Ophthalmic system and optometry method

Abstract

This ophthalmic system A has an ophthalmic device (10), an external camera (20), and a processor (31). The external camera (20) is set at a position external to the ophthalmic device (10), and captures an image of the face F of a subject S together with a face support part (13). The face support part (13) is provided with color markers M1, M2, M3 at positions corresponding to characteristic sites of the face F. The processor (31) has a support face image data acquisition part (311), a face support position determination part (314), and a notification part (315). The face support position determination part (314) determines whether or not the position of the characteristic sites of the face F is at an appropriate position with respect to the face support part (13), on the basis of the relative position of the characteristic sites of the face F with reference to the color markers M1, M2, M3. The notification part (315) transmits a request for adjusting the position of the face F when it is determined that the position of the characteristic sites of the face F is not at an appropriate position with respect to the face support part (13).

Description

Ophthalmic system and eye examination method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an ophthalmic system and an eye examination method.

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an ophthalmic apparatus in which a face imaging unit is incorporated in the apparatus and the face position (jaw height) during examination can be adjusted (see Patent Document 1). A control unit of the ophthalmic apparatus of Patent Document 1 detects an eye to be examined from a face image captured by the face imaging unit, and acquires two-dimensional coordinate position information of the eye to be examined based on coordinates of a right eye to be examined and coordinates of a left eye to be examined on the image. Further, the control unit estimates a three-dimensional coordinate position based on the two-dimensional position information of the eye to be examined, and if an eye level indicating a vertical height based on the estimated position of the eye to be examined exceeds an allowable range, drives the chin rest by a displacement amount from an appropriate position.

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 6701987

[0004] In eye examination performed using an ophthalmic apparatus, it is necessary to place the subject's face on a face support unit and adjust the face position to an appropriate support position with respect to the face support unit. During eye examination, there is a demand to reduce the effort and time spent on this adjustment as much as possible.

[0005] In contrast, the ophthalmic apparatus of Patent Document 1 is based on the premise that the face imaging unit is pre-incorporated, so in the case of an apparatus not incorporating a face imaging unit, face imaging information cannot be acquired. Therefore, when an examiner attends to the subject for examination using an apparatus not incorporating a face imaging unit, the work is performed while the examiner visually checks, which requires effort for adjusting the face support position. Further, in the case of a self-examination performed by the subject alone using an apparatus not incorporating a face imaging unit, adjustment cannot be performed because it is not possible to confirm whether the subject's own face support position relative to the face support unit is appropriate.

[0006] In addition, since the ophthalmic apparatus of Patent Document 1 estimates and calculates the three-dimensional coordinate position based on the two-dimensional coordinate position information of the eye to be examined acquired from the face imaging unit, it is necessary to perform complex calculation processing to obtain the three-dimensional position information of the eye to be examined, which requires time for adjusting the face support position.

[0007] This disclosure addresses the above-mentioned issues and aims to provide an ophthalmic system and optometry method that shorten examination time by quickly completing the adjustment of the support position of the subject's face when performing an examination with the subject's face supported by a face support unit.

[0008] The ophthalmic system of this disclosure, which solves the above problems, comprises an ophthalmic device that performs an examination with the subject's face supported by a face support unit, an external camera, and a control unit that controls each part of the ophthalmic system. The external camera is set at an external position of the ophthalmic device and photographs the subject's face, which is supported by the face support unit, together with the face support unit. The face support unit has markers on a frame member surrounding the subject's face at positions corresponding to characteristic parts of the subject's face. The control unit comprises a support face image data acquisition unit, a face support position determination unit, and a notification unit. The support face image data acquisition unit acquires support face image data from the external camera. The face support position determination unit detects the positions of the characteristic parts of the face and the markers from the support face image data and determines whether the position of the characteristic parts of the face is appropriate with respect to the face support unit based on the relative position of the characteristic parts of the face with respect to the markers. If the face support position determination unit determines that the position of the characteristic parts of the face is not appropriate with respect to the face support unit, the notification unit notifies a request for face position adjustment.

[0009] The eye examination method of this disclosure, which solves the above problems, comprises an ophthalmic device that performs an examination with the subject's face supported by a face support unit, and includes a support face image data acquisition procedure, a feature area position detection procedure, a marker position detection procedure, a face support position determination procedure, and a notification procedure. The support face image data acquisition procedure acquires support face image data from an external camera set at an external position of the ophthalmic device and capturing the subject's face supported by the face support unit together with the face support unit. The feature area position detection procedure detects the position of feature areas of the face based on the support face image data from the external camera. The marker position detection procedure detects the position of a marker provided on the frame member of the face support unit at a position corresponding to the feature area of ​​the face, based on the support face image data from the external camera. The face support position determination procedure determines whether the position of the feature area of ​​the face is in an appropriate position relative to the face support unit based on the relative position of the feature area of ​​the face with respect to the marker. If the face support position determination procedure determines that the position of the feature area of ​​the face is not in an appropriate position relative to the face support unit, the notification procedure notifies a request for face position adjustment.

[0010] The ophthalmic system and eye examination method described herein allow for quick adjustment of the support position of the subject's face when performing an examination with the subject's face supported by the face support unit, thereby shortening the examination time.

[0011] This is an overall perspective view showing the ophthalmic system of Embodiment 1. This is a perspective view showing the attachment position of color markers to the face support when viewed from an external camera. This is a perspective view showing an example of an external camera that constitutes the ophthalmic system. This is a side view showing the ophthalmic device that constitutes the ophthalmic system. This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system control system that controls each part of the ophthalmic system. This is a flowchart showing the flow of the face support adjustment process executed by the personal computer processor. This is a flowchart showing the flow of the image quality assessment process of the examination image executed by the control unit of the ophthalmic device. This is an explanatory diagram showing the detection of feature areas from the entire face when face image data from the front is used. This is an explanatory diagram showing the detection of feature areas from the left half of the face when face image data from the left half is used in step S20 of Figure 6. This is an image explanatory diagram showing the position determination of the chin and eyebrows in step S40 and the height position determination of the eye under examination in step S50 of Figure 6.

[0012] The embodiment for implementing the ophthalmic system and optometry method of this disclosure is the ophthalmic system and optometry method according to Embodiment 1, which will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, X, Y, and Z represent the left-right (horizontal) axis when viewed from the main body of the ophthalmic device with the eye being examined as the reference point, the Y axis represents the up-down (vertical) axis, and the Z axis represents the front-back (depth) axis perpendicular to the X and Y axes. <Embodiment 1>

[0013] [Overall Configuration of the Ophthalmic System (Figures 1-3)] Figure 1 is an overall perspective view showing the ophthalmic system A of Embodiment 1. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the position of the color markers attached to the face support unit 13 when viewed from the external camera 20. Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the external camera 20 that constitutes the ophthalmic system A. As shown in Figure 1, the ophthalmic system A comprises an ophthalmic device 10, an external camera 20, a personal computer 30, and an optical table unit 40.

[0014] The ophthalmic device 10 is a device that performs examinations with the face F of the subject S supported by the face support part 13. The ophthalmic device 10 observes, photographs, and records the anterior segment image of the eye under examination, the fundus image of the eye under examination, and the fundus cross-sectional image of the eye under examination, and provides them as electronic images for ophthalmic examinations. Specifically, the ophthalmic device 10 of Embodiment 1 includes a fundus camera that acquires the fundus image of the eye under examination E, and an OCT (abbreviation for "Optical Coherence Tomography") that acquires the fundus cross-sectional image of the eye under examination E. Here, a fundus camera is a camera that images the fundus condition, such as the retina, optic nerve, and capillaries located at the back of the eye under examination E, and takes a fundus image. OCT is an optical coherence tomography device that uses light interference to image the cross-section of the retina present in the fundus of the eye under examination E and takes a fundus cross-sectional image.

[0015] The ophthalmic device 10 includes a stand portion 11, a main body portion 12, a face support portion 13, and a control panel portion 14. The face support portion 13, as a frame member surrounding the face F of the subject S, includes a chin support portion 131 that can be raised and lowered relative to the stand portion 11 of the ophthalmic device 10, and a face support frame portion 132 fixed to the stand portion 11. The chin support portion 131 has a chin bottom surface receiving surface 131a that receives the bottom surface of the chin to support the face F of the subject S relative to the face support portion 13, and a chin front surface receiving surface 131b that receives the front surface of the chin.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, the face support frame 132 is fixed to both ends of the T-shaped chin support 133 and is shaped to surround the face F of the subject S supported by the face support 13 from three directions. The face support frame 132 has a pair of vertical support columns 132a extending in the Y-axis direction and a horizontal support column 132b connecting the upper ends of the pair of vertical support columns 132a. The pair of vertical support columns 132a have eye height lines 137 at each position on their sides, which serve as a guide for adjusting the subject's eye E to an appropriate height position. On the inner surface of the horizontal support column 132b, a forehead rest portion 138 made of silicone rubber or the like is provided at the center of the surface that contacts the subject S's forehead. Furthermore, the horizontal support column 132b has an arm base portion 139 at the center of the outer surface opposite to the forehead rest portion 138. An external fixation target arm (not shown), which is bendable in multiple stages and has an external fixation target at its tip, is attached to this arm base 139.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, the face support section 13 is provided with a first color marker M1 (marker), a second color marker M2 (marker), and a third color marker M3 (marker) at positions corresponding to characteristic areas of the face F within the frame member surrounding the face F of the subject S. The first color marker M1, the second color marker M2, and the third color marker M3 serve as markers indicating the reference positions of the characteristic areas of the face F. The characteristic areas of the face F of the subject S are selected from the entire face of the subject S: the chin, the eyebrows (forehead), and the eyes E. Note that, among the characteristic areas, the eyebrows may be replaced by the forehead of the face F, which is in the same position in the Z direction as the eyebrows when the face support section 13 supports the face F of the subject S. Therefore, as shown in Figure 2, the face support section 13 is provided with the first color marker M1 at the central position on the opposite side of the chin front receiving surface 131b of the chin receiving section 131, which corresponds to the chin of the subject S. As shown in Figure 2, the face support section 13 has a second color marker M2 on the side of the arm base 139 of the face support frame section 132, which corresponds to the eyebrow of the subject S. The face support section 13 also has a third color marker M3 at the eye height line 137, which corresponds to the appropriate height of the subject eye E of the subject S. Further details of the ophthalmic device 10 will be described later.

[0018] The external camera 20 is positioned externally to the ophthalmic device 10 and captures the face F of the subject S, which is supported by the face support unit 13, together with the face support unit 13. The external camera 20 transmits video image data from its built-in image sensor to the personal computer 30. As shown in Figure 3, the external camera 20 of Embodiment 1 has both a web camera 21 (standard lens camera) with a normal field of view and a fisheye lens camera 22 (wide-angle lens camera) with a wider field of view than the web camera 21. The web camera 21 and the fisheye lens camera 22 are attached and fixed to the support column 24 of the camera stand 23 by a first camera mounting member 25 and a second camera mounting member 26, respectively, so that their height position and the direction of the lens optical axis can be adjusted. The web camera 21 is fixed at a height position that aims to capture the left half of the subject S's face F with a camera orientation where the lens optical axis is in the left diagonal horizontal direction. The fisheye lens camera 22 is fixed at a position lower than the height of the webcam 21, and is fixed at the height position where it is aimed with the lens optical axis pointing diagonally upward towards the left half of the subject S's face F. When using the fisheye lens camera 22 as the external camera 20, it is possible to get closer to the subject S's face F compared to when using the webcam 21. However, when using the fisheye lens camera 22, it is necessary to correct the image distortion of the video image data from the built-in image sensor.

[0019] The personal computer 30 is connected by cable to the external camera 20 and the ophthalmic device 10, and is positioned between the external camera 20 and the ophthalmic device 10. As shown in Figure 1, the personal computer 30 comprises a tower unit 32 with a built-in processor 31, a display 34 with a display screen 33, a speaker 35, a keyboard 36, and a mouse 37. When adjusting the support position of the subject S's face F, the processor 31 receives video image data from the external camera 20, performs face support adjustment processing based on the received information, and exchanges information with the control unit 16 built into the main body 12 of the ophthalmic device 1 (see Figure 5). When adjusting the support position of the subject S's face F, the display 34 visually informs the subject S by displaying a predetermined display guide on the display screen 33. When adjusting the support position of the subject S's face F, the speaker 35 auditorily informs the subject S by emitting a predetermined audio guide.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the optical table unit 40 is a table unit on which the ophthalmic device 10, external camera 20, and personal computer 30 that constitute the ophthalmology system A are arranged in a way that is easy for a subject S to use when performing a self-examination. The optical table unit 40 comprises a tabletop 41, tabletop support columns 42, caster support columns 43, a table lifting mechanism 44, a lifting lever 45, a caster base 46, casters 47, and a chair 48. The table lifting mechanism 44 is located inside the tabletop support columns 42 and the caster support columns 43, and raises and lowers the tabletop support columns 42 relative to the caster support columns 43. The lifting lever 45 is a manual operation unit that manually raises and lowers the tabletop 41 and tabletop support columns 42 on which the ophthalmic device 10 is placed. Here, the lifting lever 45 is positioned so that, for example, during a remote examination, the subject S can be raised and lowered while remaining seated in the chair 48, with the lever grip protruding from the bottom of the tabletop 41 toward the subject S. The tabletop stroke is set to a stroke amount corresponding to the maximum adjustment amount due to differences in the subject S's physique (for example, about 200 mm). Here, the optical table unit 40 of Embodiment 1 is an ophthalmic device 10 that performs measurements with the subject S seated in a chair 48 with an adjustable seat height (seated position), and therefore has a height that accommodates seated measurements. The optical table unit 40 can also be an ophthalmic device that performs measurements with the subject standing (standing position), in which case there is no need to provide a chair 48, and a table with a height that accommodates standing measurements is used.

[0021] [Configuration of the ophthalmic device (Figure 4)] Figure 4 is a side view showing the ophthalmic device that constitutes the ophthalmic system. As shown in Figure 4, the ophthalmic device 10 comprises a stand 11, a main body 12, a face support 13, a control panel 14, an optical system 15, and a control unit 16.

[0022] The stand 11 is placed on the top plate 41 of the optical table unit 40, which is height-adjustable in the Y-axis direction. The main body 12 is supported on the top surface of the stand 11 so as to be movable in three axes: the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. The face support 13 is integrally fixed to the front of the stand 11. The stand 11 is provided with a power switch 111, a power inlet 112, a USB terminal 113 (USB: abbreviation for "Universal Serial Bus"), and a LAN terminal 114 (LAN: abbreviation for "Local Area Network") on both sides. The USB terminal 113 is a terminal for connecting external memory, and as shown in Figure 4, an HDD (abbreviation for "Hard Disk Drive") or USB memory is connected to it. The LAN terminal 114 is connected via a LAN cable 115 to a tower unit 32 which houses the processor 31 of the personal computer 30.

[0023] As shown in Figure 4, the stand unit 11 incorporates a power supply unit 116, which includes a power switch 111 and a power inlet 112, and an XYZ drive unit 117. The XYZ drive unit 117 is used when controlling the switching of the eye to be examined among the eyes E under examination, and when performing alignment control to match the pupil position of the eye under examination E with the optical axis position of the objective lens 153. The XYZ drive unit 117 has a motor actuator including a motor and a motor drive circuit that drives the main body unit 12 in the three-axis direction (three-dimensional direction) of the XYZ axes when moving the main body unit 12 in a desired direction relative to the stand unit 11.

[0024] The main body 12 is mounted on a stand 11 to which the face support 13 is fixed, and is movable in the X, Y, and Z directions by an XYZ drive unit 117. The optical system 15, which measures the ocular characteristics of the eye E under examination while the subject S supports their face in an appropriate position relative to the face support 13, is built into the main body cover 121 that covers the entire unit. As shown in Figure 4, a control panel 14 is located at the upper rear position of the main body cover 121. As shown in Figure 4, a control unit 16 is built into the internal space of the main body cover 121 in addition to the optical system 15. The main body cover 121 has an objective lens 153 (see Figure 1) of the optical system 15 facing the eye E under examination at the center of its front position.

[0025] The face support section 13 is a member that supports the face F of the subject S. The face support section 13 is a frame member that surrounds the face F of the subject S and includes a chin rest section 131 and a face support frame section 132. The chin rest section 131 is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction relative to a chin rest support section 133 fixed to the base section 11. The chin rest section 131 is fixed at the upper end position of a lifting rod 135 which moves up and down by a built-in chin rest drive section 134, and chin rest paper stopper pins 136 are provided on both sides. The chin rest drive section 134 has a motor actuator having a motor and motor drive circuit that drives the lifting rod 135 in the Y-axis direction when moving the face F of the subject S in the Y-axis direction.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the control panel unit 14 is positioned at the upper rear of the main body cover 121. The control panel unit 14 has a touch panel screen 141 that displays images and operation buttons in color. Touching the displayed images and operation buttons on the touch panel screen 141 with a finger constitutes an input operation to the control unit 16. The control panel unit 14, which has the touch panel screen 141, is connected and supported to the main body unit 12 by a connecting support unit 142. The connecting support unit 142 has a combined support structure of bending support and rotation support that allows the touch panel screen 141 to be set at any position in the circumferential direction relative to the main body unit 12, and also allows the tilt angle of the touch panel screen 141 to be freely set.

[0027] The optical system 15 measures the ocular characteristics of the eye E under examination while supporting the face F of the subject S at an appropriate position on the face support unit 13. The optical system 15 includes a fundus camera unit 151 and an OCT unit 152. The fundus camera unit 151 includes an illumination optical system and an imaging optical system, and is a unit that acquires a fundus image of the eye E under examination using a lens, an image sensor, etc. The OCT unit 152 is a unit that acquires a tomographic image of the fundus of the eye E under examination using a tunable light source, a fiber coupler, etc. In addition to the function of acquiring a fundus image and a tomographic image of the eye E under examination, the optical system 15 also has the function of acquiring an anterior segment observation image of the eye E under examination.

[0028] The control unit 16 controls various parts of the device based on various input operations, including touch operations by the examiner on the touch panel screen 141 of the control panel unit 14, and input information from external sources. The control unit 16 has a hardware configuration consisting of a control board 161, a CPU board 162, and an image board 163.

[0029] [System Control System Configuration (Figure 5)] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the system control system that controls each part of the ophthalmic system A. The control unit that controls each part of the ophthalmic system A in Embodiment 1 is configured to consist of a processor 31 built into the tower unit 32 and a control unit 16 built into the main body 12 of the ophthalmic device 10.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5, the personal computer 30 includes a processor 31, a display 34, and a speaker 35. The processor 31 includes a support face image data acquisition unit 311, a feature area position detection unit 312, a marker position detection unit 313, a face support position determination unit 314, and a notification unit 315.

[0031] The support face image data acquisition unit 311 acquires support face image data from an external camera 20, which is selected from a webcam 21 and a fisheye lens camera 22. The support face image data acquisition unit 311 receives support face image data from the external camera 20 as a video stream. Here, "video stream" refers to a technology that acquires support face image data (moving data) from the external camera 20 in real time, and does not require downloading the support face image data from the external camera 20 before acquisition.

[0032] The feature area position detection unit 312 detects the position of feature areas of face F based on the support face image data acquired from the external camera 20. The feature areas of face F are the jaw, eyebrows, and eye E selected from the entire face of the subject S. The position detection of the feature areas of face F is performed by detecting multiple landmarks along the contour of the jaw, multiple landmarks along the shape of the eyebrows, and multiple landmarks along the contour of the eye E (see Figures 8 and 9).

[0033] The marker position detection unit 313 detects the positions of the first color marker M1, the second color marker M2, and the third color marker M3 provided on the face support unit 13 based on the support face image data acquired from the external camera 20. The marker position detection unit 313 recognizes the front-to-back position (Z-axis position) and the up-and-down position (Y-axis position) of the first color marker M1 provided on the chin rest 131 of the face support unit 13, and detects the two-dimensional position of the first color marker M1. The marker position detection unit 313 recognizes the position of the second color marker M2 provided on the arm base 139 of the face support unit 13, and detects the front-to-back position (Z-axis position) of the second color marker M2. The marker position detection unit 313 recognizes the position of the third color marker M3 provided on the face support unit 13, and detects the up-and-down position (Y-axis position) of the third color marker M3.

[0034] The face support position determination unit 314 determines whether the position of the characteristic part of the face F is in an appropriate position relative to the face support unit 13, based on the relative positions of the characteristic parts of the face F with respect to each color marker M1, M2, and M3. The face support position determination unit 314 defines the relative direction of the jaw with respect to the first color marker M1 as the Z-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, the relative direction of the jaw with respect to the second color marker M2 as the Z-axis direction, and the relative direction of the eye E under examination with respect to the third color marker M3 as the Y-axis direction.

[0035] The face support position determination unit 314 has a first determination unit 314a and a second determination unit 314b. The first determination unit 314a determines whether the support position of the chin relative to the chin support unit 131 (Z axis, Y axis) and the support position of the eyebrows relative to the face support frame unit 132 (Z axis) are appropriate based on the relative positions of the chin and the eyebrows. The second determination unit 314b, provided that the first determination unit 314a has determined that the support position of the face F is appropriate, determines whether the height of the eye E under examination is appropriate relative to the eye height line 137 set on the face support frame unit 132.

[0036] If the first determination unit 314a determines that the support position between the chin and eyebrows is not in an appropriate position, the notification unit 315 notifies the face support position determination unit 314 of a request for adjustment of the face F position. While the second determination unit 314b determines that the height of the eye E under examination is not appropriate, the face support position determination unit 314 outputs a control command to the control unit 16 of the ophthalmic device 10 to adjust the height of the chin support 131.

[0037] If the first determination unit 314a determines that the support position of the chin and eyebrows is not in an appropriate position, the notification unit 315 notifies the subject S of a request to adjust the position of the face F. The request to adjust the position of the face F is notified to the subject S by using a combination of notification by displaying a predetermined display guide as an image from the display 34 and notification by emitting a predetermined audio guide from the speaker 35.

[0038] As shown in Figure 5, the ophthalmic device 10 comprises an optical system 15, a control unit 16, an image processing unit 17, an image quality evaluation unit 18 (image quality evaluation section), and a drive unit 19. The optical system 15 includes a fundus camera unit 151 and an OCT unit 152. The drive unit 19 includes an XYZ drive unit 117 and a jaw rest drive unit 134.

[0039] The control unit 16 has an examination image data acquisition unit 164. When the face support position determination unit 314 determines that the position of the characteristic part of the face F is in an appropriate position relative to the face support unit 13, the examination image data acquisition unit 164 automatically acquires examination image data of the eye under examination E using this support position determination as the shooting condition. In other words, the examination image data acquisition unit 164 has an auto-capture function that automatically acquires examination image data when it receives an auto-capture start command from the processor 31, using the determination that the face support position is appropriate as the shooting condition. Here, "examination image data of the eye under examination E" refers to image data of the fundus image acquired from the image sensor of the fundus camera unit 151 of the optical system 15, or image data of the fundus tomography acquired from the image sensor of the OCT unit 152. The "auto-capture function" refers to a function in which the camera automatically takes a picture and acquires image data when the preset shooting conditions are met, by pre-setting the shooting conditions on the camera side.

[0040] The image processing unit 17 is a unit that converts the image data from the fundus camera unit 151 into a fundus image when fundus image data is acquired by the auto-capture function. The image processing unit 17 is a unit that converts the image data from the OCT unit 152 into a fundus tomography image when fundus tomography image data is acquired by the auto-capture function. This image processing unit 17 displays the converted fundus image or fundus tomography image on the display 34 of the personal computer 30. The image processing unit 17 also has a fundus image storage unit 171 for storing the converted fundus image and a fundus tomography image storage unit 172 for storing the converted fundus tomography image.

[0041] The image quality evaluation unit 18, upon acquiring inspection image data by the inspection image data acquisition unit 164, inputs the acquired inspection image data into a trained AI model and evaluates the image quality of the inspection image data through image quality assessment processing by the trained AI model. The trained AI model is constructed by training it using a large number of prepared training data and a machine learning algorithm selected as an algorithm suitable for assessing the image quality of the image data. Here, "training data" refers to a large number of machine learning image data created by adding image quality score information to collected past inspection image data (such as fundus image data and fundus tomography data). Furthermore, "machine learning algorithm" refers to an algorithm suitable for the classification task of sorting the input inspection image data according to the magnitude of the image quality score, when the image quality of the input fundus image or fundus tomography image is used as an attribute.

[0042] The image quality evaluation unit 18 inputs the acquired inspection image data into a trained AI model and assigns an image quality score as an image quality evaluation index. If the image quality score falls below a predetermined standard score, the image quality evaluation unit 18 assesses that the image quality of the acquired inspection image data is not clear. On the other hand, if the image quality evaluation unit 18 assesses that the image quality of the acquired inspection image data is clear, it assesses that the image quality of the acquired inspection image data is clear. If the image quality evaluation unit 18 assesses that the image quality of the captured inspection image data is not clear, it re-acquires the inspection image data from the optical system 15 of the ophthalmic device 10 and evaluates the acquired inspection image data again using the image quality assessment process.

[0043] [Face Support Adjustment Processing Procedure (Figure 6)] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the face support adjustment processing performed by the processor 31 of the personal computer 30.

[0044] Step S10 is a step in which the external camera 20 reads an authentication code (e.g., QR code (registered trademark), barcode, etc.) displayed on a terminal owned by the subject S, and signals the identification of the subject and the start of an examination. Here, the information included in the authentication code is (1) patient ID and patient information (date of birth, sex, etc.), (2) image settings (e.g., eyeball, fixed position, etc.), (3) individual settings (e.g., height of the chin rest, flash level, etc.). In step S10, after the identification of the subject is completed by reading the authentication code and the start of the examination is signaled, acquisition of supporting face image data from the external camera 20 is started (corresponding to a supporting face image data acquisition procedure).

[0045] Step S20 is a step of detecting the position of a characteristic part of the face F based on the supporting face image data from the external camera 20 (corresponding to a characteristic part position detection procedure). Here, the positions of the characteristic parts of the face F detected in step S20 are the lowermost position included in the contour of the chin, the most protruding position included in the shape of the eyebrow, and the inner canthus position or outer canthus position included in the contour of the subject's eye E. The detailed operation of detecting the position of the characteristic part in step S20 will be described later.

[0046] Step S30 is a step of detecting the positions of the respective color markers M1, M2, M3 provided at positions corresponding to the characteristic parts of the face F among the frame members of the face support part 13 based on the supporting face image data from the external camera 20 (corresponding to a marker position detection procedure). Here, the marker positions detected in step S30 are the Z-axis direction position and Y-axis direction position of the first color marker M1, the Z-axis direction position of the second color marker M2, and the Y-axis direction position of the third color marker M3.

[0047] Step S40 is a step of determining whether the support position of the chin relative to the chin receiving portion 131 and the support position of the eyebrow relative to the face support frame portion 132 are appropriate based on the relative positions of the chin and the eyebrow with reference to the color markers M1 and M2 (corresponding to the face support position determination step and the first determination step). If Step S40 determines that the positions of both the chin and the eyebrow of the face F are appropriate relative to the face support portion 13, the process proceeds to Step S50. If Step S40 determines that the position of at least one of the chin and the eyebrow of the face F is inappropriate relative to the face support portion 13, the process proceeds to Step S60.

[0048] Step S50 is a step of determining whether the height of the eye E to be examined is appropriate relative to the height line 137 set on the face support frame portion 132 based on the relative position of the eye E to be examined with reference to the third color marker M (corresponding to the face support position determination step and the second determination step). Step S50 is a step that is determined subsequent to the YES determination in Step S40. If Step S50 determines that the detected height position of the eye E to be examined of the face F is appropriate relative to the face support portion 13, the process proceeds to Step S70. If Step S50 determines that the detected height position of the eye E to be examined is inappropriate relative to the face support portion 13, the process proceeds to Step S80. The detailed operation of determining the face support position in Step S40 and Step S50 will be described later.

[0049] Step S60 is a step in which a request for adjustment of the position of at least one of the chin and eyebrows of face F is made when the position of at least one of the chin and eyebrows is not appropriate with respect to the face support unit 13 (notification procedure). Here, in step S60, the request for adjustment of the position of the subject S's chin and eyebrows (forehead) is made by voice guidance from speaker 35. In step S60, notification may also be made by display guidance on display 34 in conjunction with the voice guidance. After notification, step S60 returns to step S20 and detects the characteristic parts of face F after the position adjustment. For example, if the front of the chin is not pressed against the chin front support surface 131b, speaker 35 will notify the voice guidance "Please move your chin forward until it touches the chin support" to prompt the subject S to adjust the support position. Furthermore, the speaker 35, for example, when the forehead is not pressed against the forehead rest 138, provides voice guidance such as "Please move your forehead forward until it touches the forehead rest," prompting the subject S to adjust their support position.

[0050] Step S70 confirms that the pupil of the eye E under examination is being captured by the optical system 15, provided that both steps S40 and S50 are "YES" and there are no positional issues, and outputs a command to automatically start capturing a fundus image or fundus tomography image via auto-capture. After starting auto-capture, step S70 proceeds to the image quality assessment process in the next step S90. If the pupil of the eye E under examination is not being captured by the optical system 15, a control command is output to the control unit 16, and the XYZ drive unit 117 performs fine adjustments to capture the pupil in alignment with the optical axis of the optical system 15 through alignment control. Also, when switching the eye under examination from the right eye to the left eye, or from the left eye to the right eye, the XYZ drive unit 117 moves the main unit 12 in the X-axis direction.

[0051] In step S80, if the height position of the eye E being examined is not in an appropriate position relative to the face support unit 13, the chin rest unit 131 is driven by the detected amount of deviation in the height dimension of the eye E being examined to adjust the height of the chin. In step S80, a command to adjust the height of the chin is output to the control unit 16, and the chin rest unit 131 is driven in the Y-axis direction using the XYZ drive unit 117. After adjusting the height of the chin by driving the chin rest unit 131 in the Y-axis direction in step S80, the process returns to step S40 to determine whether the position of the chin and eyebrows is appropriate, and if it is determined to be YES, the process proceeds to step S50 to determine whether the height of the eye E being examined is appropriate.

[0052] Step S90 is the step in which the image quality assessment process is performed. After the image quality assessment process is completed in step S90, the process proceeds to the end. The detailed flow of the image quality assessment process is shown in the flowchart in Figure 7.

[0053] The face support adjustment procedure shown in Figure 6 uses an external camera 20 to recognize the positions of the chin and eyebrows, as well as the positions of the first and second color markers M1 and M2, among the characteristic features of face F. Based on the positions of the two color markers M1 and M2, the procedure determines whether the positions of the chin and eyebrows are appropriate. If the position of the chin and eyebrows relative to the face support part 13 of face F is not appropriate, the procedure notifies the subject S of a position adjustment request and instructs the subject S to correct the support position of face F until the position of the chin and eyebrows is deemed appropriate. Once the procedure determines that the support position of the chin and eyebrows relative to the face support part 13 of face F is appropriate, it uses this determination as a condition to adjust the height of the chin rest 131 while determining whether the height position of the subject's eye E relative to the face support part 13 of face F is appropriate. In other words, the system logic analyzes the support position of the chin and eyebrows and the height position of the subject's eye E separately, and employs a logic that primarily enables height adjustment of the chin rest 131 only when the position of the chin and eyebrows is in the correct position.

[0054] The face support adjustment procedure shown in Figure 6 includes an auto-capture function that acquires a fundus image or fundus tomography image when all characteristic parts (chin, eyebrows, and eye E) of the face F are in the appropriate position relative to the face support part 13. Therefore, the face support adjustment procedure shown in Figure 6 allows for quick adjustment of the face F of the subject S to the appropriate support position when the examination is performed with the subject S's face F supported by the face support part 13, thereby shortening the examination time by the ophthalmic device 10 that acquires the fundus image or fundus tomography image. Furthermore, since the ophthalmic system A acquires support face image information from the external camera 20, it can support self-examinations performed by the subject S alone, even if the ophthalmic device 10 does not have a built-in face imaging unit.

[0055] [Image Quality Assessment Processing Procedure (Figure 7)] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of the image quality assessment processing (step S90 in Figure 6) of the examination image performed by the control unit 16 of the ophthalmic device 10.

[0056] Step S91 is a step in which the image quality of the examination image data of the fundus image or fundus tomography image of the eye E under examination, which has been automatically acquired by auto-capture, is checked to see if the image quality is clear. In step S91, the image quality evaluation unit 18 assigns an image quality score to the acquired examination image data using a trained AI model, and if the image quality score falls below a predetermined standard score, it is assessed that the image quality of the acquired examination image data is not clear. If it is determined in step S91 that the image quality is not clear, the process returns to step S70 in Figure 6, and the fundus image or fundus tomography image is recaptured by auto-capture.

[0057] Step S92 is the step of saving the captured fundus image or fundus tomography image to the fundus image storage unit 171 or fundus tomography image storage unit 172.

[0058] Step S93 is the step of displaying the captured fundus image or fundus tomography image on the display screen 33 of the display 34, and after displaying the image, the process proceeds to the end. Note that the order of the steps, image saving in step S92 and image display in step S93, may be reversed.

[0059] The image quality assessment procedure shown in Figure 7 evaluates whether the fundus image or fundus tomography image taken in step S91 is clear, and if the image quality is poor, it is automatically retaken. Furthermore, if the image quality assessment procedure shown in Figure 7 evaluates that the fundus image or fundus tomography image taken in step S91 is clear, it proceeds to steps S92 and S93, where the image evaluated as clear is displayed and saved. In this way, the image quality assessment procedure shown in Figure 7 makes it easy to obtain high-quality examination image data that improves examination accuracy. Moreover, by combining the face support adjustment procedure shown in Figure 6 and the image quality assessment procedure shown in Figure 7, the ophthalmology system A can shorten examination time and improve examination accuracy.

[0060] [Facial Feature Area Detection Process (Figures 8 and 9)] Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing feature area detection from the entire face when using frontal facial image data. Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing feature area detection from the left half of the face when using left half facial image data in step S20 of Figure 6.

[0061] In step S20, the characteristic features of the face F detected by the external camera 20 are defined as the lowest point included in the jaw contour, the most protruding point included in the shape of the eyebrow, and the inner or outer corner of the eye included in the contour of the eye being examined E.

[0062] As shown in Figure 8, the landmarks of face F are numbered from landmark number 1 to landmark number 54 for each face image. Since the external camera 20 captures one half of face F from a position that captures only the landmark numbers of that half of face F, only the landmark numbers of that half are considered. For example, if the external camera 20 is positioned as shown in Figure 1, only the landmark numbers numbered on the left half of face F are considered, as shown in Figure 9.

[0063] The Y-axis and Z-axis positions of the jaw are determined using landmark numbers 9 to 17, which are assigned along the contour of the jaw, and which indicate the position of the jaw placed on the jaw support 131. The landmark number indicating the position of the jaw placed on the jaw support 131 is landmark number 9, which is the lowest position. Therefore, the landmark number indicating the jaw position is, for example, landmark number 9, which is the lowest position, used as a representative number for detecting the Y-axis and Z-axis positions of the jaw.

[0064] The Z-axis position of the eyebrow is determined using landmark numbers 23 to 27, which are assigned along the shape of the eyebrow, and the landmark number that is closest to the ophthalmic device 10 when the forehead is pressed against the forehead rest 138 is used for eyebrow position detection. The landmark number that is closest to the ophthalmic device 10 when the forehead is pressed against the forehead rest 138 is landmark number 23 or landmark number 24, which are located on the inner side of the eyebrow. Therefore, the landmark number that is closest to the ophthalmic device 10 when the forehead is pressed against the forehead rest 138 is, for example, landmark number 23, which is the innermost landmark number closest to the second color marker M2, and is used as a representative number for detecting the Z-axis position of the eyebrow.

[0065] The Y-axis position of the eye under test E is determined by using a landmark number from landmark numbers 43 to 48 along the contour of the eye under test E, which represents the average height of the eye under test E. The landmark number representing the average height of the eye under test E is either landmark number 43 at the inner corner of the eye or landmark number 46 at the outer corner of the eye. Therefore, for example, landmark number 46 at the outer corner of the eye, which is close to the third color marker M3, is used as a representative number to detect the Y-axis position of the eye under test E.

[0066] [Face Support Position Determination Function (Figure 10)] Figure 10 is an explanatory image showing the position determination of the chin and eyebrows in step S40 of Figure 6 and the height position determination of the eye E under examination in step S50. The face support position determination unit 314 defines the characteristic facial features as the "chin," "eyebrows," and "eye E under examination." The face support position determination unit 314 defines the relative position direction of the chin with respect to the first color marker M1 as the front-to-back and up-and-down directions, the relative position direction of the eyebrows with respect to the second color marker M2 as the front-to-back direction, and the relative position direction of the eye E under examination with respect to the third color marker M3 as the up-and-down direction.

[0067] Step S40, which is the procedure for determining the face support position, determines that the appropriate position is the state in which the bottom surface and front surface of the chin are pressed against the bottom surface receiving surface 131a and the front surface receiving surface 131b of the chin support part 131. For this reason, step S40 uses the detection information of the Y-axis and Z-axis dimensional difference between the detection position of the first color marker M1 in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions, and the detection position of the lower end of the contour of the chin in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions. Thus, the chin support position determination is made by pre-setting the Y-axis dimensional difference tolerance threshold and the Z-axis dimensional difference tolerance threshold based on the Y-axis dimensional difference and Z-axis dimensional difference in the state in which the bottom surface and front surface of the chin are pressed against the bottom surface receiving surface 131a and the front surface receiving surface 131b of the chin support part 131. Then, in step S40, if the detected Y-axis dimensional difference value is less than or equal to the Y-axis dimensional difference tolerance threshold and the detected Z-axis dimensional difference value is less than or equal to the Z-axis dimensional difference tolerance threshold, it is determined that the chin support position is in an appropriate position. In step S40, if at least one of the detected values ​​of the Y-axis dimension difference and the Z-axis dimension difference exceeds the Y-axis dimension difference tolerance threshold or the Z-axis dimension difference tolerance threshold, it is determined that the jaw support position is not in an appropriate position.

[0068] Step S40, which is the procedure for determining the face support position, determines that the appropriate position is when the forehead is pressed against the forehead support part 138 to support the face F. For this reason, step S40 determines the position using only the detection information of the difference in Z-axis direction dimensions (difference in depth direction dimensions) based on the detection position in the Z-axis direction of the second color marker M2 and the detection position in the Z-axis direction of the most protruding part of the eyebrow. Therefore, the eyebrow support position determination is performed by pre-setting a Z-axis dimension difference tolerance threshold based on the Z-axis dimension difference when the forehead is pressed against the forehead support part 138 to support the face F. Then, in step S40, if the detected Z-axis dimension difference value is less than or equal to the Z-axis dimension difference tolerance threshold, it is determined that the eyebrow support position is appropriate, and if it exceeds the Z-axis dimension difference tolerance threshold, it is determined that the eyebrow support position is not appropriate.

[0069] Step S50, which is the procedure for determining the face support position, determines that the appropriate position is when the average height position of the eye E being examined coincides with the height position of the eye height line 137 and supports the face F. For this reason, step S50 determines the position using only the position information of the difference in Y-axis direction dimension (difference in height direction dimension) obtained by the detection position of the third color marker M3 in the Y-axis direction and the detection position of the outer corner of the eye in the Y-axis direction from the contour of the eye E. Therefore, the height determination of the eye E is made by pre-setting the Y-axis height tolerance threshold of the outer corner of the eye E based on the zero value when the height position of the outer corner of the eye E coincides with the height position of the eye height line 137. Then, in step S50, it is determined that the position is appropriate if the Y-axis height detection value, which indicates the difference in Y-axis direction dimension, is less than or equal to the Y-axis height tolerance threshold, and that the position is not appropriate if the Y-axis height detection value exceeds the Y-axis height tolerance threshold.

[0070] [Effects of the Ophthalmic System and Eye Examination Method] The ophthalmic system A and eye examination method of Embodiment 1 have the following effects.

[0071] (1) The ophthalmology system A includes an ophthalmological device 10 that performs examinations with the face F of the subject S supported by a face support unit 13, an external camera 20, and a control unit (processor 31, control unit 16) that controls each part of the ophthalmology system A. The external camera 20 is set at an external position of the ophthalmological device 10 and photographs the face F of the subject S supported by the face support unit 13 together with the face support unit 13. The face support unit 13 has markers (color markers M1, M2, M3) at positions corresponding to characteristic parts of the subject S's face F (chin, eyebrows, eye E) within the frame member surrounding the subject S's face F. The control unit (processor 31) includes a support face image data acquisition unit 311, a face support position determination unit 314, and a notification unit 315. The support face image data acquisition unit 311 acquires support face image data from the external camera 20. The face support position determination unit 314 detects the position of characteristic parts of face F and the position of markers based on the supported face image data, and determines whether the position of the characteristic parts of face F is appropriate relative to the face support unit 13 based on the relative position of the characteristic parts of face F relative to the marker. If the face support position determination unit 314 determines that the position of the characteristic parts of face F is not appropriate relative to the face support unit 13, the notification unit 315 notifies a request for face position adjustment. When performing an examination with the face F of the subject S supported by the face support unit 13, this ophthalmology system A can quickly complete the adjustment of the support position of the subject S's face F, thereby shortening the examination time. Since the ophthalmology system A is equipped with an external camera 20, it can adjust the support position of the subject S's face F even if the ophthalmological device 10 does not have a built-in face imaging unit, and it can also support self-examination. Since the ophthalmology system A employs marker-based position detection of characteristic parts of face F, it does not require complex calculation processing, and the adjustment of the support position of face F does not take time.

[0072] (2) The control unit (control unit 16) has an examination image data acquisition unit 164. When the face support position determination unit 314 determines that the position of the characteristic part of the face F is in an appropriate position relative to the face support unit 13, the examination image data acquisition unit 164 automatically acquires examination image data of the eye under examination E from the built-in camera of the ophthalmic device 10 using this support position determination as the shooting condition. This ophthalmic system A automatically acquires examination image data of the eye under examination E from the ophthalmic device 10 using the determination that the face F is in an appropriate support position relative to the face support unit 13 as the shooting condition, thereby saving time for determining the shooting condition and enabling the acquisition of examination image data with a quick response.

[0073] (3) The ophthalmic device 10 has an image quality evaluation unit (image quality evaluation unit 18) that, when it acquires examination image data by the examination image data acquisition unit 164, inputs the acquired examination image data into a trained AI model and evaluates the image quality of the examination image data by performing an image quality assessment process on the trained AI model. This ophthalmic system A can achieve high image quality assessment accuracy by using a trained AI model for the image quality assessment process of the acquired examination image data.

[0074] (4) If the image quality evaluation unit (image quality evaluation unit 18) determines that the image quality of the captured examination image data is not clear, it recaptures the examination image data from the optical system 15 of the ophthalmic device 10 and evaluates the newly acquired examination image data again using the image quality evaluation process. When the image quality of the captured examination image data is not clear, this ophthalmic system A can acquire new examination image data while keeping the subject's face F in an appropriate support position, thereby eliminating the time required for adjusting the face support position and thus reducing the length of the examination.

[0075] (5) The image quality evaluation unit (image quality evaluation unit 18) assigns an image quality score to the input examination image data using a trained AI model, and assesses that the image quality of the acquired examination image data is not clear if the image quality score falls below a predetermined standard score. This ophthalmology system A has a degree of freedom in setting the predetermined standard score to either the high-quality or low-quality side, and can acquire examination image data with image quality that meets the image quality requirements.

[0076] (6) The face support position determination unit 314 defines the characteristic parts of the face F as the chin, eyebrows, and the eye under examination E. The face support position determination unit 314 defines the relative direction of the chin to the marker (first color marker M1) as the front-to-back direction (Z axis direction) and the up-to-down direction (Y axis direction), and the relative direction of the eyebrows to the marker (second color marker M2) as the front-to-back direction (Z axis direction). The face support position determination unit 314 defines the relative direction of the eye under examination E to the marker (third color marker M3) as the up-to-down direction (Y axis direction). By selecting the chin, eyebrows, and eye under examination E as characteristic parts, this ophthalmological system A can determine whether the face F of the subject S is in an appropriate support position relative to the face support unit 13, and whether the height of the eye under examination E relative to the face support unit 13 is an appropriate height that corresponds to the height of the objective lens 153. In other words, by determining the positions of two characteristic areas—the Z-axis and Y-axis directions of the jaw, and the Z-axis direction of the eyebrows, which are located away from the jaw—it can be determined that the face F is in an appropriate support posture, facing directly towards the ophthalmic device 10 without being tilted forward, backward, or to the sides.

[0077] (7) The face support section 13 is a frame member that surrounds the face F of the subject S and includes a chin rest 131 that can be raised and lowered relative to the stand section 11 of the ophthalmic device 10, and a face support frame section 132 fixed to the stand section 11. The face support position determination section 314 includes a first determination section 314a and a second determination section 314b. The first determination section 314a determines whether the support position of the chin relative to the chin rest 131 and the support position of the eyebrows relative to the face support frame section 132 are appropriate based on the relative positions of the chin and the eyebrows. The second determination section 314b, provided that the first determination section 314a has determined that the support position of the face F is appropriate, determines whether the height of the subject's eye E is appropriate relative to the eye height line 137 set on the face support frame section 132. This ophthalmic system A prioritizes determining the support position of the chin and eyebrows, and only activates chin rest adjustment when the support position of the chin and eyebrows is appropriate. This reduces the time required to determine that the support position is appropriate compared to simultaneously determining the support position of the chin, eyebrows, and the eye being examined E. In other words, if the support position of the three characteristic areas is determined simultaneously, even if two of the characteristic areas are deemed appropriate, if one characteristic area is deemed inappropriate, it is necessary to restart the simultaneous detection of the support positions of all three characteristic areas, which takes a long time before the facial support position is determined to be appropriate.

[0078] (8) The external camera 20 has a wide-angle lens camera (fisheye lens camera 22) which has a wider field of view than the standard lens camera (web camera 21) which has a normal field of view. In the case of this ophthalmology system A, the wide-angle lens camera (fisheye lens camera 22) can be set to be closer to the ophthalmological device 10 than the standard lens camera (web camera 21), so the external camera 20 can be installed even in environments where there is insufficient installation space.

[0079] (9) The eye examination method includes an ophthalmic device 10 that performs the examination with the face F of the subject S supported by the face support unit 13. The eye examination method includes a support face image data acquisition procedure (S10), a feature area position detection procedure (S20), a marker position detection procedure (S30), a face support position determination procedure (S40, S50), and a notification procedure (S60). The support face image data acquisition procedure acquires support face image data from an external camera 20 that is set at an external position of the ophthalmic device 10 and photographs the face F of the subject S, which is supported by the face support unit 13, together with the face support unit 13. The feature area position detection procedure detects the positions of feature areas of the face F (chin, eyebrows, subject eye E) based on the support face image data from the external camera 20. The marker position detection procedure detects the positions of markers (first color marker M1, second color marker M2, third color marker M3) placed on the frame members of the face support unit 13 at positions corresponding to the characteristic parts of the face F, based on the supported face image data from the external camera 20. The face support position determination procedure determines whether the position of the characteristic parts of the face F is in an appropriate position relative to the face support unit 13, based on the relative positions of the characteristic parts of the face F with respect to the markers. The notification procedure notifies a request for face position adjustment if the face support position determination procedure determines that the position of the characteristic parts of the face F is not in an appropriate position relative to the face support unit 13. This eye examination method allows for quick adjustment of the subject S's face F to an appropriate support position when the examination is performed with the subject S's face F supported on the face support unit 13, thereby shortening the examination time.

[0080] (10) The face support section 13 is a frame member that surrounds the face F of the subject S and includes a chin rest 131 that can be raised and lowered relative to the stand section 11 of the ophthalmic device 10, and a face support frame section 132 fixed to the stand section 11. The face support position determination procedure is defined as the chin, eyebrows, and subject eye E as characteristic parts of the face F and includes a first determination procedure (S40) and a second determination procedure (S50). The first determination procedure (S40) determines whether the support position of the chin relative to the chin rest 131 and the support position of the eyebrows relative to the face support frame section 132 are appropriate based on the relative positions of the chin and the eyebrows. The second determination procedure (S50) is determined, on the condition that the support position of the face F is deemed appropriate in the first determination procedure (S40), whether the height of the subject eye E is appropriate relative to the eye height line 137 set on the face support frame section 132. This optometry method prioritizes determining the support position of the chin and eyebrows, and only activates chin rest adjustment when the support position of the chin and eyebrows is deemed appropriate. This reduces the time required to determine that the support position is appropriate compared to simultaneously determining the support position of the chin, eyebrows, and the eye being examined (E).

[0081] The above description is based on the drawings of the ophthalmic system and eye examination method of Embodiment 1. However, the specific configuration of the ophthalmic system and eye examination method of this disclosure is not limited to Embodiment 1, and changes or additions to the design are permitted as long as they do not depart from the gist of the invention as described in each claim.

[0082] Embodiment 1 shows an example where the characteristic facial features of the subject S are the "chin," "eyebrows (forehead)," and "examined eye E." However, the characteristic facial features of the subject are not limited to the example in Embodiment 1. For example, they may be multiple parts selected from the eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, chin, etc., whose position and shape can be recognized from supporting face image data from an external camera.

[0083] Embodiment 1 shows an example in which the external camera 20 includes both a web camera 21 (standard lens camera) with a normal field of view and a fisheye lens camera 22 (wide-angle lens camera) with a wider field of view than the web camera 21, allowing the camera to be selected depending on the inspection environment. However, the external camera may also be an example in which only one of the standard lens camera or wide-angle lens camera is used. Furthermore, the external camera may be an example in which the camera's angle moves slightly to track a characteristic part of the face after recognizing that characteristic part.

[0084] Embodiment 1 shows an example in which a single camera is used as the external camera 20 to acquire support face image data of one half of the face F. However, the external camera is not limited to a single camera; it may also be an example in which two external cameras are installed to photograph the subject's face from the left and right directions and capture the entire face. When two external cameras are installed, 3D shape information can be acquired to identify the three-dimensional position (3D position) of the face.

[0085] Embodiment 1 shows an example in which the control unit for controlling each part of the ophthalmic system A is divided into a processor 31 built into the tower unit 32 and a control unit 16 built into the main body 12 of the ophthalmic device 10. However, the processor is not limited to the processor built into the tower unit; for example, a standalone onboard processor may be used. Alternatively, the control unit for controlling each part of the ophthalmic system may be integrated by building the processor into a control unit built into the main body of the ophthalmic device.

[0086] The ophthalmic system A of Embodiment 1 shows a configuration in which the external camera 20 and the personal computer 30 are placed separately. However, the ophthalmic system is not limited to a configuration in which they are placed separately; the external camera and processor may be integrated into a single device (for example, a tablet terminal with a camera). When integrated into a single device, when constructing the ophthalmic system, only one device needs to be placed next to the ophthalmic equipment, resulting in a compact system.

[0087] Embodiment 1 shows an example in which an ophthalmic device 10 has an image quality evaluation unit 18 (image quality evaluation unit). However, the image quality evaluation unit is not limited to being located in an ophthalmic device. The image quality evaluation unit may, for example, be located in a personal computer, or it may be located in a cloud on a network accessible from a personal computer.

[0088] Embodiment 1 shows an example of an ophthalmic device that includes a fundus camera for acquiring a fundus image of the eye E under examination and an OCT for acquiring a tomographic image of the fundus of the eye E under examination. However, the ophthalmic device is not limited to this, and any device having a face support and capable of adjusting the position of the face support can be applied by connecting / setting an external camera. As an ophthalmic device, if only face position adjustment is required (without the element of acquiring image data), it can also be applied to, for example, an intraocular pressure measuring device.

[0089] The ophthalmic system and optometry method disclosed herein may be combined as appropriate, provided that parts of their components do not contradict other components. The ophthalmic system and optometry method disclosed herein may be described in whole or in part as follows; however, the content is not limited to the following appendices. 1. An ophthalmic system comprising an ophthalmic device that performs an examination with the subject's face supported by a face support unit, the system comprising: an external camera set at an external position of the ophthalmic device and capturing images of the subject's face supported by the face support unit together with the face support unit; and a control unit that controls each part of the ophthalmic system, wherein the face support unit has markers provided at positions corresponding to characteristic facial features of the subject within a frame member surrounding the subject's face, and the control unit comprises: a support face image data acquisition unit that acquires support face image data from the external camera; a face support position determination unit that detects the positions of the characteristic facial features and the markers from the support face image data and determines whether the position of the characteristic facial features is appropriate with respect to the face support unit based on the relative position of the characteristic facial features with respect to the markers; and a notification unit that notifies the subject of a request to adjust the face support position when the face support position determination unit determines that the position of the characteristic facial features is not appropriate with respect to the face support unit. 2.1 The ophthalmic system described in 2.1, wherein the control unit has an examination image data acquisition unit that, when the face support position determination unit determines that the position of a characteristic part of the face is in an appropriate position relative to the face support unit, automatically acquires examination image data of the eye under examination from the built-in camera of the ophthalmic device using this support position determination as a shooting condition. 3.2 The ophthalmic system described in 3.2, wherein the ophthalmic device has an image quality evaluation unit that, when the examination image data acquisition unit acquires the examination image data, inputs the acquired examination image data into a trained AI model and evaluates the image quality of the examination image data by image quality assessment processing in the trained AI model.4.3 An ophthalmological system characterized in that, if the image quality evaluation unit determines that the image quality of the captured examination image data is not clear, it re-captures the examination image data from the optical system of the ophthalmological device and evaluates the acquired examination image data again using the image quality evaluation process. 5.4 An ophthalmological system characterized in that, if the image quality evaluation unit assigns an image quality score to the input examination image data using the trained AI model, and determines that the image quality of the acquired examination image data is not clear if the image quality score falls below a predetermined standard score. 6.5 An ophthalmological system characterized in that, if the face support position determination unit determines that the characteristic facial features are the chin, eyebrows, and the eye under examination, the relative direction of the chin to the marker is the front-to-back direction and the up-and-down direction, the relative direction of the eyebrows to the marker is the front-to-back direction, and the relative direction of the eye under examination to the marker is the up-and-down direction. 7.6 An ophthalmic system, wherein the face support portion comprises a chin rest portion that is movable up and down relative to the stand portion of the ophthalmic device and a face support frame portion fixed to the stand portion, as a frame member surrounding the face of the subject, and the face support position determination portion comprises a first determination unit that determines whether the support position of the chin relative to the chin rest portion and the support position of the eyebrows relative to the face support frame portion are appropriate based on the relative position of the chin and the relative position of the eyebrows, and a second determination unit that determines whether the height of the subject's eye is appropriate relative to the eye height line set on the face support frame portion, provided that the first determination unit has determined that the support position of the face is appropriate.8.6 An ophthalmic system, wherein the external camera comprises a wide-angle lens camera with a wider field of view than a standard lens camera with a normal field of view.9. An ophthalmic examination method comprising an ophthalmic device for performing an examination with the subject's face supported by a face support, the method comprising: a support face image data acquisition procedure for acquiring support face image data from an external camera set at an external position of the ophthalmic device and capturing images of the subject's face supported by the face support together with the face support; a feature area position detection procedure for detecting the position of a feature area of ​​the face based on the support face image data from the external camera; a marker position detection procedure for detecting the position of a marker provided on the frame member of the face support at a position corresponding to a feature area of ​​the face based on the support face image data from the external camera; a face support position determination procedure for determining whether the position of the feature area of ​​the face is in an appropriate position relative to the face support based on the relative position of the feature area of ​​the face with respect to the marker; and a notification procedure for notifying the subject of a request to adjust the face support position if the face support position determination procedure determines that the position of the feature area of ​​the face is not in an appropriate position relative to the face support. An optometry method as described in 10.9, wherein the face support portion comprises a chin rest portion that is movable up and down relative to the stand portion of the ophthalmic device and a face support frame portion fixed to the stand portion, and the face support position determination procedure comprises a first determination procedure in which the characteristic parts of the face are the chin, eyebrows and the eye to be examined, and the relative positions of the chin and eyebrows determine whether the support position of the chin relative to the chin rest portion and the support position of the eyebrows relative to the face support frame portion are appropriate, and the condition that the support position of the face is determined to be appropriate by the first determination procedure, the second determination procedure in which the height of the eye to be examined is determined to be appropriate relative to the eye height line set on the face support frame portion. Cross-reference of related applications

[0090] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-031804, filed with the Japan Patent Office on 28 February 2025, all of which disclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Claims

1. An ophthalmic system comprising an ophthalmic device for performing an examination with the subject's face supported by a face support unit, the system comprising: an external camera set at an external position of the ophthalmic device for photographing the subject's face supported by the face support unit together with the face support unit; and a control unit for controlling each part of the ophthalmic system, wherein the face support unit has markers provided at positions corresponding to characteristic facial features of the subject within a frame member surrounding the subject's face, and the control unit comprises: a support face image data acquisition unit for acquiring support face image data from the external camera; a face support position determination unit for detecting the positions of the characteristic facial features and the markers based on the support face image data, and determining whether the position of the characteristic facial features is appropriate with respect to the face support unit based on the relative position of the characteristic facial features with respect to the markers; and a notification unit for notifying the subject of a request to adjust the face support position when the face support position determination unit determines that the position of the characteristic facial features is not appropriate with respect to the face support unit.

2. An ophthalmic system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit has an examination image data acquisition unit that, when the face support position determination unit determines that the position of a characteristic part of the face is in an appropriate position with respect to the face support unit, automatically acquires examination image data of the eye under examination from the built-in camera of the ophthalmic device using this support position determination as an imaging condition.

3. The ophthalmic system according to claim 2, wherein the ophthalmic device has an image quality evaluation unit that, when it acquires the examination image data with the examination image data acquisition unit, inputs the acquired examination image data into a trained AI model and evaluates the image quality of the examination image data by image quality assessment processing in the trained AI model.

4. An ophthalmic system according to claim 3, wherein the image quality evaluation unit, when it determines that the image quality of the captured examination image data is not clear, re-captures the examination image data from the optical system of the ophthalmic device and evaluates the newly acquired examination image data again using the image quality evaluation process.

5. An ophthalmic system according to claim 4, wherein the image quality evaluation unit assigns an image quality score to the input examination image data using the trained AI model, and assesses that the image quality of the acquired examination image data is not clear if the image quality score falls below a predetermined standard score.

6. An ophthalmic system according to claim 1, wherein the face support position determination unit defines the characteristic facial features as the chin, eyebrows, and eye under examination, the relative direction of the chin with respect to the marker as the front-to-back direction and the up-to-down direction, the relative direction of the eyebrows with respect to the marker as the front-to-back direction, and the relative direction of the eye under examination with respect to the marker as the up-to-down direction.

7. An ophthalmic system according to claim 6, wherein the face support portion comprises a chin rest portion that is movable up and down relative to the stand portion of the ophthalmic device and a face support frame portion fixed to the stand portion, as a frame member surrounding the face of the subject, and the face support position determination portion comprises a first determination unit that determines whether the support position of the chin with respect to the chin rest portion and the support position of the eyebrows with respect to the face support frame portion are appropriate based on the relative position of the chin and the relative position of the eyebrows, and a second determination unit that determines whether the height of the subject's eye is appropriate with respect to the eye height line set on the face support frame portion, provided that the first determination unit has determined that the support position of the face is appropriate.

8. An ophthalmic system according to claim 1, characterized in that the external camera has a wide-angle lens camera with a wider field of view than a standard lens camera with a normal field of view.

9. An ophthalmic examination method comprising an ophthalmic device that performs an examination with the subject's face supported by a face support, the method comprising: a support face image data acquisition procedure for acquiring support face image data from an external camera set at an external position of the ophthalmic device and capturing images of the subject's face supported by the face support together with the face support; a feature area position detection procedure for detecting the position of a feature area of ​​the face based on the support face image data from the external camera; a marker position detection procedure for detecting the position of a marker provided on a frame member of the face support at a position corresponding to a feature area of ​​the face based on the support face image data from the external camera; a face support position determination procedure for determining whether the position of the feature area of ​​the face is in an appropriate position relative to the face support based on the relative position of the feature area of ​​the face with respect to the marker; and a notification procedure for notifying the subject of a request to adjust the face support position if the face support position determination procedure determines that the position of the feature area of ​​the face is not in an appropriate position relative to the face support.

10. An optometry method according to claim 9, wherein the face support portion comprises, as a frame member surrounding the face of the subject, a chin support portion that is movable up and down relative to the stand portion of the ophthalmic device, and a face support frame portion fixed to the stand portion, and the face support position determination procedure comprises, with the characteristic facial features being the chin, eyebrows, and the eye to be examined, a first determination procedure that determines whether the support position of the chin relative to the chin support portion and the support position of the eyebrows relative to the face support frame portion are appropriate based on the relative positions of the chin and the eyebrows, and a second determination procedure that, provided that the support position of the face is determined to be appropriate by the first determination procedure, determines whether the height of the eye to be examined is appropriate relative to the eye height line set on the face support frame portion.

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