Ophthalmologic apparatus and jaw receiver height control method

Abstract

To provide an ophthalmologic apparatus and a jaw receiver height control method that achieve jaw receiver height control by automatic processing using sensor detection information while suppressing a feeling of discomfort and a feeling of unpleasantness given to a subject when executing jaw receiver height control.SOLUTION: An ophthalmologic apparatus A includes a body part 20, a face support part 33, a jaw receiving part 30, and a control part 60. The control part 60 includes a jaw receiver height control part 631 for executing driving control for the jaw receiving part 30 using detection information from a forehead pad sensor 80 and a jaw receiver sensor 90. When the position of the face of the subject is brought into an adjustment state in which the height position of an eye E to be examined is matched to the position of an eye height line 33a, and the subject's jaw J is separated from the jaw receiving part 30, the jaw receiver height control part 631 executes control to start lifting of the jaw receiving part 30 when the subject's forehead contact is detected by the forehead pad sensor 80, and stop the lifting of the jaw receiving part 30 when the subject's jaw contact is detected by the jaw receiver sensor 90 while the jaw receiving part 30 is being lifted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ophthalmic apparatus and a chin rest height control method. [Background technology]

[0002] As a chin rest height control technology for controlling the height of the chin rest before starting auto-alignment, the technology described in Patent Documents 1 to 4 has been proposed, for example. Patent Document 1 describes a technology for realizing highly stable alignment by adjusting the position of the chin rest on which the examinee's chin is placed to match the position of the eye height line. Patent Document 2 describes a technology for providing an ophthalmic device that can perform a smooth examination by driving the chin rest or the measurement unit so that the pupil position of the examinee's eye falls within the possible range of auto-alignment. Patent Document 3 describes a technology for providing an ophthalmic device that easily adjusts the position of the examinee's eye and the ophthalmic examination unit while viewing the anterior segment of the examinee's eye. Patent Document 4 describes a technology for providing an ophthalmic device that can reduce the effort of adjusting the height of the chin rest used to align the examinee's eye and can move the chin rest up and down based on the examiner's intention. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6188338 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 3935834 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 4987391 [Patent Document 4] Patent No. 4649218 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The chin rest height control is a control to adjust the positional relationship between the subject's eye and the ophthalmic device so that auto-alignment can be started. This chin rest height control is performed by adjusting the height of the chin rest on which the subject's face is placed so that the height of the subject's eye matches the position of the eye height line provided on the face support part. The eye height lines are provided on both sides of the face support part as a guide for adjusting the subject's eye to an appropriate height position. The eye height lines are aligned with the height center position of the measurement unit opening, which is formed by the objective lens of the main body of the ophthalmic device.

[0005] In contrast, in the prior art chin rest height control in any of Patent Documents 1 to 4, the subject's chin (bottom of the mandible) is placed on the chin rest in the default position, and the chin rest height is controlled by driving the chin rest in the up and down direction while the subject's chin is in contact with the chin rest. Therefore, during the chin rest height control, the subject's face is pushed up by the chin rest at an unintended timing, or the face is suddenly lowered as the chin rest is lowered. Therefore, the subject feels a sense of discomfort or strangeness due to the driving of the chin rest during the chin rest height control.

[0006] The current chin rest height adjustment is performed manually by the examiner by operating the chin rest part up switch or the chin rest part down switch while monitoring the positional relationship between the examined eye and the eye height line. Therefore, the examiner needs time and skill to adjust the chin rest height, and needs to keep pressing the up switch or the down switch until the height adjustment is completed. As a result, manual chin rest height adjustment cannot be used for remote control or by inexperienced staff, and furthermore, other work cannot be done during the chin rest height adjustment operation.

[0007] The present invention has been made with attention to the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an ophthalmic device and a chin rest height control method in which chin rest height control is achieved through automatic processing using sensor detection information, while minimizing the sense of discomfort or oddness caused to the subject when controlling the chin rest height. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The ophthalmologic apparatus of the present invention includes a main body having an optical system for measuring characteristics of the subject's eye and taking an image of the subject's eye, a face support provided on the main body and having an eye height line and a forehead rest, a chin rest provided to be movable in the up and down direction relative to the face support, and a control unit for controlling each unit of the apparatus. The forehead rest has a forehead rest sensor that detects that the subject has touched the forehead. The chin rest has a chin rest sensor that detects that the subject's chin has touched the forehead. The control unit has a chin rest height control unit that uses detection information from the forehead rest sensor and the chin rest sensor to drive and control the chin rest. When the position of the subject's face is prescribed to be in an adjusted state in which the height positions of the subject's eye and the eye height line are aligned, and the subject's chin is away from the chin rest unit, the chin rest height control unit starts to rise the chin rest unit when the forehead rest sensor detects the subject's forehead contact, and when the chin rest sensor detects the subject's chin contact during the rise of the chin rest unit, the control unit stops the rise of the chin rest unit.

[0009] The chin rest height control method of the present invention is a method performed using detection information from a forehead rest sensor and a chin rest sensor, and includes a positioning step, a chin rest section raising start step, and a chin rest section raising stop step. The positioning step prescribes an adjustment state in which the height position of the subject's eye is aligned with the position of an eye height line provided on the face support section when the subject is in an examination posture facing the ophthalmologic device. The chin rest section raising start step starts raising the chin rest section when the forehead rest sensor detects contact of the subject's forehead when the chin rest sensor detects contact of the subject's chin during the raising of the chin rest section. Effect of the Invention

[0010] The ophthalmic apparatus and chin rest height control method according to the present invention realizes chin rest height control by automatic processing using sensor detection information while minimizing any sense of discomfort or oddness felt by the subject when controlling the chin rest height. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which an ophthalmologic apparatus according to a first embodiment is placed on an optical table. [Diagram 2] 1 is a front view showing an ophthalmologic apparatus according to a first embodiment as viewed from a subject's side. [Diagram 3] 1 is a side view showing a state in which an eye to be examined is measured / photographed by the ophthalmologic apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 3A to 3C are diagrams illustrating an example of a forehead rest sensor and an example of a chin rest sensor of the ophthalmologic apparatus of the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the ophthalmic apparatus of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of basic operations when photographing an eye to be examined. [Figure 7] 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of a chin rest height control process operation. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an ophthalmic apparatus using a measurement unit opening line LED. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] An ophthalmic apparatus and a chin rest height control method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to a first embodiment shown in the drawings.

[0013] The ophthalmic apparatus A applied to the first embodiment is an apparatus that observes, photographs, and records an anterior segment image of the eye to be examined, a fundus image of the eye to be examined, and a tomographic image of the fundus of the eye to be examined, and provides them as electronic images for diagnosis. Note that, in Fig. 1 to Fig. 4, X, Y, and Z indicate the X-axis as the left-right axis (horizontal direction) when facing the main body of the ophthalmic apparatus with the eye to be examined as a reference, the Y-axis as the up-down axis (vertical direction), and the Z-axis as the front-rear axis (depth direction) perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis. EXAMPLES

[0014] [Overall configuration of the device (Figs. 1 to 3)] The ophthalmic device A includes a fundus camera that captures a fundus image of the subject's eye E, and an OCT (short for "Optical Coherence Tomography") that captures a tomographic image of the fundus of the subject's eye E, and is referred to as a "3D fundus imaging device." Here, the "fundus camera" is a camera that images the fundus condition of the retina, optic nerve, capillaries, etc. at the back of the subject's eye E and captures the fundus image. The "OCT" is an optical coherence tomography that uses the interference of light to image the tomography of the retina at the fundus of the subject's eye E and captures the fundus tomography image.

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the ophthalmologic device A includes a stand unit 10, a main body unit 20, a chin rest unit 30, a control panel unit 40, an optical system 50, a control unit 60, an optical table 70, a forehead rest sensor 80, and a chin rest sensor 90.

[0016] The stand 10 is placed on an optical table 70 whose height can be adjusted in the Y-axis direction. The stand 10 supports the main body 20 on its upper surface so as to be movable in three axial directions, the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. The stand 10 is provided with a chin rest 30 on its front surface. The stand 10 is provided with a power switch 11, a power inlet 12, a USB terminal 13, and a LAN terminal 14 on both side surfaces. "USB" is an abbreviation for "Universal Serial Bus," and "LAN" is an abbreviation for "Local Area Network." The USB terminal 13 is a terminal for connecting an external memory, and as shown in FIG. 3, an HDD (abbreviation for "Hard Disk Drive"), a USB memory, or the like is connected to the USB terminal 13. The LAN terminal 14 is connected to a personal computer 16 on which dedicated software or the like is installed via a LAN cable 15.

[0017] 3, the mount unit 10 has a built-in power supply unit 17 and an XYZ drive unit 18. The power supply unit 17 includes a power switch 11, a power inlet 12, a USB terminal 13, a LAN terminal 14, etc. The XYZ drive unit 18 is a motor actuator having a motor and a motor drive circuit that drives the main body unit 20 in three axial directions (three-dimensional directions) of the X, Y and Z axes when moving the main body unit 20 relative to the mount unit 10 in alignment control.

[0018] The main body 20 is provided so as to be movable in the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions by an XYZ drive unit 18 relative to the stand 10 to which the chin rest 30 is fixed. In the main body 20, an optical system 50 for measuring the ocular characteristics of the subject's eye E is built into a main body cover 21 that covers the entire main body 20 when the subject supports his / her chin in an appropriate positional relationship with respect to the chin rest 30. A control panel unit 40 is disposed at an upper position on the back surface of the main body cover 21 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In addition to the optical system 50, a control unit 60 is built into the internal space of the main body cover 21 as shown in Fig. 3.

[0019] 2, the main body cover 21 has, at the center of the front position, an objective lens 51 (measurement unit opening) of the optical system 50 facing the subject's eye E. The objective lens 51 has, at its periphery, an anterior eye stereo camera 22, an external fixation hole 23, an anterior eye observation filter 24, and a measurement unit opening ring LED 25 (an example of a measurement unit opening indicator light).

[0020] The anterior eye stereo camera 22 is a camera that captures an anterior eye image by photographing the anterior eye of the subject. The anterior eye stereo camera 22 is composed of two cameras, a right camera 22a and a left camera 22b, which are arranged on both sides of the objective lens 51 with the lens optical axis inclined toward the anterior eye of the subject's eye E, which is the measurement target. The right camera 22a and the left camera 22b capture a right anterior eye image and a left anterior eye image that are cut out from a part of the face of the subject supported by the chin rest 30 according to the selection of the subject's eye E and the angle of view at that time. The anterior eye stereo camera 22 is composed of two cameras, a right camera 22a and a left camera 22b, which are arranged with a determined width dimension in the X-axis direction and a determined angle of view. Therefore, the anterior eye stereo camera 22 can specify the three-dimensional coordinate position of the subject's eye E by calculation processing based on the two anterior eye images from the right camera 22a and the left camera 22b.

[0021] The external fixation holes 23 are fixation lights used to stabilize the line of sight of the subject's eye E by lighting them up, and eight of them are arranged at equal intervals around the outer periphery of the objective lens 51. The anterior eye observation filters 24 are filters used to adjust the amount of light during anterior eye observation or anterior eye OCT, and two filters (a total of four filters) are arranged vertically at the outer positions of the right camera 22a and the left camera 22b. The measurement unit opening ring LED 25 is an example of a measurement unit opening indicator light used to fix the line of sight of the subject's eye E at the center position of the height of the measurement unit opening by lighting it up. This measurement unit opening ring LED 25 is provided in a ring shape at a position along the outer periphery of the objective lens 51, which is the measurement unit opening, and is turned on when the subject's forehead is placed against the forehead support 33b in a state prescribed for an adjustment state described later.

[0022] The chin rest 30 is a member that supports the chin of the subject, and is provided so as to be drivable in the vertical direction relative to the chin rest support part 31 fixed to the pedestal part 10, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. The chin rest 30 has a lifting rod 30a that is lifted and lowered by a built-in chin rest drive part 32, a chin rest 30b fixed to the upper end position of the lifting rod 30a, and chin rest paper stopper pins 30c provided on both sides of the chin rest 30b. The chin rest drive part 32 is a motor actuator having a motor and a motor drive circuit that drives the lifting rod 30a in the Y-axis direction when the chin rest 30 is moved in the Y-axis direction relative to the chin rest support part 31 (= the pedestal part 10) in the alignment control.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the chin rest support part 31 has a face support part 33 fixed to both ends of the T-shape, the face support part 33 being shaped to surround the face of the subject with the chin supported by the chin rest part 30 from three directions. The face support part 33 is a member fixed to the pedestal part 10, and has a pair of vertical support parts 331, 332 extending in the Y-axis direction, and a horizontal support part 333 connecting the upper ends of the pair of vertical support parts 331, 332. The pair of vertical support parts 331, 332 are provided with eye height lines 33a, which serve as a guide for adjusting the subject's eye E to an appropriate height position, at positions corresponding to the center position of the height of the measurement part opening by the objective lens 51. The horizontal support part 333 has a detachable forehead rest part 33b made of silicone rubber or the like, at the center position of the surface that comes into contact with the subject's forehead. Furthermore, the horizontal support portion 333 has an arm 34 that can be bent in multiple stages at the central position of the surface opposite to the surface that contacts the subject's forehead, and an external fixation target (not shown) is provided at the tip of the arm 34.

[0024] The control panel unit 40 is disposed at an upper position on the back surface of the main body cover 21, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The control panel unit 40 has a screen 41 that displays in color an anterior eye image of the subject's eye E from the anterior eye stereo camera 22 and an anterior eye observation image of the subject's eye E from the optical system 50. The screen 41 is a touch panel that allows the examiner to input operations to the control unit 60 by touching displayed button images and images with his / her finger. The control panel unit 40 is connected and supported to the main body unit 20 by a connecting support unit 42. The connecting support unit 42 has a combined support structure of bending support and rotation support that allows the screen 41 to be set at any position in the entire circumferential direction relative to the main body unit 20 and also allows the tilt angle of the screen 41 to be freely set.

[0025] The control panel unit 40 is used when the examiner examines the eye characteristics by standing close to the subject (hereinafter referred to as "direct examination"). The connecting support unit 42 ensures the function of positioning the screen 41 at a position that is easy for the examiner to operate, regardless of where the examiner is located around the ophthalmic device A. The remote operation tablet 40' shown in FIG. 1 is used when the examiner examines the eye characteristics by remote operation (hereinafter referred to as "remote examination"). The remote operation tablet 40' has a touch panel screen 41' and has input operation functions equivalent to those of the control panel unit 40, as well as a communication function with the main body unit 20.

[0026] The optical system 50 measures the ocular characteristics of the subject's eye E while the subject supports his / her chin on the chin rest 30, and includes a fundus camera unit 52 having an objective lens 51 and an OCT unit 53, as shown in FIG. 3. The fundus camera unit 52 includes an illumination optical system and a photographing optical system, and is a unit constituting a fundus camera that acquires a fundus image of the subject's eye E using a lens, an image sensor, etc. The OCT unit 53 is a unit constituting an OCT that acquires a fundus tomographic image of the subject's eye E using a wavelength-variable light source, a fiber coupler, etc. The optical system 50 has a function of acquiring an anterior eye observation image of the subject's eye E in addition to the function of acquiring a fundus image and a fundus tomographic image of the subject's eye E.

[0027] The control unit 60 controls each part of the device (fundus camera unit 52, OCT unit 53, chin rest unit 30, main body unit 20, etc.) based on various input operations including a touch operation on the screen 41 of the control panel unit 40. The control unit 60 has, as a hardware configuration, a control board 60a, a CPU board 60b, and an image board 60c, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 1, the optical table 70 includes a top plate 71 on which the ophthalmic device A is placed, a top plate support 72, a caster support 73, a table lifting mechanism 74, a lifting lever 75, a caster base 76, and a caster 77. The table lifting mechanism 74 is disposed inside the top plate support 72 and the caster support 73, and raises and lowers the top plate support 72 relative to the caster support 73. The lifting lever 75 is a manual operation unit that manually raises and lowers the top plate 71 and the top plate support 72 on which the ophthalmic device A is placed. Here, the lifting lever 75 is disposed at a position where a lever grip portion protrudes from the lower portion of the top plate 71 toward the subject side so that the subject can lift the lever while sitting on a chair 78 during a remote examination, for example. The top plate stroke amount is set to about 200 mm, for example. Here, the optical table 70 of the first embodiment has a height suitable for measurement in a sitting position, since the optical table 70 is an ophthalmic apparatus A that performs measurement while the subject is sitting (seated position) on a chair 78 with an adjustable seat height. Note that the optical table can also be an ophthalmic apparatus that performs measurement while the subject is standing (standing position), in which case there is no need to provide a chair 78, and a table having a height suitable for measurement in a standing position is used.

[0029] 1 and 2, the forehead support sensor 80 is provided on the forehead support portion 33b of the face support portion 44. The chin rest sensor 90 is provided on the chin rest 30b of the chin rest portion 30, as shown in FIG.

[0030] [Detailed configuration of the forehead sensor and chin rest sensor (Fig. 4)] The forehead support sensor 80 is provided on the forehead support portion 33b of the face support portion 44, and detects whether the subject has brought the forehead F into contact with the forehead support portion 33b and whether the subject has removed the forehead F that is in contact with the forehead support portion 33b from the forehead support portion 33b. A detection signal from the forehead support sensor 80 is output to a chin rest height control portion 631, which will be described later.

[0031] The forehead rest sensor 80 is composed of, for example, a single tact switch (registered trademark) that has a clicking sensation and is conductive only while being pressed to output an ON signal. When a tact switch is used, the forehead rest sensor 80 has a touch-sensitive part 81 and a main body part 82, as shown in blow-out part B of Fig. 4. The touch-sensitive part 81 and the main body part 82 are assembled and disposed in a position of a gap space formed by the back surface of the silicone rubber constituting the forehead rest part 33b and the rubber mounting surface of the horizontal support part 333, and the cylindrical end of the touch-sensitive part 81 is placed facing the subject's forehead.

[0032] 4, when the position of the subject's face is adjusted to the height position of the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a, and the subject's chin J is away from the chin rest portion 30, the forehead rest sensor 80 detects that the subject has brought his / her forehead F into contact with the forehead rest portion 33b. When the chin rest height control portion 631 receives a detection signal indicating the contact from the forehead rest sensor 80, it starts driving the chin rest portion 30 upward by using an OFF signal as a trigger and then an ON signal.

[0033] The forehead rest sensor 80 detects whether or not the subject has removed the forehead F, which is in contact with the forehead rest 33b, from the forehead rest 33b during the upward drive of the chin rest 30. When a detection signal indicating that the forehead F has been removed from the forehead rest 33b during the upward drive of the chin rest 30 is input, the chin rest height control unit 631 stops the upward drive of the chin rest 30 by using an ON signal as a trigger and then an OFF signal.

[0034] The chin rest sensor 90 is provided on the chin rest 30b of the chin rest portion 30, and detects when the chin rest 30b transitions from a non-contact state to a contact state with the subject's chin J. A detection signal from the chin rest sensor 90 is output to a chin rest height control unit 631, which will be described later.

[0035] The chin rest sensor 90, like the forehead rest sensor 80, is composed of, for example, one tact switch (registered trademark) that has a clicking sensation and is conductive only while being pressed to output an ON signal. When a tact switch is adopted, the chin rest sensor 90 has a chin rest portion 91, a touch-sensitive portion 92, and a main body portion 93, as shown in the blowout portion C of FIG. 4. The chin rest portion 91 is fixed to the position of the cylindrical end portion of the touch-sensitive portion 92, and is disposed so as to protrude upward from the chin rest 30b when the switch is off. When the chin rest portion 91 starts to contact the chin J of the subject and moves a short stroke downward, it sinks into and becomes integrated with the recess 30d of the chin rest 30b, and is switched on. The touch-sensitive portion 92 is cylindrical, and is disposed so as to be movable in the Y-axis direction by penetrating a hole portion 30e of the chin rest 30b. The main body portion 93 is assembled and fixed to the rear surface position of the chin rest 30b.

[0036] After the chin rest sensor 90 starts the upward drive of the chin rest 30 using the ON signal from the forehead rest sensor 80 as a trigger, the chin rest sensor 90 outputs an OFF signal indicating a state where the chin rest sensor 90 is not in contact with the chin J of the subject while the state where the chin rest sensor 90 is not in contact with the chin J of the subject is maintained. When the chin rest sensor 90 makes contact with the chin J of the subject by the upward drive of the chin rest 30, moves a short stroke amount, and then sinks into the recess 30d of the chin rest stand 30b, the chin rest sensor 90 switches to output an ON signal indicating a state where the chin rest sensor 90 is in contact with the chin J of the subject. When the chin rest sensor 90 receives a detection signal indicating that the chin rest sensor 30 has made contact with the chin J of the subject during the upward drive of the chin rest 30, the chin rest height control unit 631 stops the upward drive of the chin rest 30 using the OFF signal as a trigger, and then the ON signal.

[0037] [Control system configuration (Fig. 5)] As shown in FIG. 5, the control system includes a control panel unit 40 (screen 41), an optical system 50 (fundus camera unit 52, OCT unit 53), and a control unit 60.

[0038] The control unit 60 includes a main control unit 61 that controls the fundus camera unit 52 and the OCT unit 53, a storage unit 62 that stores necessary data, and an alignment control unit 63. The alignment control unit 63 acquires anterior segment images by photographing the left and right anterior segments of the subject's face from two different directions using the anterior segment stereo camera 22 (right camera 22a, left camera 22b). The alignment control unit 63 also acquires front anterior segment images and front fundus images by photographing the anterior segments and fundus of the right and left eyes of the subject's eye E using the optical system 50.

[0039] The alignment control unit 63 adjusts the relative positional relationship between the subject's eye E and the objective lens 51 provided in the measurement unit opening of the main body unit 20 by a drive command output to at least one of the XYZ drive unit 18 and the chin rest drive unit 32. Here, the XYZ drive unit 18 and the chin rest drive unit 32 are used in such a way that if the adjustment movement amount is only the XZ axis movement amount, the XYZ drive unit 18 is used. On the other hand, if the adjustment movement amount includes the Y axis movement amount, the Y axis movement allowable range of the chin rest drive unit 32 is wider than the movement allowable range of the XYZ drive unit 18, so the XYZ drive unit 18 and the chin rest drive unit 32 are used in such a way. For example, the chin rest drive unit 32 is used for the Y axis movement in the chin rest height control, and the XYZ drive unit 18 is used for the Y axis movement in the auto alignment or manual alignment. As shown in FIG. 5, the alignment control section 63 has a chin rest height control section 631, an auto alignment section 632, and a manual alignment section 633.

[0040] The chin rest height control unit 631 inputs detection signals from the forehead rest sensor 80 and the chin rest sensor 90. The chin rest height control is started when the position of the subject's face is adjusted to the height position of the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a, and the subject's chin J is away from the chin rest unit 30. When the start condition is satisfied, the chin rest height control unit 631 outputs a command to start lifting the chin rest unit 30 to the chin rest drive unit 32 when the forehead rest sensor 80 detects the subject's forehead contact. When the chin rest height control unit 631 detects the subject's chin contact by the chin rest sensor 90 during the lifting of the chin rest unit 30, it performs control to output a command to stop lifting the chin rest unit 30 to the chin rest drive unit 32. In addition, the chin rest height control unit 631 controls the measurement unit opening ring LED 25 to light up when the subject's forehead F is placed against the forehead rest unit 33b in a prescribed adjusted state in which the height positions of the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a are aligned.

[0041] Following completion of the chin rest height control, the auto-alignment unit 632 starts auto-alignment of the pupil based on the anterior eye image acquired by the anterior eye stereo camera 22. The auto-alignment of the pupil is performed by automatically adjusting the photographed eye so that the pupil marks of the two anterior eye images displayed in the video area of ​​the screen 41 are aligned. The automatic adjustment of the photographed eye is a control that automatically adjusts the XYZ axis alignment by driving the XYZ driving unit 18 so that the two pupil marks are positioned so as to overlap at the center position of the anterior eye image.

[0042] The manual alignment unit 633 executes manual alignment of the pupil when the time elapsed from the start of auto alignment has exceeded a preset time limit, or when the examiner actively selects manual operation. For manual alignment of the pupil, tapping the manual mode button displayed on the auto alignment screen stops the automatic adjustment of the photographed eye and transitions to a manual adjustment mode in which the alignment adjustment of the photographed eye is performed manually. This manual adjustment mode is performed by manually adjusting the photographed eye by tapping the pupil marks of the two anterior eye images displayed on the screen 41. In this manual adjustment, the XYZ axis alignment adjustment is performed by driving the XYZ driving unit 18 so that the two pupil marks are placed overlapping at the center position of the anterior eye image.

[0043] [Photographing and processing the image of the test eye (Fig. 6)] The photographing process of the image of the subject's eye (for example, any of an anterior eye image, a fundus image, and a tomographic image of the fundus) executed by the control unit 60 will be described below with reference to Fig. 6. The photographing process of the image of the subject's eye starts when the subject is determined by the ophthalmic apparatus A with the power switch turned on.

[0044] In step S1, the examiner registers the patient (= subject) by using the name and patient ID to identify the patient. Here, the "patient ID" is an identification number for managing personal information related to the subject's ophthalmic examination, and can include age, sex, and past examination information for follow-up.

[0045] Step S2 is a step in which the chin rest height control section 631 of the alignment control section 63 performs chin rest height control. The chin rest height control will be described in detail later.

[0046] Step S3 is a step in which the examiner selects the type of photography. This selection of photography type is performed by selecting one of the photography modes (anterior eye image photography mode, fundus image photography mode, fundus tomography photography mode, etc.) by touch operation from the photography icon selection screen displayed on the screen 41 of the control panel unit 40. In addition to the selection of the photography type, the eye to be photographed is selected by touch operation of the display button.

[0047] Step S4 is a step in which the auto-alignment unit 632 of the alignment control unit 63 executes auto-alignment (automatic adjustment) for the pupil of the photographed eye. Note that when the auto-alignment time is prolonged or when the examiner actively desires it, the manual alignment unit 633 executes manual alignment (manual adjustment) for the pupil instead of the auto-alignment (automatic adjustment) for the pupil.

[0048] Step S5 is a step in which the main controller 61 performs autofocusing to automatically adjust the focus. In the anterior eye image capturing mode, this autofocusing adjusts the focus to the anterior eye of the subject's eye E, and in the fundus image capturing mode and fundus tomographic image capturing mode, this autofocusing adjusts the focus to the fundus of the subject's eye E.

[0049] Step S6 is a step in which the examiner captures an image of the subject's eye (for example, an anterior eye image, a fundus image, or a tomographic image of the fundus). When the examiner taps the "OK button" on the shooting screen displayed on the screen 41, the current image is captured and the next image is captured. A preview of the captured image is displayed after each image capture.

[0050] In step S7, the examiner checks the preview of the captured image and judges whether the preview check is OK or NG. If it is judged in step S7 that the preview check is OK, the process proceeds to step S8. If it is judged in step S7 that the preview check is NG, the process returns to step S5, where autofocus is performed again, and photographing is attempted in step S6 until it is judged in step S7 that the preview check is OK.

[0051] Step S8 is a step in which the examiner saves the captured image in the storage unit 62. When the examiner taps the "save button" on the shooting screen displayed on the screen 41, the captured image is saved in the storage unit 62, and when the saving is complete, the process proceeds to the end.

[0052] [Chin rest height control processing operation (Fig. 7)] The chin rest height control process is started when patient registration is completed, and is executed in step S2 (chin rest height control) in FIG. 6. The process will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0053] In step S201, the examiner urges the examinee to sit in the chair 78, and the examinee sits in the chair 78. When the examiner has the examinee sit in the chair 78 in a direct examination, the examiner verbally advises the examinee to sit in a comfortable position that allows the examinee to maintain the same posture. When the examiner has the examinee sit in the chair 78 in a remote examination, the examiner conveys similar advice to the examinee through a microphone and speaker.

[0054] Step S202 is a step of moving the optical table 70 up and down so that the eye height line 33a is aligned with the eye E, following the seating in step S201 or the determination of NO in step S203. In the case of a direct examination, the examiner mainly operates the lever 75. In the case of a remote examination, the examinee operates the lever 75. When the eye height line 33a is lower than the eye E, the lever 75 of the optical table 70 is operated upward to raise the position of the ophthalmic device A to align the eye height line 33a with the height of the eye E. When the eye height line 33a is higher than the eye E, the lever 75 of the optical table 70 is operated downward to lower the position of the ophthalmic device A to align the eye height line 33a with the height of the eye E. Here, the stroke amount of the tabletop of the optical table 70 is set to, for example, about 200 mm, and the seat height of the chair 78 is adjustable. Therefore, by adjusting the height of the eye height line 33a and the subject's eye E, when the measurement is performed while the subject is sitting (seated position) on the height-adjusted chair 78, it can be used for subjects from children to adults.

[0055] Step S203 is a step in which, following the vertical movement of the optical table 70, the examiner judges whether or not the position of the eye height line 33a is adjusted to the position of the subject's eye E. In a direct examination, the examiner judges by directly looking at the eye. In a remote examination, the examiner judges by looking at the image of the subject's face and the face support part 33 displayed on the screen 41' of the remote operation tablet 40'.

[0056] Step S204 is a step in which, following the determination in step S203 that the position is adjusted, the chin rest height control unit 631 lights the measurement unit opening ring LED 25 in a ring shape. In step S204, when the examiner determines the position adjustment state and touches the height adjustment OK button or the like displayed on the screen 41 or screen 41', the chin rest height control unit 631 lights the measurement unit opening ring LED 25. The reason for lighting the measurement unit opening ring LED 25 is that since the measurement unit opening ring LED 25 is provided at a position surrounding the outer periphery of the objective lens 51, which is the measurement unit opening, when the measurement unit opening ring LED 25 is turned on, the measurement unit opening stands out surrounded by light, and the subject's eye E can easily recognize the height center position of the measurement unit opening.

[0057] Step S205 is a step in which, following the lighting of the measurement unit opening ring LED 25 in step S204, the examiner requests the subject to place the forehead F against the forehead support 33b, and the examinee places the forehead F against the forehead support 33b to fix the face. When the examiner requests the subject to place the forehead F against the forehead support 33b, the examiner advises the subject orally (direct examination) or by microphone (remote examination) to press the forehead F against the forehead support 33b to such an extent that the subject's facial direction, facial position, and line of sight can be maintained without shifting. The reason for the advice is that when the subject places the forehead F against the forehead support 33b, the subject's face is in a state in which the conditions for starting auto-alignment are met, except that the chin rest 30 is separated from the subject's chin J, and the examiner wants to fix the face in this state.

[0058] Step S206 is a step in which, following the face fixation in step S205 or the determination of NO in step S210, the chin rest height control unit 631 determines whether or not the detection signal from the forehead rest sensor 80 is an ON signal. In step S206, when the height position of the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a is adjusted to be aligned and the subject's chin J is separated from the chin rest unit 30, the chin rest height control unit 631 inputs the detection signal from the forehead rest sensor 80 and makes a determination.

[0059] In step S207, following the determination in step S206 that the detection signal from the forehead rest sensor 80 is an ON signal, the chin rest height control unit 631 starts driving the chin rest portion 30 upward, triggered by the first change from an OFF signal to an ON signal. In step S207, after the chin rest portion 30 starts to be driven upward, the chin rest portion 30 slowly changes its position on the condition that the detection signal from the forehead rest sensor 80 is an ON signal. Here, the upward speed of the chin rest portion 30 is set to a low speed range that can suppress the discomfort felt by the subject even if the chin rest portion 30 pushes up the subject's chin J.

[0060] Step S208 is a step in which, following the rise in which the chin rest portion 30 slowly changes its position in step S207, the chin rest height control portion 631 measures the rise speed of the pupil of the subject's eye E. The rise speed of the pupil is measured based on the amount of position change per unit time of the pupil mark of the anterior eye image displayed in the video area of ​​the screen 41.

[0061] Step S209 is a step in which the chin rest height control unit 631 judges whether or not the rising speed of the pupil acquired by the measurement is the same as the rising speed of the chin rest unit 30 at that time, following the upward drive of the chin rest unit 30 in step S207. That is, if the chin rest sensor 90 has a fixed-off failure or the like, the chin rest height control unit 631 may not output an ON signal even if the chin rest unit 30 contacts the chin J of the subject. On the other hand, if the chin rest unit 30 continues to be driven upward due to a control system failure or the like, and contacts the chin J of the subject and pushes up the chin J of the subject, the rising speed of the pupil and the rising speed of the chin rest unit 30 become the same. Step S210 is a step in which, by utilizing the fact that the rising speed of the pupil and the rising speed of the chin rest unit 30 become the same when the chin rest unit 30 pushes up the chin J of the subject, the chin rest unit 30 judges that the chin rest unit 30 has reached the chin J of the subject when a failure or malfunction occurs in the control system.

[0062] Step S210 is a step in which the chin rest height control unit 631 determines whether or not the detection signal from the chin rest sensor 90 has become an ON signal following the determination in step S209 that the rising speeds of the pupil and the chin rest 30 are different. Step S209 determines that the speeds of the stopped pupil and the rising chin rest 30 are different when the normal operating state of the chin rest height control is maintained. Therefore, step S210 determines whether or not the chin rest 30 has reached the chin J of the subject based on the detection signal from the chin rest sensor 90 when the chin rest height control is in the normal operating state.

[0063] Step S211 is a step in which the chin rest height control unit 631 stops the upward drive of the chin rest unit 30 and proceeds to the end following the determination of NO in step S206, or the determination of YES in step S209, or the determination of YES in step S210. When the determination of YES in step S210 is made, step S211 is triggered by the detection signal from the chin rest sensor 90 changing from an OFF signal to an ON signal, and stops the upward drive of the chin rest unit 30. Note that when the chin rest height control unit 631 stops the upward drive of the chin rest unit 30, it turns off the measurement unit opening ring LED 25.

[0064] [Chin rest height control (adjustment) technology (Fig. 3, Fig. 4, Fig. 7)] In the current chin rest height adjustment, the subject places his / her chin on the chin rest, and while the chin is in contact with the chin rest, the chin rest is driven by operating the up or down switch to adjust the height of the subject's eyes to the height of the eye height line. Therefore, during the chin rest height control, the subject's face may be pushed up by the chin rest at an unintended timing, or the face may be lowered unexpectedly as the chin rest is lowered. For this reason, the subject may feel a sense of discomfort or strangeness due to the driving of the chin rest when the chin rest height is adjusted.

[0065] The current chin rest height adjustment is performed manually by the examiner by operating the chin rest part up switch or the chin rest part down switch while monitoring the positional relationship between the examined eye and the eye height line. Therefore, the examiner needs time and skill to adjust the chin rest height, and needs to keep pressing the up switch or the down switch until the height adjustment is completed. As a result, manual chin rest height adjustment cannot be used for remote control or by inexperienced staff, and furthermore, other work cannot be done during the chin rest height adjustment operation.

[0066] In this way, the current chin rest height adjustment attempts to align the height position of the subject's eye to the height position of the eye height line at the end of the chin rest height adjustment, so it is necessary to keep the subject's chin on the chin rest from the beginning. In contrast, the inventor has noticed that if the order is reversed and the height position of the subject's eye is aligned to the height position of the eye height line at the beginning, the chin rest and the chin can be kept in a non-contact state until the chin rest contacts the chin of the subject at the end. In addition, the inventor has noticed that automatic control is possible when sensor detection information is used in the chin rest height control.

[0067] The chin rest height control unit 631 based on the above-mentioned focus point sets a control start condition that the position of the subject's face is prescribed to be in an adjusted state where the height positions of the subject's eyes E and the eye height line 33a are aligned, and the subject's chin J is away from the chin rest unit 30. When the control start condition is satisfied, the chin rest height control unit 631 starts raising the chin rest unit 30 when the forehead rest sensor 80 detects the subject's forehead contact. The chin rest height control unit 631 employs a configuration that performs control to stop the raising of the chin rest unit 30 when the chin rest sensor 90 detects the subject's chin contact while the chin rest unit 30 is rising.

[0068] The chin rest height control method based on the above-mentioned focus point is performed using detection information from the forehead rest sensor 80 and the chin rest sensor 90, and employs a method having a positioning step (steps S201 to S203), a chin rest portion raising start step (steps S204 to S207), and a chin rest portion raising stop step (steps S210 to S211) (see FIG. 7).

[0069] The positioning step is performed under the condition that the subject is in an examination posture facing the ophthalmic device A. Then, the examiner or the subject moves the optical table 70 on which the ophthalmic device A is placed up and down to prescribe an adjustment state in which the position of the eye height line 33a provided on the face support part 33 is aligned with the height position of the subject's eye E (see FIG. 4).

[0070] The chin rest raising start step is performed when the position of the subject's face is adjusted to the height position of the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a, and the subject's chin J is away from the chin rest 30 (see FIG. 4). Then, when the chin rest height control unit 631 detects the subject's forehead contact with the forehead rest sensor 80, it starts raising the chin rest 30.

[0071] The chin rest elevation stop step is performed on the condition that the chin rest height control maintains a normal operating state during the elevation drive of the chin rest 30. Then, when the chin rest sensor 90 detects the subject's chin contact during the elevation of the chin rest, the chin rest height control unit 631 stops the elevation of the chin rest 30 (see FIG. 3).

[0072] In this way, the chin rest 30 is separated from the subject's chin J from before it starts to rise until just before it stops rising, so the face is not pushed up by the chin rest at an unintended timing, and the face is not lowered unexpectedly as the chin rest lowers. Therefore, the subject is prevented from feeling strange or uncomfortable from the chin rest 30 that is driven to rise by the chin rest height control.

[0073] The chin rest height control section 631 automatically controls the start and stop of the ascent of the chin rest section 30 based on detection information from the forehead rest sensor 80 and the chin rest sensor 90, so that the chin rest height control can be realized by automatic processing using the sensor detection information. As a result, the examiner does not need to be near the ophthalmologic apparatus A, and remote examination by remote operation is possible, and since the automatic processing does not require any skill, it can also be used by novice examiners. Furthermore, the examiner can do other work during the time during which the chin rest height control is being performed.

[0074] [Adjusting the height of the test eye and the eye height line (Fig. 1, Fig. 7)] The height position adjustment between the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a is performed by processing operations in the alignment steps (steps S201 to S203) shown in FIG. 7, and will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 7.

[0075] 7 starts, the process proceeds from step S201 to step S202 to step S203, and while it is determined in step S203 that the position of the subject's eye E is not adjusted, the flow of proceeding from step S202 to step S203 is repeated. Here, in step S201, the examiner urges the subject to sit on the chair 78, thereby making the subject sit on the chair 78. In step S202, in the case of a direct examination, the examiner operates the lift lever 75 to move the optical table 70 up and down so that the eye height line 33a is aligned with the subject's eye E. In step S202, in the case of a remote examination, the examiner operates the lift lever 75 to move the optical table 70 up and down so that the eye height line 33a is aligned with the subject's eye E. In step S203, in the case of a direct examination or a remote examination, the examiner determines whether the position of the eye height line 33a is adjusted to the position of the subject's eye E. If it is determined in step S203 that the position of the subject's eye E is in an adjusted state, the process proceeds to the next step S204.

[0076] In this way, the ophthalmic apparatus A is placed on an optical table that can adjust the height in the vertical direction by an adjustment operation. Therefore, when a subject faces the ophthalmic apparatus A, the examiner or the subject can perform a height adjustment operation to move the optical table 70 in the vertical direction, thereby prescribing an adjusted state in which the height positions of the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a are aligned.

[0077] The optical table 70 has a lift lever 75 for adjusting the height in the vertical direction, which is disposed in a position where the lever can be operated by the subject facing the ophthalmic apparatus A (see FIG. 1). Therefore, when adjusting the height of the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a, the lever operation of the lift lever 75 is left to the subject, making it possible to accommodate a remote examination by remote operation by an examiner.

[0078] [Chin rest control function (Fig. 4, Fig. 7)] The chin rest rise start action is performed by processing operations in the chin rest rise start step (steps S204 to S207) shown in FIG. 7 and the chin rest rise stop step (steps S210 to S211) shown in FIG. 7, and will be described as follows with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 7.

[0079] In the process of FIG. 7, when it is determined in step S203 that the position of the subject's eye E is in an adjusted state, the process proceeds to step S204, step S205, step S206, and step S207. Here, in step S204, the chin rest height control unit 631 turns on the measurement unit opening ring LED 25 in a ring shape. In step S205, the examiner requests the subject to place the forehead F against the forehead rest 33b, so that the subject places the forehead F against the forehead rest 33b and fixes the face. In step S206, the chin rest height control unit 631 determines whether the detection signal from the forehead rest sensor 80 is an ON signal. In step S207, following the determination in step S206 that the detection signal from the forehead rest sensor 80 is an ON signal, the chin rest height control unit 631 starts driving the chin rest 30 upward, triggered by the first change from an OFF signal to an ON signal (see FIG. 4).

[0080] The process of FIG. 7 proceeds from step S207 to step S208, step S209, and step S210. While the determination in step S210 is NO, the process of step S206, step S207, step S208, step S209, and step S210 is repeated. Then, when the determination in step S210 is YES, the process of FIG. 7 proceeds to step S211 and end, and the chin rest control is completed. In step S210, the chin rest height control unit 631 determines whether the detection signal from the chin rest sensor 90 has become an ON signal. In step S211, following the determination in step S210 of YES, the chin rest height control unit 631 stops the upward drive of the chin rest unit 30, triggered by the detection signal from the chin rest sensor 90 changing from an OFF signal to an ON signal. When the chin rest unit 30 stops the upward drive, the chin rest unit 30 supports the chin J of the subject, and auto-alignment can be started.

[0081] In this way, the chin rest height control section 631 performs control to light the measurement section opening ring LED 25 provided around the measurement section opening when the subject places the forehead F on the forehead support section 33b in a state where the height positions of the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a are adjusted to match. Therefore, when the chin rest height control is started, this control allows the subject's eye E to easily recognize the height center position of the measurement section opening by lighting the measurement section opening ring LED 25 to make the measurement section opening (objective lens 51) stand out. In other words, the measurement section opening ring LED 25 lights up the circumference of the objective lens 51, which is the measurement section opening, in a ring shape, making the measurement section opening stand out. In addition, when the subject fixes the line of sight of the subject's eye E at the height center position of the measurement section opening with the forehead F in contact with the forehead support section 33b, the direction and position of the face are stable until the chin rest section 30 comes into contact.

[0082] [Fail-safe function when the chin rest is rising (Fig. 7)] The fail-safe function during the ascent of the chin rest is performed while the chin rest 30 is being driven to ascend, in which the flow from step S206 to step S210 shown in FIG. 7 is repeated, and will be described below with reference to FIG. 7.

[0083] In the process of Fig. 7, when the sensor signal from the forehead rest sensor 80 is switched from an ON signal to an OFF signal during the upward drive of the chin rest portion 30, the process proceeds from step S206 to step S211, and the upward drive of the chin rest portion 30 is stopped. In addition, in the process of Fig. 7, when the upward drive of the chin rest portion 30 becomes the same as the upward drive of the pupil, the process proceeds from step S208 to step S209 to step S211, and the upward drive of the chin rest portion 30 is stopped. In step S208, the chin rest height control portion 631 measures the upward drive speed of the pupil of the subject's eye E. In step S209, the chin rest height control portion 631 determines whether the upward drive speed of the pupil acquired by the measurement is the same as the upward drive speed of the chin rest portion 30 at that time.

[0084] In this way, when the chin rest height control section 631 detects that the operating state of the chin rest height control is deviating from the normal operating state during the upward drive of the chin rest section 30, it performs control to at least stop the upward drive of the chin rest section 30. Therefore, this control can prevent adverse effects caused by leaving the malfunction as it is when an unintended malfunction occurs in the chin rest height control system including the forehead rest sensor 80 and the chin rest sensor 90 during the upward drive of the chin rest section 30, causing the malfunction to deviate from the normal operating state.

[0085] When the forehead rest sensor 80 detects that the subject's forehead F is no longer in contact with the chin rest 33b before the chin rest sensor 90 detects the subject's chin contact during the upward drive of the chin rest 30, the chin rest height control unit 631 stops the upward movement of the chin rest 30 at the timing when the non-contact of the forehead F is detected. Therefore, this control can prevent measurement errors and blurring of the captured image when the subject's forehead F comes off the forehead rest 33b during the upward drive of the chin rest 30. In other words, the fixation of the subject's face is ensured by pressing the forehead F against the forehead rest 33b. On the other hand, if the forehead F leaves the forehead rest 33b, the fixation of the subject's face is lost, and the face easily moves in various directions, causing measurement errors and blurring of the captured image.

[0086] When the chin rest height control unit 631 determines that the rising speed of the eye E and the chin rest unit 30 become the same during the rise of the chin rest unit 30 before the chin rest sensor 90 detects the chin contact of the subject, the chin rest height control unit 631 stops the rise of the chin rest unit 30 at the timing when it determines that they are the same speed. If the chin rest sensor 90 has a fixed off fault, for example, an on signal is not output during the rise drive of the chin rest unit 30, and the chin rest unit 30 tries to rise to the upper limit position. Therefore, if the position of the subject's chin J is lower than the upper limit position of the chin rest unit 30, the subject's chin J will be pushed up more than necessary. In contrast, this control can prevent the chin rest unit 30 from pushing up the subject's chin J more than necessary when the chin rest unit 30 starts pushing up the subject's chin J during the rise drive of the chin rest unit 30.

[0087] [Effects of Ophthalmic Device A and Chin Rest Height Control Method] (1) The ophthalmic apparatus A includes a main body 20 incorporating an optical system for measuring characteristics of and photographing the subject's eye E, a face support section 33 provided on the main body 20 and having eye height lines 33a and a forehead rest section 33b, a chin rest section 30 provided so as to be movable in the up and down directions relative to the face support section 33, and a control section 60 for controlling each section of the apparatus. The forehead rest section 33b has a forehead rest sensor 80 that detects when the subject touches it with his or her forehead F. The chin rest section 30 has a chin rest sensor 90 that detects when the subject's chin J touches it. The control section 60 has a chin rest height control section 631 that controls the drive of the chin rest section 30 using detection information from the forehead rest sensor 80 and the chin rest sensor 90. When the position of the subject's face is prescribed to be in an adjusted state where the height position of the subject's eye E is aligned with the eye height line 33a and the subject's chin J is away from the chin rest part 30, if the forehead rest sensor 80 detects the subject's forehead contact, the chin rest height control part 631 performs control to start raising the chin rest part 30, and if the chin rest sensor 90 detects the subject's chin contact while the chin rest part 30 is rising, it performs control to stop the raising of the chin rest part 30. This invention can provide an ophthalmic apparatus A in which chin rest height control is realized by automatic processing using sensor detection information while suppressing the sense of incongruity and discomfort given to the subject during the chin rest height control.

[0088] (2) The main body 20 is provided with a measurement unit opening indicator light (measurement unit opening ring LED 25) around the measurement unit opening (objective lens 51). The chin rest height control unit 631 controls to turn on the measurement unit opening indicator light (measurement unit opening ring LED 25) when the subject's forehead F is placed against the forehead support unit 33b in a prescribed adjusted state in which the height positions of the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a are aligned. In this invention, when chin rest height control is started, the measurement unit opening indicator light (measurement unit opening ring LED 25) is turned on to highlight the measurement unit opening (objective lens 51), allowing the subject's eye E to easily recognize the height position of the measurement unit opening and fix his or her gaze.

[0089] (3) The ophthalmic apparatus A is placed on an optical table 70 whose height can be adjusted in the vertical direction by an adjustment operation. In this invention, when the height position of the eye E to be examined and the eye height line 33a are to be adjusted, the optical table 70 can be moved in the vertical direction to adjust the height position of the eye E to the eye height line 33a.

[0090] (4) The optical table 70 has a lift lever 75 for adjusting the vertical height disposed in a position that can be operated by the subject facing the ophthalmic apparatus A. This invention allows the subject to operate the lift lever 75 when adjusting the height between the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a, thereby enabling remote examination by an examiner operating the lever remotely.

[0091] (5) When the chin rest height control unit 631 detects that the chin rest height control is deviating from the normal operating state during the upward drive of the chin rest unit 30, it performs control to at least stop the upward drive of the chin rest unit 30. When an unintended malfunction occurs in the chin rest height control system including the forehead rest sensor 80 and the chin rest sensor 90 during the upward drive of the chin rest unit 30, causing the chin rest height control system to deviate from the normal operating state, this invention can prevent adverse effects caused by leaving the malfunction as it is.

[0092] (6) When the forehead rest sensor 80 detects that the subject's forehead F is no longer in contact with the forehead rest before the chin rest sensor 90 detects that the subject's chin is in contact with the forehead rest, during the upward drive of the chin rest portion 30, the chin rest height control portion 631 stops the upward drive of the chin rest portion 30 at the timing when it detects that the forehead F is no longer in contact with the forehead rest portion 33b. This invention can prevent measurement errors and blurring of the captured image when the subject's forehead F comes off the forehead rest portion 33b while the chin rest portion 30 is being driven upward.

[0093] (7) When the chin rest height control unit 631 determines that the rising speeds of the subject's eye E and the chin rest unit 30 have become the same while the chin rest unit 30 is rising and before the chin rest sensor 90 detects the subject's chin contact, the chin rest height control unit 631 stops the rise of the chin rest unit 30 at the timing when it determines that they are the same speed. This invention can prevent the chin rest unit 30 from pushing up the subject's chin J more than necessary when the chin rest unit 30 starts pushing up the subject's chin J while the chin rest unit 30 is being driven to rise.

[0094] (8) The ophthalmic apparatus A includes a main body 20 incorporating an optical system for measuring characteristics of and photographing the subject's eye E, a face support section 33 provided on the main body 20 and having eye height lines 33a and a forehead support section 33b, a chin rest section 30 provided so as to be movable in the up and down directions relative to the face support section 33, and a control section 60 for controlling each section of the apparatus. The forehead rest section 33b has a forehead rest sensor 80 that detects when the subject touches it with his or her forehead F. The chin rest section 30 has a chin rest sensor 90 that detects when the subject's chin J touches it. The control section 60 has a chin rest height control section 631 that controls the drive of the chin rest section 30 using detection information from the forehead rest sensor 80 and the chin rest sensor 90. The chin rest height control method includes a positioning step (steps S201 to S203), a chin rest section lift start step (steps S204 to S207), and a chin rest section lift stop step (steps S210 to S211). The positioning step prescribes an adjustment state in which the height position of the subject's eye E is aligned with the eye height line 33a provided on the face support section 33 when the subject is in an examination posture facing the ophthalmologic apparatus A. The chin rest section lift start step prescribes an adjustment state in which the height positions of the subject's eye E and the eye height line 33a are aligned with each other when the subject's chin J is away from the chin rest section 30, and the forehead rest sensor 80 detects the subject's forehead contact. The chin rest section lift stop step stops the lift of the chin rest section 30 when the chin rest sensor 90 detects the subject's chin contact during the lift of the chin rest section. The present invention can provide a chin rest height control method in which chin rest height control is achieved by automatic processing using sensor detection information while suppressing any sense of incongruity or discomfort felt by the subject when controlling the chin rest height.

[0095] The ophthalmic apparatus A and the chin rest height control method of the embodiment 1 have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration of the ophthalmic apparatus and the chin rest height control method of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment 1, and design changes and additions are permitted as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the invention according to each claim of the claims.

[0096] In the first embodiment, the forehead rest sensor 80 and the chin rest sensor 90 are configured with one tact switch. However, the forehead rest sensor and the chin rest sensor are not limited to being configured with one tact switch. The forehead rest sensor and the chin rest sensor may be, for example, a plurality of tact switches, sheet switches, microswitches, contact sensors (such as a touch pad), electrostatic sensors, pressure sensors, and the like. The forehead rest sensor may simply be a switch or sensor that detects that the subject has touched the forehead. The chin rest sensor may simply be a switch or sensor that detects that the subject's chin has touched the sensor.

[0097] In the first embodiment, an example is shown in which the measurement unit opening ring LED 25 is used as the measurement unit opening indicator light. However, the measurement unit opening indicator light is not limited to the example of the measurement unit opening ring LED 25. The measurement unit opening indicator light may be, for example, a measurement unit opening line LED 25' as shown in FIG. 8. The measurement unit opening line LED 25' is a position around the objective lens 51, which is the measurement unit opening, and is arranged along a horizontal line passing through the lens center position. When the measurement unit opening line LED 25' is turned on, it becomes a pair of left and right line lights, making it easier to match the horizontal position of the subject's eye E with the X-axis direction. In addition, it is easy to recognize that the position where the pair of left and right line lights are extended is the height center position of the measurement unit opening. Furthermore, a composite indicator light combining the measurement unit opening ring LED 25 shown in FIG. 1 and the measurement unit opening line LED 25' shown in FIG. 8 may be used as the measurement unit opening indicator light.

[0098] In the first embodiment, the ophthalmic apparatus A is placed on an optical table 70 whose vertical height can be adjusted by adjusting the lift lever. However, the ophthalmic apparatus is not limited to being placed on an optical table whose vertical height can be adjusted by adjusting the lift lever. For example, the ophthalmic apparatus may be placed on an optical table whose vertical height can be adjusted by driving control by a main control unit, a chin rest height control unit, a table control unit, or the like while monitoring a camera image. The control unit is provided with a function for controlling the height adjustment of the optical table, and can execute a vertical movement process step (step S202) of the optical table by a control command to the table drive unit.

[0099] In the first embodiment, as a fail-safe control of the chin rest height control unit 631, when the forehead rest sensor 80 detects that the forehead of the subject is not in contact with the chin rest during the upward drive of the chin rest, the upward movement of the chin rest 30 is stopped at the timing when the forehead is not in contact with the chin rest. In addition, in the first embodiment, when the upward drive of the chin rest 30 is determined to be the same as the upward drive of the eye E to be examined and the chin rest 30, the upward movement of the chin rest 30 is stopped at the timing when the same speed is determined. However, the fail-safe control is not limited to the example described in the first embodiment, and may be at least a control for stopping the upward drive of the chin rest when it is detected that the chin rest height control is in an operating state deviating from the normal operating state during the upward drive of the chin rest. Examples of the fail-safe control may be, for example, the following examples (a) to (e). (a) A chin rest camera is provided to monitor and judge the condition of the chin rest and the jaw using images, and measures are taken to prevent the chin rest from rising. (b) Install a body camera and / or an external camera, monitor and judge using whole-body camera alignment, and take measures to prevent the chin rest from rising. (c) The chin rest is linked to the optical table to prevent the chin rest from rising more than necessary, including its lowering. (d) By linking with the current descent switch, it is possible to avoid excessive raising of the chin rest, including its descent. (e) By performing a touch operation on the wide-angle image of the subject's chin, unnecessary elevation of the chin rest is avoided.

[0100] In the first embodiment, an application example to an ophthalmic device A that observes, photographs, and records an anterior segment image of a subject's eye, a fundus image of the subject's eye, and a tomographic image of the fundus of the subject's eye, and provides them as electronic images for diagnosis has been shown. However, the application of the ophthalmic device is not limited to the ophthalmic device A shown in the first embodiment. In other words, the alignment control technology of the present invention can be applied to various ophthalmic devices, regardless of whether they are subjective ophthalmic devices or objective ophthalmic devices, as long as the ophthalmic device has a chin rest and a face support, and requires alignment control for controlling adjustment of the relative positional relationship between the subject's eye and the device main body. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] A Ophthalmology equipment 20 Main body 30 Chin rest 32 Chin rest drive unit 33 Face support 33a Eye Height Line 33b Forehead support 50 Optical system 60 Control section 631 Chin rest height control unit 80 Forehead Sensor 90 Chin rest sensor E. Examined eye J. Jaw F amount

Claims

1. An ophthalmologic apparatus comprising: a main body portion incorporating an optical system for measuring characteristics of an eye to be examined and photographing the eye; a face support portion provided on the main body portion and having an eye height line and a forehead support portion; a chin rest portion provided so as to be movable in a vertical direction relative to the face support portion; and a control portion for controlling each portion of the apparatus, the forehead support unit has a forehead support sensor that detects when the subject touches the forehead, the chin rest portion has a chin rest sensor that detects contact with the chin of the subject, the control unit has a chin rest height control unit that uses detection information from the forehead rest sensor and the chin rest sensor to drive and control the chin rest unit, The chin rest height control unit performs control such that, when the position of the face of the subject is adjusted to a height position of the eye to be examined and the eye height line are aligned, and when the forehead rest sensor detects contact of the subject's forehead with the chin rest unit while the chin rest unit is being raised, the chin rest height control unit starts raising the chin rest unit, and when the chin rest sensor detects contact of the subject's chin with the chin rest unit while the chin rest unit is being raised, the chin rest control unit stops raising the chin rest unit. An ophthalmic device comprising:

2. 2. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1, The main body is provided with a measuring unit opening indicator light around the measuring unit opening, The chin rest height control unit controls to turn on the measurement unit opening indicator light when the subject's forehead is placed on the forehead rest unit in a prescribed adjusted state in which the height positions of the subject's eye and the eye height line are aligned. An ophthalmic apparatus comprising:

3. 2. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1, The ophthalmologic apparatus is placed on an optical table whose height can be adjusted in the vertical direction by an adjustment operation or a drive control. An ophthalmic apparatus comprising:

4. 4. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 3, The optical table has a lift lever for adjusting the height in the vertical direction, the lift lever being disposed at a position where the subject facing the ophthalmologic apparatus can operate the lever. An ophthalmic apparatus comprising:

5. 5. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 1, The chin rest height control unit, when detecting an operating state that deviates from a normal operating state of the chin rest height control during the upward driving of the chin rest unit, performs control to stop the upward driving of at least the chin rest unit. An ophthalmic apparatus comprising:

6. 6. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 5, When the chin rest height control unit detects that the forehead of the subject is no longer in contact with the chin rest sensor before the chin rest sensor detects that the subject's chin is in contact with the chin rest sensor during the upward drive of the chin rest unit, the chin rest height control unit stops the upward movement of the chin rest unit at the timing when the forehead is no longer in contact with the chin rest sensor. An ophthalmic apparatus comprising:

7. 6. The ophthalmic apparatus according to claim 5, When it is determined that the raising speeds of the eye to be examined and the chin rest part become the same before the chin rest sensor detects the chin contact of the subject during the raising drive of the chin rest part, the chin rest height control part stops the raising of the chin rest part at the timing when it is determined that they are the same speed. An ophthalmic apparatus comprising:

8. The ophthalmologic apparatus includes a main body incorporating an optical system for measuring characteristics of an eye to be examined and photographing the eye, a face support provided on the main body and having an eye height line and a forehead support, a chin rest provided so as to be movable in a vertical direction relative to the face support, and a control unit for controlling each unit of the apparatus, the forehead support unit has a forehead support sensor that detects when the subject touches the forehead, the chin rest portion has a chin rest sensor that detects contact with the chin of the subject, The control unit uses detection information from the forehead rest sensor and the chin rest sensor to control the drive of the chin rest unit. a positioning step of prescribing an adjustment state in which a height position of the eye to be examined is aligned with a position of an eye height line provided on the face support unit when the subject is in an examination posture facing the ophthalmologic apparatus; a chin rest portion raising start step of starting to raise the chin rest portion when the forehead contact of the subject is detected by the forehead rest sensor when the position of the face of the subject is prescribed to be in an adjusted state in which the height positions of the subject's eyes and the eye height line are aligned and the chin of the subject is away from the chin rest portion; and a chin rest portion ascent stopping step of stopping ascent of the chin rest portion when the chin rest sensor detects contact with the chin of the subject during ascent of the chin rest portion. A chin rest height control method comprising:

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