Retinal Camera Movable Optical Stops for Eye-Shift Imaging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional retinal cameras face challenges in maintaining precise alignment of the eye and imaging components due to limited eyebox dimensions, making it difficult to capture high-quality retinal images as the subject's eye shifts during imaging.
Innovation Solution
Retinal cameras with movable optical stops that can be adjusted mechanically or digitally using pixelated LCD layers to compensate for eye movements, ensuring optimal alignment and image quality by dynamically modifying the optical stop's position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the optical stop is fixed in position, then the device structure is simple, but the retinal image quality deteriorates when the eye shifts position
Solution Approach 1:
The optical stop is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position in response to eye movements. This dynamic adjustment maintains optimal alignment between the optical stop and the eye's pupil, preserving retinal image quality even when the eye shifts position during imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms that detect eye position changes and automatically adjust the optical stop position accordingly. This closed-loop control ensures the optical stop remains properly aligned with the eye without requiring manual intervention, resolving the contradiction between maintaining image quality and avoiding complex manual adjustment mechanisms.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual adjustment of the optical stop is implemented, then retinal image quality can be maintained, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The optical stop adjustment system operates autonomously by detecting eye position changes and automatically repositioning itself without user intervention. This self-adjusting mechanism maintains precise alignment while eliminating the need for manual operation, thereby preserving both alignment precision and ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical adjustment with automated control systems that can be actuated by simple user actions or operate automatically. This substitution maintains the precision of mechanical alignment while dramatically improving ease of operation by eliminating complex manual adjustment procedures.
3Reliability
If the eyebox dimensions are limited, then the device structure is compact, but the reliability of capturing high-quality images deteriorates when eye shifts occur
Solution Approach 1:
The optical stop is designed to move dynamically within a compact range, allowing the system to maintain reliable image capture despite eye movements. This dynamic adjustment within limited dimensions ensures the optical path remains optimized without requiring a large eyebox or complex mechanical structures.
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 movable optical stops allow for improved retinal image quality by recovering light rays and maintaining alignment without requiring manual adjustment, enhancing the imaging process's efficiency and accuracy.
Implementation Method 1
digitally using pixelated LCD layers to compensate for eye movements
Data Source
AI summary
Introduced here are retinal cameras having optical stops whose size and/or position can be modified to increase the size of the space in which an eye can move while being imaged. In some embodiments, an optical stop is mechanically moved to recover retinal image quality as the subject shifts their eye. In some embodiments, an optical stop is digitally created using a pixelated liquid crystal display (LCD) layer having multiple pixels that are individually controllably. In some embodiments, multiple non-pixelated LCD layers are connected to one another to form a variable transmission stack, and each LCD layer within the variable transmission stack may be offset from the other LCD layers. In such embodiments, the optical stop can be moved by changing which LCD layer is active at a given point in time.