Intraocular image acquisition device

Abstract

The present application relates to an intraocular image acquisition device comprising: a light source; a light source-side lens unit which refracts light radiated from the light source; a splitter which reflects a part of light traveling through the light source-side lens unit toward an eye and transmits light reflected from the eye; a sensor-side lens unit which refracts light traveling through the splitter; an image sensor which collects light having passed through the sensor-side lens unit to acquire an image of a region of interest inside the eye; and a depth control unit which controls the depth of the region of interest inside the eye, wherein a focal point determined by the image sensor and the sensor-side lens unit may be located within the region of interest.

Description

intraocular imaging device

[0001] The present invention relates to an intraocular image acquisition device, and more specifically, to an intraocular image acquisition device that acquires an image of a region of interest within the eye, and enables an image of the vitreous body to be acquired by positioning a focus determined by an image sensor and a sensor-side lens unit within the region of interest, and positioning the depth of the region of interest within the eye within a range corresponding to the vitreous body within the eye.

[0002] Referring to Figure 1, the human eye can be composed of the cornea, the transparent outermost layer that helps focus light on the retina; the pupil, through which light passes; the lens, which is located behind the iris and refracts light to form an image on the retina; the retina, which contains photoreceptor cells that convert light into electrical signals; and the vitreous body, which fills the interior of the eye and maintains its shape. Ocular muscles, including those that control the iris and lens, help control focus and maintain vision.

[0003] Meanwhile, floaters, a symptom of feeling foreign bodies such as dust or bugs floating in front of the eyes, are caused by the degeneration of the transparent substance of the vitreous humor, which creates small floaters or cloudiness, blocking the light entering the eye. Recently, it has been occurring in young people, including teenagers. There are various causes of floaters, including nervous stress, chronic fatigue, nutritional imbalances, side effects of medications, side effects of LASIK / LASEK surgery, and trauma, but the exact factors and process that cause them are unclear. If numerous floaters suddenly appear, it may indicate a disease of the retina, such as retinal detachment, or in the case of diabetes, it may be a symptom of retinopathy. Therefore, a device that can photograph floating substances inside the vitreous humor when floaters occur is necessary.

[0004] Conventional devices for obtaining images of the inside of the eye have been used to obtain images of the retina or fundus by irradiating light onto the retina and obtaining images of the retina from the reflected light.

[0005] However, while the retina, which exists in an opaque state at the fundus of the eye, can be imaged relatively easily through reflected light by irradiating it, obtaining images of the entirely transparent fluid within the vitreous humor is challenging. Specifically, focusing on the interior of the eye requires establishing a region of interest (ROI) at a predetermined depth within the eye, and identifying small floaters from the ROI image.

[0006] The technology underlying this application is disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-1911441.

[0007] The present invention is intended to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and provides an image acquisition device for an internal eye that can acquire an image of a region of interest within the eye, and can acquire an image of the vitreous body by ensuring that a focus determined by an image sensor and a sensor-side lens unit is located within the region of interest, and that the depth of the region of interest within the eye is located within a range corresponding to the vitreous body within the eye.

[0008] In addition, the present invention aims to provide an intraocular image acquisition device capable of acquiring images of the vitreous region by varying the depth inside the eye according to a set interval.

[0009] In addition, the present invention aims to provide an intraocular image acquisition device capable of generating an image for detecting a nodule by synthesizing images acquired from each depth within the eye.

[0010] In addition, the present invention aims to provide an intraocular image acquisition device that minimizes reflection of various types of light from each part of the eye.

[0011] However, the technical tasks to be achieved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the technical tasks described above, and other technical tasks may exist.

[0012] As a technical means for achieving the above-described technical task, an image acquisition device inside the eye according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a light source; a light source-side lens unit that refracts light irradiated from the light source; a splitter that reflects a portion of light passing through the light source-side lens unit toward the eye and transmits light reflected from the eye; a sensor-side lens unit that refracts light passing through the splitter; an image sensor that collects light passing through the sensor-side lens unit and acquires an image of a region of interest inside the eye; and a depth adjustment unit that adjusts a depth of the region of interest inside the eye, wherein a focus determined by the image sensor and the sensor-side lens unit can be positioned inside the region of interest.

[0013] Additionally, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the depth of the region of interest determined by the control of the depth control unit may be within a range corresponding to the vitreous body in the eye.

[0014] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the depth control unit moves at least the sensor-side lens unit in the forward and backward direction with respect to the eye so that the depth of the region of interest varies along a set interval, and the image sensor can acquire an image within the region of interest at a depth inside the eye that varies along the set interval.

[0015] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the depth control unit can set a first reference depth inside the eye from an image of a region of interest inside the eye, and move at least the sensor-side lens unit in the forward and backward direction so that the region of interest moves to one side from the first reference depth.

[0016] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the depth control unit can further set a second reference depth inside the eye from an image of the region of interest inside the eye, and move at least the sensor-side lens unit in the forward and backward direction so that the region of interest has a depth between the first reference depth and the second reference depth.

[0017] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the first reference depth may be set to one of the depth of the retina along the path of light traveling inside the eye or the depth of the inner end of the lens, and the second reference depth may be set to the other of the depth of the retina along the path of light traveling inside the eye or the depth of the inner end of the lens.

[0018] Additionally, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the depth of field of focus within the region of interest may be determined to be smaller than a set interval.

[0019] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, an optical axis adjusting unit may be further included, which is disposed between the splitter and the eye and changes the optical axis of light directed from the splitter toward the eye.

[0020] Additionally, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the optical axis adjusting unit may determine a plurality of regions of interest at the same depth within the eye, and the plurality of regions of interest may be determined to overlap at least partially with at least one other region of interest.

[0021] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a tilting unit may be further included to adjust the angle of the light source and the light source-side lens unit with respect to the splitter so as to adjust the angle of light incident on the eye through the splitter.

[0022] Additionally, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a first polarizing filter may be placed between the light source and the splitter, and a second polarizing filter may be placed between the splitter and the image sensor.

[0023] The above-described problem-solving methods are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, additional embodiments may be included in the drawings and detailed description of the invention.

[0024] According to the above-described means for solving the problem of the present invention, the present invention has the effect of providing an image acquisition device inside the eye that can acquire an image of a region of interest inside the eye, and can acquire an image of the vitreous body by ensuring that a focus determined by an image sensor and a sensor-side lens unit is located inside the region of interest, and that the depth inside the eye of the region of interest is located within a range corresponding to the vitreous body inside the eye.

[0025] Additionally, the center can acquire images of the vitreous region by varying the depth inside the eye according to the set interval.

[0026] Additionally, the present invention can generate an image for detecting inscriptions by synthesizing images acquired from each depth inside the eye.

[0027] In addition, the present invention has the effect of providing an intraocular image acquisition device that minimizes reflection of various forms of light from each part of the eye.

[0028] However, the effects achieved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the technical tasks described above, and other effects may exist.

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the eye.

[0030] Figure 2 is a perspective view illustrating an internal ocular image acquisition device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the image acquisition unit (10) of Figure 2.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a drawing illustrating a depth control unit (20) according to one embodiment of the present invention that adjusts the depth of focus inside the eye by moving the sensor-side lens unit (14) while fixing the image sensor.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a drawing illustrating a depth control unit (20) according to one embodiment of the present invention that adjusts the depth of focus inside the eye by moving the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) in the forward and backward directions while fixing the distance between the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15).

[0034] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a region of interest (ROI) determined inside the eye according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating that multiple regions of interest having the same depth inside the eye are determined by an optical axis adjustment unit (16) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the formation of an image for an object located outside the depth of field and an object located within the depth of field.

[0037] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating an image acquired according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail to facilitate easy implementation by those skilled in the art. However, the present invention can be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, irrelevant parts have been omitted for clarity, and similar reference numerals have been used throughout the specification to indicate similar elements.

[0039] Throughout this specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only "directly connected" but also "indirectly connected" with another component in between or "electrically connected" with a component in between.

[0040] Throughout this specification, when it is said that a member is located “on,” “above,” “upper,” “lower,” “lower” or “lower” another member, this includes not only cases where the member is in contact with the other member, but also cases where another member exists between the two members.

[0041] Throughout this specification, whenever a part is said to "include" a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0042] Terms such as "first~", "second~" may be used to indicate the same or substantially the same configuration in a different order, and may be interpreted as a configuration that is substantially the same as a configuration that is not indicated as "first", "second", etc.

[0043] In addition, terms related to direction or location (upper side, upper surface, lower side, etc.) in the description of the embodiments of the present invention are set based on the arrangement state of each component shown in the drawing.

[0044] Hereinafter, an intraocular image acquisition device (1, hereinafter referred to as the device) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. The device acquires an image of a region of interest within the eye, and positions a focus determined by an image sensor and a sensor-side lens unit within the region of interest, such that the depth of the region of interest within the eye is positioned within a range corresponding to the vitreous body within the eye, thereby enabling acquisition of an image of the vitreous body. Referring to FIG. 2, the device (1) may include an image acquisition unit (10), a depth adjustment unit (20), and a support unit (30).

[0045] The image acquisition unit (10) can acquire an image of the inside of the eye by irradiating light to the eye and collecting the light reflected from the eye. The image acquisition unit (10) may include a first optical tube (10a) arranged to refract or reflect the irradiated light toward the eye and propagate it, and a second optical tube (10b) arranged to collect the light reflected from the eye and acquire an image. In addition, the image acquisition unit (10) includes a light source (11), a light source-side lens unit (12), a splitter (13), a sensor-side lens unit (14), and an image sensor (15) arranged inside the first and second optical tubes, and may further include an optical axis adjustment unit (16), a tilting unit (17), and polarizing filters (18a, 18b).

[0046] Referring to Fig. 3, the light source (11) may be a lamp or light-emitting diode-based light source for photographing the inside of the eye. A light-emitting diode in the visible light band may be used for photographing the vitreous region using light emitted from the light source (11), and a light-emitting diode having an emission spectrum in the 700-1000 nm range may be used for photographing the vitreous region using near-infrared light. In addition, light-emitting diodes having emission lines in other spectral ranges may also be used.

[0047] The light source-side lens unit (12) can refract light introduced from the light source (11). In one embodiment, the light source-side lens unit (12) can diffuse light introduced from the light source, and an aperture (not shown) for adjusting the diameter of the light source-side lens unit (12) can be provided. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the light source-side lens unit (12) can refract light irradiated from the light source into a light beam that is close to parallel light through a plurality of lenses arranged along the path of the light.

[0048] The splitter (13) may be provided to reflect a portion of the light passing through the light source-side lens unit toward the eyeball and transmit the light reflected from the eyeball. The splitter (13) may change the path of a portion of the light by reflecting a portion of the light and transmitting a portion of the light. In one embodiment, the splitter (13) may be provided as a half mirror. The splitter (13) may be installed at a point where the first barrel (10a) and the second barrel (10b) intersect, and a light source (11) and a light source-side lens unit (12) may be arranged on one side (for example, on the upper side of the splitter, in the 12 o'clock direction of FIG. 3), and a sensor-side lens unit (14) and an image sensor (15) may be arranged on the other side (for example, on the rear side of the splitter, in the 3 o'clock direction of FIG. 3). Accordingly, light that passes from the light source through the light source-side lens unit can be refracted by the splitter (13) and pass into the eyeball. Conversely, light reflected inside the eyeball can be incident on the splitter (13) and pass through the splitter to the sensor-side lens unit (14). In one embodiment, the splitter may be a half mirror formed in a cubic shape by combining two prisms, and light can be refracted and transmitted through the inclined surface of the prism.

[0049] In one embodiment, the splitter (13) is provided as a polarization splitter so that P-polarized light can be transmitted and S-polarized light can be reflected. Light that passes through the light source-side lens unit (12) can be reflected by having the light corresponding to P-polarized light pass through the splitter (13) and the light corresponding to S-polarized light be refracted by 90 degrees along its propagation path.

[0050] Additionally, although not shown, an objective lens may be placed between the splitter (13) and the eyeball, and the objective lens may magnify the image formed inside the eyeball after light from the splitter (13) is incident on the inside of the eyeball. However, the objective lens may not be placed between the splitter (13) and the eyeball, but may be replaced by at least one lens forming the sensor-side lens unit (14).

[0051] Next, the sensor-side lens unit (14) can refract light that is reflected from the eye, enters the image acquisition unit, and then passes through the splitter (13). The sensor-side lens unit (14) can refract light so that an image of the inside of the eye is formed on the image sensor (15). As described in the light source-side lens unit (12) described above, it can be formed of a plurality of lenses arranged along the path of the light, and an aperture (not shown) that adjusts the diameter of the sensor-side lens unit (14) can be provided.

[0052] The image sensor (15) can collect light passing through the lens unit on the sensor side to obtain an image of a region of interest within the eye. Since the image of the inside of the eye is obtained by collecting light that is reflected and propagates within the eye, the optical axis and the image axis may be the same. Here, the region of interest can be understood as a predetermined region within the eye determined according to the path of light entering the inside of the eye through the splitter (13) and the focus within the eye determined by the image sensor and the lens unit on the sensor side, and an image within the region of interest can be obtained as an image formed on the image sensor (15). An area such as a circle or square within the region of interest can be obtained as an image through the image sensor (15). In one embodiment, the focus within the eye determined by the image sensor and the lens unit on the sensor side is set to the inside of the region where the vitreous body is located, so that an image of a floater, a void, or a reflection within the vitreous body area can be obtained. The following description will focus on detecting inscriptions, but this device can also be understood as detecting floating bodies or voids within the vitreous. In this case, the image may be understood as a comprehensive concept that collectively refers to a still image of the inside of the eye acquired from the image sensor (15) at a single point in time, and depth-specific images of the inside of the eye acquired while varying the depth of the inside of the eye according to a predetermined time interval, rather than an image that changes over time.

[0053] In one embodiment, the light source (11) and the light source-side lens unit (12) may be arranged inside the first optical tube (10a). Light irradiated from the light source (11) and passing through the light source-side lens unit (12) may be refracted through the splitter (13) and directed toward the eye. That is, the first optical tube (10a) may not be arranged parallel to the path of light incident into the eye at a predetermined angle. For example, the first optical tube (10a) may be arranged perpendicular to the path of light incident into the eye. Light reflected from the inside of the eye may pass through the splitter (13) and toward the second optical tube (10b), and may form an image on the image sensor (15) through the sensor-side lens unit (14) inside the second optical tube (10b). When the arrangement of the first optical tube (10a) and the second optical tube (10b) is different, a mirror that changes the path of light may be arranged. The mirror arranged to change the path of light may be a flat mirror so as not to affect the optical properties of the image formed on the image sensor (15).

[0054] Referring to FIG. 7, the optical axis adjustment unit (16) may be arranged between the splitter and the eyeball to vary the optical axis of light directed from the splitter toward the eyeball. In one embodiment, the optical axis adjustment unit (16) may be a galvanometer. The galvanometer is configured to deflect incident light to a desired angle and may include a mirror unit that reflects the light and a driving motor that rotates the mirror unit. The galvanometer may be configured to vary the optical axis by forming a pair of an X-axis galvanometer and a Y-axis galvanometer, and may be understood with reference to a typical galvanometer. That is, when an image of another part inside the eyeball is to be obtained, the optical axis adjustment unit (16) changes the path of the light to move the optical axis along the xy coordinate system, and accordingly moves the region of interest in the up-and-down direction (y-axis direction) or left-right direction (x-axis direction), thereby obtaining an image within another region of interest (ROI).

[0055] When the optical axis adjustment unit (16) adjusts the optical axis of light traveling inside the eyeball to determine multiple regions of interest inside the eyeball, the multiple regions of interest can have the same depth inside the eyeball. That is, the multiple regions of interest (ROI) can be understood as regions that are moved in parallel in the left-right direction (x-axis direction) and up-down direction (y-axis direction) at the same Z1 depth inside the eyeball.

[0056] In one embodiment, a plurality of regions of interest (ROIs) may be determined by the optical axis adjustment unit (16) to overlap at least partially with at least one other region of interest. As illustrated in FIG. 7, among a plurality of regions of interest (ROIs) having the same intraocular depth, one region of interest (ROI) may partially overlap with another adjacent region of interest (ROI). The overlapping of the regions of interest allows for more images to be acquired in the overlapping portion, thereby facilitating the generation of a three-dimensional image in the overlapping portion and enabling detection of an inscription.

[0057] Here, the overlapping portion among the multiple regions of interest can be determined to include a region of interest where an inscription exists or a region with a high probability of an inscription existing. For example, when an image is acquired from a region of interest having a depth of Z1, if it is determined that the probability of an inscription existing in a certain region within the region of interest is high, multiple regions of interest can be set so that the region overlaps with neighboring regions of interest. Referring to Fig. 7, by changing the optical axis by the optical axis adjustment unit (16) equipped with a galvanometer, three or four regions of interest (ROI) that overlap in a certain portion in the left-right or up-and-down direction are determined, and then an image is acquired, and an inscription can be detected more precisely in the overlapping portion between the multiple regions of interest. At this time, the probability of an inscription existing can be calculated or determined from the distribution of images corresponding to the inscription among the images obtained from the image sensor (15) after performing a certain image processing to remove the portion corresponding to the macula or retina. Detecting the presence of an inscription or deriving the probability of the presence of an inscription can be done by a known image processing method, or by a learning model that learns to derive the probability of the presence of an inscription within a certain range of an image through machine learning using an image in which an inscription is detected in the vitreous body as learning data.

[0058] In addition, in another embodiment not shown, the optical axis adjustment unit (16) does not change the optical axis of the light traveling inside the eye, and the image acquisition unit (10) including the splitter (13) moves a predetermined distance in the up-and-down direction (y-axis direction) or left-right direction (x-axis direction) to set a different region of interest (ROI) inside the eye. At this time, as described above, since the image acquisition unit (10) does not move in the front-back direction (z-axis direction), it is possible to acquire vitreous images within multiple regions of interest (ROI) within the same depth inside the eye without changing the depth inside the eye of the region of interest.

[0059] Referring back to FIG. 3, the tilting unit (17) can adjust the angle of the light source (11) and the light source-side lens unit (12) with respect to the splitter (13) so as to adjust the angle of light incident on the eye through the splitter. As the light travels inside the eye, reflection of the light occurs on the cornea, lens, and retina, and the tilting unit (17) can irradiate the light at an angle that minimizes or avoids reflection of the light. In one embodiment, for a determined region of interest inside the eye, the light can be incident on the eye in an oblique direction through the tilting unit (17) so as to avoid reflection on the retina.

[0060] Polarizing filters (18a, 18b) may be provided to allow only light vibrating in a specific direction to pass through. The polarizing filter is a linearly provided polarizing filter that allows only light vibrating in one direction to pass through the polarizing filter. For example, the polarizing filter may filter only P-polarized light to pass through, and may be arranged in a direction perpendicular to P-polarized light to allow the greatest amount of P-polarized light to pass through, thereby providing high-purity P-polarized light.

[0061] The first polarizing filter (18a) can be placed between the light source (11) and the splitter (13). Preferably, the first polarizing filter (18a) can pass polarized light between the light source-side lens unit (12) and the splitter (13).

[0062] A second polarizing filter (18b) may be placed between the splitter (13) and the image sensor (15). Preferably, the second polarizing filter (18b) can pass polarized light between the splitter (13) and the sensor-side lens unit (14).

[0063] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, the depth adjustment unit (20) of the present device (1) can adjust the depth of the region of interest within the eye. The depth adjustment unit (20) can adjust the depth of the region of interest (ROI) by adjusting the depth of the intraocular focus within the eye determined by the image sensor (15) and the sensor-side lens unit (14). In a preferred embodiment, the depth of the region of interest within the eye can be within a range corresponding to the vitreous body within the eye. That is, as described below, the region of interest can be formed with a depth between Z0 as one end of the intraocular vitreous body region and Zmax as the other end of the intraocular vitreous body region.

[0064] In addition, the depth control unit (20) can move at least the sensor-side lens unit (12) in the forward and backward direction (z-axis direction) with respect to the eyeball so that the depth of the region of interest varies along a set interval. Accordingly, the image sensor (15) can acquire an image within the region of interest at a depth inside the eyeball along the set interval.

[0065] To obtain an image of the vitreous body region, the depth control unit (20) can control the depth of the region of interest from a first reference depth set inside the eyeball to a second reference depth set inside the eyeball.

[0066] The depth control unit (20) can set a first reference depth inside the eyeball from an image of a region of interest inside the eyeball. The first reference depth can be understood as a reference point from which the region of interest moves to one side in the front-back direction (z-axis direction). In one embodiment, the first reference depth may be a part of the inside of the eyeball where the retina is located. When the same light is irradiated, it is easier to identify the retina through light reflected from the retina than to identify the vitreous region filled with a transparent fluid. Therefore, it is first determined whether the retina is located within the region of interest from an image acquired through the image sensor (15), and the depth of the region of interest from which the image of the retina is acquired can be determined as the first reference depth (Z0). The depth control unit (20) can control the depth of the region of interest so that the region of interest moves in a direction away from the retina (posteriorly) from the first reference depth (Z0). That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the depth control unit can move the region of interest from Z0 through Z1, Z2, and up to Zmax.

[0067] The first reference depth may be set to either the depth of the retina along the path of light traveling inside the eye or the depth of the inner end of the lens, and the second reference depth may be set to the other of either the depth of the retina along the path of light traveling inside the eye or the depth of the inner end of the lens. In a preferred embodiment, the first reference depth may be the depth of the retina along the path of light (Z0), and the second reference depth may be the depth of the inner end of the lens along the path of light (Zmax).

[0068] At this time, the depth control unit (20) moves at least the sensor-side lens unit (12) backward with respect to the eye so that the depth inside the eye of the region of interest changes from the first reference depth to the second reference depth, and the image sensor (15) can acquire an image inside the region of interest at the depth inside the eye that changes along the set interval. That is, the depth of the region of interest can be within a range from the depth of the retina (Z0) along the path of light to the depth of the inner end of the eye of the lens along the path of light (Zmax).

[0069] Referring to FIG. 4, the depth adjustment unit (20) can move the sensor-side lens unit (14) in the front-back direction while fixing the image sensor (15) to adjust the depth of the region of interest. In FIG. 4 (a), by moving the sensor-side lens unit (14) to the front side (eye side), the focus inside the eye determined by the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) moves toward the lens side, and the depth of the region of interest can be adjusted to move the region of interest to one side (the lens side) (see FIG. 4 (b)). In addition, by moving the sensor-side lens unit (14) to the rear side (image sensor side), the focus inside the eye determined by the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) moves toward the retina side, and the depth of the region of interest can be adjusted to move the region of interest to the other side (the retina side) (see FIG. 4 (c)).

[0070] Referring to FIG. 5, the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) can be moved in the front-back direction while keeping the distance between the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) fixed. In FIG. 5 (a), by moving the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) toward the rear while keeping the distance between the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) fixed, the focus inside the eye determined by the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) can be moved toward the lens side, and the depth of the region of interest can be adjusted to move the region of interest to one side (the lens side) (see FIG. 5 (b)). In addition, by moving the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) to the front side, the focus inside the eye determined by the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) can be moved toward the retina side, and the depth of the area of ​​interest can be adjusted to move the area of ​​interest to the other side (retina side) (see (c) of FIG. 5).

[0071] As illustrated in FIG. 4, by changing the depth of focus inside the eye by moving only the sensor-side lens unit (14) while fixing the image sensor (15), the size of the image formed on the image sensor (15) changes, while fine adjustment of the focus is possible. Accordingly, the depth adjustment unit (20) according to one embodiment of the present invention can first adjust the depth of focus inside the eye to the first reference depth on the retina side by moving the sensor-side lens unit (14) in the front-back direction while fixing the image sensor (15). Thereafter, the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) can be moved simultaneously so that the focus inside the eye moves from the first reference depth on the retina side to the second reference depth on the lens side. In this process, an image within the region of interest can be acquired at an intraocular depth that varies depending on the set interval.

[0072] Referring to FIG. 8, the depth of field of the focus within the region of interest according to one embodiment of the present invention may be determined to be smaller than a set interval. The interval determined for acquiring images at different depths may be determined by considering the depth of focus (D2), and may be determined according to the movement distance of the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) with respect to the eye, the image acquisition cycle, and the performance of the sensor-side lens unit or the light source-side lens unit. The depth of field may be understood as a range that appears to be in focus along the front-back direction of the internal focus of the eye, and objects located outside the depth of field may appear blurry in the acquired image. For example, the depth of field (D1) may be smaller than the set interval, that is, the distance along the z-axis direction between Z1 and Z2.

[0073] When the region of interest is determined at the Z0 depth, as shown in (a) and (b) of Fig. 8, an object at the Z0 depth exists within the depth of field, so the image is formed within the depth of focus and forms a focus, and an object at the Z1 depth exists outside the depth of field, so the image is formed outside the depth of focus and appears blurry in the acquired image. On the other hand, when the region of interest is moved to the Z1 depth as shown in Fig. 8 (c), an object at the Z1 depth (an object located at a depth within the depth of field with respect to the Z1 depth) is accurately imaged and appears not blurry. Accordingly, objects that appear blurry beyond a set degree among the images acquired based on the images formed on the image sensor can be determined as objects that exist outside the depth of field, and objects corresponding to the depth inside the eye of the region of interest can be determined. In one example, since an image is acquired at depth Z0 of Fig. 8 and an image is acquired at depth Z1, it is preferable that the interval between Z0 and Z1 be set to a wider interval than the depth of field. In addition, in case of wanting to acquire an accurate image of an object judged to be located outside the depth of field, the depth of the region of interest can be adjusted to move the lens unit on the sensor side so that the image of the object is formed within the depth of focus.

[0074] Since the image acquired through this device (1) includes an image of a transparent part of the vitreous body area, the image generation unit (not shown) described later performs processing such as removing objects that appear blurry and are outside the depth of field from the image, so that only objects such as inscriptions located within the depth of field range from the depth of the eye where the region of interest is located, as shown in FIG. 9, can remain in the image. It is preferable to acquire an accurate image of the inside of the eye by using a sensor-side lens unit (14) with a small depth of field so that the set interval between the depths of the region of interest for which the image is acquired is minimized.

[0075] In summary, the present device (1) can adjust the depth of the region of interest by moving the internal focus of the eye in the forward and backward direction at a constant speed from a first reference depth, which is relatively easy to determine the position inside the eye, to a second reference depth corresponding to the vitreous region. As the depth of the region of interest changes constantly, an image of the inside of the eye can be acquired periodically at a set interval. At this time, the change in the depth of the region of interest can be derived through a geometric operation that detects the movement distance of the sensor-side lens unit (14) and the image sensor (15) and derives the internal focus of the eye together with the position of the eye.

[0076] The present device (1) may further include an image generation unit (not shown). The image generation unit may synthesize images acquired from an image sensor (15) to generate an image for detecting an inscription, such as a high-resolution image or a three-dimensional image, as shown in FIG. 9.

[0077] In one embodiment, the image generation unit can synthesize images acquired from multiple regions of interest (ROIs) within the same intraocular depth to generate at least one larger, integrated image. The synthesis by the image generation unit can generate an integrated image including overlapping portions. It can be understood that the overlapping portions between the multiple ROIs can be used for more precise inscription detection through image synthesis.

[0078] In one embodiment, an image generation unit (not shown) may generate an image by synthesizing images acquired from regions of interest having depths spaced apart by a set interval. For example, an image may be generated by synthesizing an image acquired from a region of interest having a depth of Z1 and an image acquired from a region of interest having a depth of Z2, for example, through an interpolation method.

[0079] Furthermore, the image generation unit can remove objects other than the target detection target, such as the inscription, from the image using at least one image processing technique. For example, the image generation unit can remove areas such as the macula, and by removing objects that appear blurred beyond a set depth of field, the image generation unit can obtain an image of the inscription, etc., at a set depth within the eye.

[0080] In one embodiment, the image generation unit can tag the acquired images with the depth of the image and coordinates (coordinates of the region of interest along the x, y, and z axes). That is, by assigning unique coordinates within the eye to the acquired images, the image generation unit can synthesize the images into a 3D image through processes such as spitting and morphing.

[0081] Referring back to FIG. 2, the support (30) is provided to support the image acquisition unit (10) and the depth adjustment unit (20) described above, so that at least a portion of the image acquisition unit (10) can move in a direction including the front-back direction on the support (30) by the depth adjustment unit (20) to acquire an image of the inside of the eye. The support (30) can extend from the bottom to stably fix the positions of the image acquisition unit (10) and the depth adjustment unit (20), and can be provided so that the image acquisition unit (10) and the depth adjustment unit (20) can move in the front-back, left-right, or up-down directions within a predetermined range. The support (30) may have a plurality of support legs extending downward as illustrated in FIG. 2, but is not limited thereto, and may have a known form such as an eye examination device placed inside an ophthalmology clinic.

[0082] The above description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention can be readily modified into other specific forms without altering the technical spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined manner.

[0083] The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. In a device for obtaining images inside the eye, light source; A light source-side lens section that refracts light irradiated from the light source; A splitter that reflects a portion of the light passing through the lens section on the light source side toward the eyeball and transmits the light reflected from the eyeball; A sensor-side lens section that refracts light passing through the splitter; An image sensor that collects light passing through the above sensor-side lens section to obtain an image of a region of interest within the eye; and Including a depth control unit for controlling the depth inside the eye of the above area of ​​interest, An intraocular image acquisition device, wherein the focus determined by the image sensor and the sensor-side lens unit is located within the region of interest.

2. In paragraph 1, An intraocular image acquisition device, wherein the depth of the region of interest determined by the control of the depth control unit is within a range corresponding to the vitreous body within the eye.

3. In paragraph 2, The above depth adjustment part, Move at least the sensor-side lens part in the forward and backward direction with respect to the eye so that the depth of the region of interest varies along a set interval, The above image sensor is an intraocular image acquisition device that acquires an image within a region of interest at an intraocular depth that varies according to a set interval.

4. In paragraph 3, The above depth adjustment part, From the image of the region of interest within the eye, a first reference depth within the eye is set, An intraocular image acquisition device, wherein at least a sensor-side lens unit is moved in the forward and backward direction so that the region of interest moves to one side from the first reference depth.

5. In paragraph 4, The above depth adjustment part, From the image of the region of interest within the eye, a second reference depth within the eye is further set, An intraocular image acquisition device, wherein at least a sensor-side lens unit is moved in the forward and backward direction so that the region of interest has a depth between the first reference depth and the second reference depth.

6. In paragraph 5, The above first reference depth is set to either the depth of the retina along the path of light traveling inside the eye or the depth of the inner end of the eyeball of the lens. An intraocular image acquisition device, wherein the second reference depth is set to the other of the depth of the retina along the path of light traveling inside the eye or the depth of the inner end of the lens.

7. In paragraph 3, An intraocular image acquisition device, wherein the depth of field of focus within the region of interest is determined to be smaller than a set interval.

8. In paragraph 1, An intraocular image acquisition device further comprising an optical axis adjustment unit positioned between the splitter and the eyeball to vary the optical axis of light directed from the splitter toward the eyeball.

9. In paragraph 8, The above optical axis adjustment unit, Determine multiple regions of interest at the same intraocular depth, An intraocular image acquisition device, wherein the plurality of regions of interest are determined to overlap at least partially with at least one other region of interest.

10. In paragraph 1, An intraocular image acquisition device further comprising a tilting unit that adjusts the angle of the light source and the light source-side lens unit with respect to the splitter, so as to adjust the angle of light incident on the eye through the splitter.

11. In paragraph 1, An intraocular image acquisition device, wherein a first polarizing filter is placed between the light source and the splitter, and a second polarizing filter is placed between the splitter and the image sensor.

Images