Ophthalmic Laser Scanner Path Compensation for Tilted Eye Incisions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing ophthalmological devices struggle to accurately incise incision surfaces in eye tissue when the eye is tilted relative to the patient interface, leading to inefficiencies and increased treatment time due to the need for slower focus adjustment speeds.

Innovation Solution

The ophthalmological device incorporates a circuit that determines the apex or nadir of a tilted incision surface and adjusts the treatment path accordingly, allowing the pulsed laser beam to be directed onto transformed treatment points that ensure accurate incision even with eye tilts, while maintaining higher scan speeds than focus adjustment speeds.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the focus adjustment speed is increased to maintain high scanning speed, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inaccurate incision locations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvescanning speedVSAvoidincision location accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of the eye's tilt angle before incision, then pre-calculates and transforms the treatment path to compensate for the tilt. This preliminary action ensures that when high-speed scanning occurs, the laser is already positioned to create accurate incisions despite the eye's tilted orientation, eliminating the need to slow down focus adjustment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a transformed copy of the original treatment path that accounts for the eye's tilt angle. Instead of adjusting focus during high-speed scanning, the treatment path itself is copied and transformed in advance, allowing the scanner to follow a pre-compensated trajectory that maintains incision accuracy at high scanning speeds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Manufacturing precision

If the focus adjustment speed is decreased to maintain incision accuracy, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to increased treatment time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveincision location accuracyVSAvoidtreatment speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of the eye's tilt angle before incision, then pre-calculates and transforms the treatment path to compensate for the tilt. This preliminary action ensures that when high-speed scanning occurs, the laser is already positioned to create accurate incisions despite the eye's tilted orientation, eliminating the need to slow down focus adjustment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a transformed copy of the original treatment path that accounts for the eye's tilt angle. Instead of adjusting focus during high-speed scanning, the treatment path itself is copied and transformed in advance, allowing the scanner to follow a pre-compensated trajectory that maintains incision accuracy at high scanning speeds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

3Device complexity

If the treatment path is not transformed for tilted eyes, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to incisions at incorrect locations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesimplicity of treatment path controlVSAvoidincision location accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates a transformed copy of the original treatment path that accounts for the eye's tilt angle. Instead of adjusting focus during high-speed scanning, the treatment path itself is copied and transformed in advance, allowing the scanner to follow a pre-compensated trajectory that maintains incision accuracy at high scanning speeds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces mechanical focus adjustment with a computational approach. Instead of physically moving lenses or adjusting focus mechanisms during scanning, the system uses software to transform the treatment path coordinates, substituting complex mechanical real-time adjustment with simpler pre-calculated positional transformations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

4Manufacturing precision

If the treatment path is transformed for tilted eyes, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional calculations and transformations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveincision location accuracyVSAvoidcomplexity of treatment path control

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces mechanical focus adjustment with a computational approach. Instead of physically moving lenses or adjusting focus mechanisms during scanning, the system uses software to transform the treatment path coordinates, substituting complex mechanical real-time adjustment with simpler pre-calculated positional transformations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a transformed copy of the original treatment path that accounts for the eye's tilt angle. Instead of adjusting focus during high-speed scanning, the treatment path itself is copied and transformed in advance, allowing the scanner to follow a pre-compensated trajectory that maintains incision accuracy at high scanning speeds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

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

This solution enables precise incision of eye tissue at intended locations even with eye tilts, reducing treatment time and maintaining high-speed scanning capabilities without exceeding focus adjustment speed limits.

Implementation Method 1

a laser source, which is configured to generate a pulsed laser beam

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLaser: Laser

Implementation Method 2

focusing optics, which are configured to focus the pulsed laser beam in the eye tissue onto a treatment point

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFocusing: Focusing

Implementation Method 3

The deflection of the light beams, or of the laser pulses, for example femtosecond laser pulses, is generally carried out with movable mirrors that can be pivoted about one or two scan axes

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLight deflection: Reflection

Data Source

PatentUS20250025340A1Device for Treating Eye Tissue by Means of a Pulsed Laser Beam

Publication Date: 2025.01.23 ZIEMER OPHTHALMIC SYST

AI summary

An ophthalmological device comprises a laser source, an application head having focusing optics and a patient interface, a scanner system and circuit. The circuit is configured to control the scanner system to incise an incision surface, which is symmetrical with respect to the central axis of the patient interface, in the eye tissue, a pulsed laser beam being directed onto treatment points on the incision surface on a first treatment path, and the treatment path being curved while extending around the projection axis of the focusing optics. In the event of a tilt of the eye with respect to the central axis of the patient interface, the circuit determines an apex or nadir of a tilted incision surface by a co-tilt of the incision surface corresponding to the tilt of the eye, and determines a transformed treatment path, which extends around the apex or nadir and determines treatment points on the tilted incision surface.