Automated Non-Contact Eye Examination with Tracking-Based Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing eye examination methods require physical contact and close proximity to instruments, posing infection risks and inefficiencies, especially during pandemics, and lack remote refraction capabilities, limiting accessibility and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
An automated, non-contact eye examination apparatus with an optical system, automatic eye tracking, and a housing that allows optical measurements without a fixed positional relationship, enabling objective and subjective refraction without human intervention, and communication with remote terminals for evaluation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional single-purpose ophthalmic instruments are used for eye examinations, then measurement precision can be maintained, but device complexity increases and productivity decreases due to the need for multiple instruments and close patient contact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by integrating multiple ophthalmic measurement capabilities into a single automated eye examination system. The system can perform refraction measurement, visual acuity testing, and other eye examinations using one unified apparatus with adjustable optical components, eliminating the need for multiple separate instruments while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges previously separate ophthalmic instruments and examination procedures into a single integrated system. The optical system combines multiple measurement functions within one housing, allowing refraction, visual acuity testing, and other examinations to be performed simultaneously or sequentially in a unified apparatus, thereby reducing overall system complexity.
2Measurement precision
If traditional eye examination methods with close patient contact are used, then measurement precision is maintained, but infection risk increases and ease of operation decreases during pandemics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical examination procedures with an automated optical measurement system. The automated eye tracking and optical measurement components eliminate the need for manual manipulation of instruments and close physical contact between patients and technicians, thereby reducing infection risk while maintaining measurement precision through automated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-alignment and automated measurement without requiring manual adjustment or close human intervention. The automatic eye tracking system independently maintains proper positioning and alignment, allowing the examination to proceed without continuous human assistance and minimizing contact points for potential contamination.
3Ease of operation
If automated eye tracking and optical system movement are implemented, then ease of operation improves by eliminating fixed positional requirements, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by making the optical system movable and adjustable rather than fixed. The optical components can be dynamically repositioned and reconfigured to accommodate different patient positions and examination requirements, providing operational flexibility while the automation manages the complexity of movement control.
Solution Approach 2:
The automatic eye tracking system provides real-time feedback on patient eye position and optical alignment. This feedback loop allows the system to automatically adjust the optical components to maintain proper positioning, simplifying the operational requirements for patients while managing system complexity through automated control based on continuous position information.
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
Facilitates safe, efficient, and accessible eye examinations by eliminating the need for physical contact, allowing remote refraction measurements, and reducing the burden on healthcare providers.
Implementation Method 1
an optical system, wherein the eye measurement system is configured to make at least one optical measurement of an eye of a subject
Implementation Method 2
an automatic eye tracking arrangement which is configured to ascertain a current positional relationship of the eye with respect to the optical system without human assistance
Implementation Method 3
control the optical system movement arrangement to move the optical system into a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the eye without human assistance
Data Source
AI summary
An eye measurement system includes an optical system. The eye measurement system is disposed in a housing which includes an aperture for providing light to and from the optical system and a subject's eye while the subject is separated and spaced apart from the housing, and the eye is not maintained in a fixed positional relationship with respect to the housing. An optical system movement arrangement moves the optical system. An automatic eye tracking arrangement ascertains a current positional relationship of the eye with respect to the optical system without human assistance, and in response thereto controls the optical system movement arrangement to move the optical system into a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the eye, for measurement of the eye, without human assistance. The eye measurement system can make objective, and/or subjective, refraction measurements of the eye.