gear mechanism (not shown) that is substantially the same as the first actuator 34, and rotates the rotation shaft C2 in a direction around its axis, thereby rotating the monitor 23 integrally with the rotation shaft C2 in a direction around the axis of the rotation shaft C2. The second actuator 40 can also switch the rotation direction of the monitor 23 by switching the rotation direction of the rotation shaft C2. The configuration of the second actuator 40 is not particularly limited as long as it can rotate the rotation shaft C2 and the monitor 23.

[0070] The first actuator 34 and the second actuator 40 are driven by the control device 25. For example, in response to an examiner's touch operation on a monitor rotation icon 29c, the control device 25 drives the first actuator 34 to rotate the monitor arm 24 and the monitor 23 in a direction around the rotation axis C1, or drives the second actuator 40 to rotate the monitor 23 in a direction around the rotation axis C2. This allows the examiner to manually adjust the angular position of the monitor 23 in the direction around the rotation axis C1 and the angular position in the direction around the rotation axis C2.

[0071] Furthermore, for example, when an examiner needs to get close to an examinee who has poor eyelid opening to help the examiner open the eyelids, the control device 25 drives the first actuator 34 to automatically adjust the angular position of the monitor 23 around the rotation axis C1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as the monitor angular position) so that the examiner can view the screen of the monitor 23. In this case, the control device 25 functions as a rotation control unit of the present invention. Then, the control device 25 drives the first actuator 34 in accordance with the operation mode of the examination head 22 (ophthalmic device 10) and the mounting position of the monitor arm 24, and automatically rotates the monitor 23 to the monitor angular position corresponding to these operation mode and mounting position.

[0072] <Auto-rotate monitor according to operating mode> Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the monitor angle position for each operation mode of the inspection head 22 when the monitor arm 24 is attached to the arm attachment part 9a in the left corner of the table 9. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the monitor angle position for each operation mode of the inspection head 22 when the monitor arm 24 is attached to the arm attachment part 9a in the right corner of the table 9.

[0073] In addition, in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the reference character H1 indicates a subject (patient), and the reference character H2 indicates an examiner (including an operator).

[0074] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the inspection head 22 has multiple operating modes including, for example, a shooting standby mode (see symbol VIIIA in Figure 8 and symbol IXA in Figure 9), a left eye shooting mode (see symbol VIIIB in Figure 8 and symbol IXB in Figure 9), and a right eye shooting mode (see symbol VIIIC in Figure 8 and symbol IXC in Figure 9).

[0075] The photography standby mode is an operation mode of the examination head 22 before starting photography (fundus photography, OCT photography) of the subject's eye E. The left eye photography mode is an operation mode for photographing (fundus photography, OCT photography) the left eye of the subject's eye E, and the right eye photography mode is an operation mode for photographing (fundus photography, OCT photography) the right eye of the subject's eye E.

[0076] When the operation mode of the inspection head 22 is the imaging standby mode, the examiner H2 is positioned on the rear side in the Z direction of the stand 12 and the table 9 (see reference symbol VIIIA in FIG. 8 and reference symbol IXA in FIG. 9).

[0077] When the operation mode of the examination head 22 is the left eye imaging mode, the examiner H2 needs to move to a position near the left eye of the subject H1, that is, to a position on one side in the X direction (+X direction side) with respect to the pedestal 12 and the table 9 in order to help the subject H1 open his / her eyelids (see reference symbol VIII in FIG. 8 and reference symbol IXA in FIG. 9). Conversely, when the operation mode of the examination head 22 is the right eye imaging mode, the examiner H2 needs to move to a position near the right eye of the subject H1, that is, to a position on the other side in the X direction (-X direction side) with respect to the pedestal 12 and the table 9 in order to help the subject H1 open his / her eyelids (see reference symbol VIIIC in FIG. 8 and reference symbol IXC in FIG. 9).

[0078] In this way, the position of the examiner H2 is almost fixed for each operation mode of the inspection head 22. Therefore, the monitor angle position at which the examiner H2 can view the screen of the monitor 23 can be determined in advance for each operation mode of the inspection head 22.

[0079] The monitor angle position corresponding to the shooting standby mode is set, for example, so that the screen of the monitor 23 faces backward in the Z direction when the gantry 12 is viewed from above in the Y direction (see symbol VIIIA in Figure 8 and symbol IXA in Figure 9).

[0080] The monitor angle position corresponding to the left eye photography mode is set so that the screen of the monitor 23 faces a diagonal direction (or the +X direction) between the +X direction side and the front side in the Z direction when the pedestal 12 is viewed from above in the Y direction (see reference symbol VIIIB in FIG. 8 and reference symbol IXB in FIG. 9). In this case, the monitor angle position to be set may be changed depending on the mounting position of the monitor arm 24 (either the left corner or the right corner of the table 9).

[0081] The monitor angle position corresponding to the right eye photography mode is set so that the screen of the monitor 23 faces in a diagonal direction between the -X direction side and the front side in the Z direction (can also be in the -X direction side) when the pedestal 12 is viewed from above in the Y direction (see reference symbol VIIIC in FIG. 8 and reference symbol IXC in FIG. 9). In this case, the monitor angle position to be set may be changed according to the difference in the mounting position of the monitor arm 24.

[0082] Depending on the examiner H2, there may be cases where the examiner always helps the examinee H1 open his / her eyes at a position on the +X direction side with respect to the pedestal 12, etc., regardless of the left eye photography mode or the right eye photography mode. In this case, the monitor angle position corresponding to the left eye photography mode and the right eye photography mode is set so as to face a diagonal direction between the +X direction side and the front side in the Z direction when the pedestal 12 is viewed from above in the Y direction.

[0083] Conversely, depending on the examiner H2, there may be cases where the examiner always helps the examinee H1 open his / her eyes at a position on the -X direction side with respect to the pedestal 12, etc., regardless of the left eye photography mode or the right eye photography mode. In this case, the monitor angle position corresponding to the left eye photography mode and the right eye photography mode is set so as to face in an oblique direction between the -X direction side and the front side in the Z direction when the pedestal 12 is viewed from above in the Y direction.

[0084] In this way, in the ophthalmologic apparatus 10, monitor angle positions corresponding to the multiple operation modes of the examination head 22 are preset for each mounting position of the monitor arm 24 and stored in a storage unit (not shown) or the like. Thus, the control device 25 determines a monitor angle position corresponding to the mounting position of the monitor arm 24 and the current operation mode of the examination head 22, and then drives the first actuator 34 to rotate the monitor 23 to the determined monitor angle position. Therefore, even if the examiner H2 moves to the +X direction side or the -X direction side of the stand 12 or the like to help the subject H1 open his / her eyelids, the monitor 23 can be automatically rotated to a monitor angle position where the examiner H2 can view the screen of the monitor 23. As a result, it is possible to save the examiner H2 the trouble of manually adjusting the monitor angle position for each operation mode of the examination head 22.

[0085] <Monitor rotation restriction> Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the restriction of the rotation range when the monitor 23 is rotated in the direction around the rotation axis C1. Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the restriction of the rotation range when the monitor 23 is rotated in the first rotation direction RL. Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the restriction of the rotation range when the monitor 23 is rotated in the second rotation direction RR. Note that the +Z direction in each diagram indicates the front side in the Z direction (subject H1 side), and the -Z direction indicates the rear side in the Z direction (examiner H2 side).

[0086] The monitor 23 can rotate around the rotation axis C1 together with the monitor arm 24 or the arm tip 24b. However, if the monitor 23 or the like is rotated at a large angle around the rotation axis C1, the cable 26 housed within the monitor arm 24 may become twisted and may become damaged or broken.

[0087] 10 to 12, in this embodiment, when the monitor 23, etc. is rotated in the axial direction around the rotation axis C1, the rotation range is restricted. Specifically, when the monitor 23, etc. is rotated in the axial direction around the rotation axis C1 from a predetermined reference angle position A1 in a first rotation direction RL, the rotation of the monitor 23, etc. is permitted up to a predetermined restricted angle position A2L, and the rotation of the monitor 23, etc. beyond this restricted angle position A2L is restricted (see FIG. 11). Conversely, when the monitor 23, etc. is rotated in the axial direction around the rotation axis C1 from the reference angle position A1 in a second rotation direction RR, the rotation of the monitor 23, etc. is permitted up to a predetermined restricted angle position A2R, and the rotation of the monitor 23, etc. beyond this restricted angle position A2R is restricted (see FIG. 12).

[0088] Here, the reference angular position A1 is, for example, an angular position of the monitor 23 etc. where the "normal direction of the screen of the monitor 23" coincides with the "-Z direction" in the direction around the rotation axis C1 when viewed from one side in the Y direction. Note that the reference angular position A1 is not limited to the angular positions shown in Figures 10 to 12 and can be changed as appropriate.

[0089] The restriction angular position A2L is set, for example, when viewed from one side in the Y direction, within an angle range between an angular position rotated 90° in the first rotation direction RL from the reference angular position A1 and an angular position rotated 180° in the same direction from the reference angular position A1. Also, the restriction angular position A2R is set, for example, when viewed from one side in the Y direction, within an angle range between an angular position rotated 90° in the second rotation direction RR from the reference angular position A1 and an angular position rotated 180° in the same direction from the reference angular position A1.

[0090] In addition, the magnitude (absolute value) of the angle from the reference angular position A1 to the restriction angular position A2L and the magnitude (absolute value) of the angle from the reference angular position A1 to the restriction angular position A2R may be the same or different from each other.

[0091] By setting the restricted angular positions A2L, A2R in this manner, the angle range from the reference angular position A1 to the restricted angular position A2L, and the angle range from the reference angular position A1 to the restricted angular position A2L in the direction around the rotation axis C1, respectively become the permissible rotation range W1 that permits rotation of the monitor 23, etc. Also, in the direction around the rotation axis C1, the angle range excluding the permissible rotation range W1 becomes the rotation restricted range W2 that restricts the rotation of the monitor 23, etc.

[0092] In order to permit rotation of the monitor 23 etc. within the allowable rotation range W1 and restrict rotation into the restricted rotation range W2, in this embodiment, for example, the monitor arm 24 (which may also be the first actuator 34, the table 9, etc.) is provided with a rotation restriction unit 50 that restricts the rotatable range of the monitor 23 etc. to only the allowable rotation range W1.

[0093] The rotation restriction unit 50 is composed of, for example, a guide groove 50a and an engagement pin 50b. The guide groove 50a is an arc-shaped groove that follows the rotation allowable range W1. The position of the guide groove 50a is constant regardless of the rotation of the monitor 23, etc. The engagement pin 50b rotates together with the monitor 23, etc. in the direction around the rotation axis C1 while being engaged with the guide groove 50a. This allows the rotation restriction unit 50 to permit the rotation of the monitor 23, etc. within the rotation allowable range W1 and restrict rotation into the rotation restriction range W2.

[0094] The configuration and shape of the rotation restricting unit 50 are not particularly limited as long as it can permit rotation of the monitor 23 and the like within the rotation allowable range W1 and restrict rotation into the rotation restricted range W2.

[0095] The control device 25 may also function as the rotation restriction unit 50. In this case, the control device 25 detects the angular position of the monitor 23, etc. in the axial direction of the rotation axis C1 by a known method (a detection sensor or the like may be used), and controls the driving of the first actuator 34 based on the detection result so that the monitor 23, etc. do not rotate into the rotation restriction range W2.

[0096] As described above, in the first embodiment, by restricting the rotation of the monitor 23, etc., about the rotation axis C1 so that the monitor 23, etc., do not rotate beyond the restricted angular positions A2L, A2R in the direction about the rotation axis C1, the cable 26 is prevented from being significantly twisted. As a result, damage and breakage of the cable 26 can be prevented.

[0097] [Second embodiment] Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of an ophthalmic apparatus 10 according to a second embodiment. The ophthalmic apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment includes an operating lever 21 and a control panel 29 (touch panel monitor) as an operating unit. In contrast, the ophthalmic apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment includes a remote controller 60 in addition to the operating lever 21 and the control panel 29 as an operating unit, as shown in Fig. 13.

[0098] The ophthalmic apparatus 10 of the second embodiment has basically the same configuration as the ophthalmic apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, except for the inclusion of a remote controller 60. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same components as those of the first embodiment in terms of function or configuration, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0099] The remote controller 60 is wirelessly connected (or wired) to the control device 25, and accepts inputs of various operations such as start operations for alignment and photographing the subject's eye E (fundus photography, OCT photography), manual adjustment operations for the angular positions of the monitor 23 and the like around the axes of rotation C1 and C2, and emergency stop operations. This allows inputs of various operations of the ophthalmologic apparatus 10 even when the examiner H2 has moved away from a predetermined position (see reference symbol VIIIA in FIG. 8, etc.), for example, when the examiner H2 helps the subject H1 open his / her eyelids.

[0100] [Third embodiment] 14 is a block diagram for explaining a third embodiment in which the display screen of the monitor is made to follow the direction of the examinee's face. In each of the above embodiments, the monitor angle position is automatically or manually adjusted for each operation mode of the examination head 22, but in the third embodiment, the display screen of the monitor 23 is made to always follow the direction of the examiner's face regardless of the operation mode. The ophthalmic apparatus 10 of the third embodiment has basically the same configuration as the ophthalmic apparatus 10 of each of the above embodiments, so that the same reference numerals are used for the same functions or configurations as those of the above embodiments, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0101] 14, the ophthalmologic apparatus 10 of the third embodiment includes a camera 100, and a control device 25 functions as an image acquisition unit 102, a face position detection unit 104, and a drive control unit 106. The camera 100, the image acquisition unit 102, and the face position detection unit 104 correspond to the face detection unit of the present invention.

[0102] The camera 100 is provided at a position on the table 9, the inspection head 22, or the like where it can capture an image of the face of the examiner H2. The camera 100 continuously captures images of the face of the examiner H2 and continuously outputs the captured images of the face to the control device 25. Note that since the captured images are used to detect the position and orientation of the face of the examiner H2, a stereo camera (compound eye camera) may be used as the camera 100.

[0103] The image acquisition unit 102 functions as an image input interface, and continuously acquires captured images from the camera 100 and outputs the acquired captured images to the face position detection unit 104 .

[0104] Each time a new captured image is input from the image acquisition unit 102, the face position detection unit 104 detects the position and orientation of the examiner H2's face from the captured image using a known face tracking method (see, for example, JP 2019-165843 A) and outputs the detection result to the drive control unit 106.

[0105] Each time the face position and orientation detection result of the examiner H2 is input from the face position detection unit 104, the drive control unit 106 drives at least one of the first actuator 34 and the second actuator 40 based on the detection result and the known attitude of the monitor 23 (the orientation of the display screen of the monitor 23) to orient the display screen of the monitor 23 toward the face of the examiner H2. This allows the orientation of the display screen of the monitor 23 to follow the orientation of the face of the examiner H2. Note that at this time, the drive control unit 106 may drive only the first actuator 34 to cause only the angular position of the monitor 23 around the rotation axis C1 to follow the position of the face of the examiner H2, etc.

[0106] [others] In each of the above embodiments, the case where the rotation axis C1 (the central axis of the arm tip 24b) is parallel to the Y direction has been described as an example, but the rotation axis C1 may be non-parallel to the Y direction. In this case, the rotation of the monitor 23 around the central axis of the arm tip 24b is restricted in the same manner as in the above embodiments. Furthermore, in this case, a multi-joint arm composed of multiple joints and multiple rotation shafts (called joints) may be used as the monitor arm 24.

[0107] In each of the above-described embodiments, the cable 26 is housed inside the monitor arm 24, but the cable 26 may be routed outside the monitor arm 24 along its outer surface.

[0108] In each of the above embodiments, the horizontal rotation shaft portion 30 (tilt mechanism) that rotates the monitor 23 around the rotation axis C2 is provided on the monitor arm 24, but the horizontal rotation shaft portion 30 may be omitted.

[0109] In each of the above-described embodiments, the ophthalmologic apparatus 10 is provided with the first actuator 34 and the second actuator 40, but at least one of the first actuator 34 and the second actuator 40 may be omitted. In this case, at least one of the rotation of the monitor 23 about the rotation axis C1 and the rotation of the monitor 23 about the rotation axis C2 is performed by manual operation by the examiner H2.

[0110] In the above embodiments, a touch panel monitor has been taken as an example of the monitor 23, but the present invention is also applicable to a monitor 23 that does not include a touch panel.

[0111] In each of the above embodiments, the rotation range of the monitor 23 when it is rotated in the direction around the rotation axis C1 is restricted, but the rotation range of the monitor 23 when it is rotated in the direction around the rotation axis C2 may be restricted in the same manner. Specifically, when the monitor 23 is rotated in the direction around the rotation axis C2 (the elevation angle direction, the depression angle direction), the rotation of the monitor 23 from a predetermined reference angle position to a predetermined restricted angle position is permitted, and the rotation of the monitor 23 beyond this restricted angle position is restricted.

[0112] In the above embodiments, a combination device of a fundus camera and an optical coherence tomograph has been described as an example of the ophthalmic apparatus 10, but the present invention can be applied to various ophthalmic apparatuses (refractometers, keratometers, non-contact tonometers, corneal endothelial cell inspection devices, ophthalmic surgical devices) equipped with a head that performs at least one of observing, photographing, and acquiring eye characteristics of the subject's eye E. In addition, the head rotation mechanism 20 is not essential, and the head may be movable only in the XYZ directions relative to the stand 12. [Explanation of symbols]

[0113] 9…Table 9a…Arm attachment part 10...Ophthalmological equipment 12…Frame 12a…legs 12b…Connection terminal 14…Face support part 14a…Chin rest 14b…Forehead protector 16...XZ movement mechanism 18...Y movement mechanism 20...Head rotation mechanism 20a…Head rotation axis 21...Operating lever 22…Inspection head 23…Monitor 24…Monitor arm 24a: Arm base end 24b…Arm tip 25...Control device 26…Cable 28... Photographed image display screen 29…Control Panel 29a…Light intensity adjustment icon 29b…Position adjustment icon 29c…Monitor rotation icon 30...Horizontal rotating shaft 34…First actuator 35…Motor 35A…Motor 35a…Motor shaft 36…Worm gear 36A…Worm gear 37…Drive shaft 37A…Drive shaft 38…Worm wheel 38A…Worm wheel 40…Second actuator 50...Rotation restriction part 50a...Guide groove 50b...Engagement pin 60…Remote controller A1…Reference angle position A2L…Regulation angle position A2R: Control angle position C1…Rotation axis C2…Rotation axis E…Examined eye H1…Subject H2…examiner RL…First rotation direction RR: Second rotation direction W1…Rotation tolerance W2: Rotation restriction range

Claims

1. A stand provided on the top surface of the table; a head provided on the stand and configured to perform at least one of observing, photographing, and acquiring eye characteristics of the subject's eye; A monitor and a monitor arm that is provided on the table, has an arm tip portion that holds the monitor, and holds the monitor rotatably at least in a direction around a central axis of the arm tip portion; a cable connecting the monitor to a control device of the monitor via the monitor arm; a rotation restriction unit that, when rotating the monitor from a predetermined reference angle position in a direction around the central axis, allows rotation of the monitor up to a predetermined restricted angle position between 90° from the reference angle position and 180° from the reference angle position, and restricts rotation of the monitor beyond the restricted angle position; An ophthalmic apparatus comprising:

2. The central axis is parallel to the vertical direction, the monitor arm is provided on the table at a position rearward of the stand when viewed from one of the vertical directions, when a direction in which the head moves away from the subject's eye in a working distance direction of the head perpendicular to the vertical direction is defined as a rearward direction, 2. The ophthalmologic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference angular position is an angular position of the monitor at which a normal direction of a screen of the monitor coincides with the rear when viewed from one of the upper and lower directions.

3. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the monitor arm is selectively attachable to a plurality of different attachment positions on the table.

4. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cable connects the monitor and the control device via an inside of the monitor arm.

5. 2. The ophthalmologic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the arm tip holds the monitor rotatably about a rotation axis perpendicular to the central axis.

6. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a first actuator that rotates the monitor in a direction around the central axis.

7. A first actuator that rotates the monitor in a direction around the central axis; a second actuator that rotates the monitor in a direction around the rotation axis; The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 5 .

8. a face detection unit that continuously detects the position and orientation of the examiner's face; a drive control unit that drives at least one of the first actuator and the second actuator based on a detection result of the face detection unit to orient a display screen of the monitor toward the face; The ophthalmic apparatus of claim 7 .

9. the head has a plurality of operating modes; an angular position of the monitor about the central axis is determined in advance for each of the operation modes; The ophthalmologic apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising a rotation control unit that drives the first actuator to rotate the monitor to the angular position corresponding to the operation mode.

10. 9. The ophthalmologic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the monitor is a touch panel monitor that accepts input operations by an examiner.

11. The ophthalmologic apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a remote controller that accepts input operations by an examiner.

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