Compact UV Light Delivery Optics for Ophthalmic Power Loss Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing UV light delivery devices for ophthalmic procedures are bulky, inefficient, and use mercury arc lamps, leading to significant power and optical losses, as well as requiring large cooling systems and separate enclosures, which limits their widespread adoption and increases maintenance needs.
Innovation Solution
A compact UV light delivery device utilizing integrated UV LEDs, a multi-functional homogenizing beam coupler, a dual prism spatial light modulator design, and a binocular-free imaging system to reduce size, improve efficiency, and enhance optical performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If mercury arc lamps are used as UV light source, then sufficient UV illumination can be achieved, but the device becomes bulky and inefficient with significant power losses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the light source from mercury arc lamp to UV LED, operating at different wavelengths (380nm vs 405nm). This parameter change enables significantly higher energy efficiency while maintaining sufficient UV illumination intensity for photopolymerization of the light adjustable lens materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/thermal system of mercury arc lamps (requiring large cooling systems and enclosures) with a solid-state UV LED system. This substitution eliminates the need for bulky cooling mechanisms and separate enclosures, directly reducing energy loss and device size.
2Temperature
If mercury arc lamps with large cooling systems and separate enclosures are used, then sufficient cooling capacity is achieved, but the device size increases and maintenance needs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical cooling system required by mercury arc lamps with a solid-state UV LED system that generates minimal heat. This substitution eliminates large cooling systems and separate enclosures, directly reducing device complexity and size while maintaining adequate thermal management.
Solution Approach 2:
The UV LED system is designed as a compact, integrated unit with no moving parts or consumable components requiring replacement. This approach eliminates maintenance needs associated with mercury lamp replacements and cooling system servicing, effectively making the system maintenance-free.
3Measurement precision
If traditional binocular imaging systems are used, then adequate imaging capability is achieved, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the binocular imaging system from the device, replacing it with a simplified single-channel imaging approach. This extraction removes unnecessary complexity and size while maintaining adequate imaging capability for the ophthalmic procedure through the same objective lens.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The compact design reduces power losses, enhances optical efficiency, and minimizes maintenance requirements, making UV light delivery devices more affordable and accessible for a broader patient base.
Implementation Method 1
an integrated UV LED, integrated into the compact UV light delivery device, to generate a UV beam
Implementation Method 2
The activated photoinitiators then induce a polymerization process of the macromers in a spatially varying manner according to the procedure profile
Data Source
AI summary
A compact UV light delivery device comprises a UV LED, integrated into the compact UV light delivery device, to generate a UV beam; a homogenizing beam coupler, to receive the UV beam from the UV LED, and to homogenize the UV beam such that a measure of non-uniformity of the output homogenized beam is smaller than the measure of non-uniformity of the received UV beam; an illumination optics, to receive the homogenized beam and to forward it as an illumination beam; a spatial light modulator, to modulate the illumination beam into a modulated beam according to a procedure profile; a projection optics, to receive and to project the modulated beam as a projection beam through its objective into an eye of a patient; and a binocular-free imaging system, to image the eye of the patient via the same objective, and to present the image on a user interface.