Retinal Camera Variable Optical Stop Self-Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional retinal cameras face challenges in achieving precise alignment of the eye and optical components due to limited eyebox dimensions, requiring trained operators and mechanical complexity, which complicates the imaging process.
Innovation Solution
Retinal cameras with variably sized optical stops that can dynamically adjust in size and position to facilitate self-alignment, using mechanisms such as mechanical blades, pixelated LCD layers, or variable transparency stacks, allowing the eye to naturally align with the epicenter of the optical stop.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional retinal cameras use fixed-size optical stops, then the device structure is simple, but the alignment precision between eye and optical components deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the optical stop size variable rather than fixed. The optical stop dynamically adjusts its aperture size based on the detected eye position and iris diameter, allowing the system to maintain high alignment precision across different eye positions while managing device complexity through controlled adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of optical stop aperture size from a fixed value to a variable parameter. By adjusting the aperture size parameter in response to eye position and iris diameter measurements, the system achieves precise alignment without requiring complex mechanical adjustment mechanisms for the entire optical path.
2Ease of operation
If conventional retinal cameras have limited eyebox dimensions, then the device structure is compact, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the optical stop to automatically adjust its size based on detected eye position and iris diameter. This self-adjusting mechanism eliminates the need for trained operators to manually align optical components, significantly improving ease of operation while avoiding the mechanical complexity of manual adjustment devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback by continuously detecting eye position and iris diameter, then using this information to dynamically adjust the optical stop size. This closed-loop feedback system allows the device to adapt to different users and conditions automatically, improving ease of operation without requiring complex mechanical intervention systems.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the optical stop size is fixed, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the adaptability to different eye positions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transitioning from a fixed optical stop to a dynamically adjustable one. The optical stop can adapt its aperture size to match different eye positions and iris diameters, providing versatility across multiple users and conditions while maintaining relatively simple manufacturing through the use of adjustable mechanisms rather than multiple fixed components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves universality by designing an optical stop that can serve multiple functions: it acts as both an aperture control and an alignment reference. By making the optical stop size adaptable, a single device can accommodate various eye positions and iris diameters, eliminating the need for multiple specialized components for different user types.
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
Enables easier and more precise alignment of the eye with the retinal camera, reducing the need for manual intervention and mechanical complexity, while maintaining high image quality by dynamically adjusting the optical stop size to match the iris, thus improving the stability and quality of retinal images.
Implementation Method 1
Retinal cameras with variably sized optical stops that can dynamically adjust in size and position to facilitate self-alignment
Implementation Method 2
using mechanisms such as mechanical blades, pixelated LCD layers, or variable transparency stacks
Data Source
AI summary
Introduced here are retinal cameras having optical stops whose size can be adjusted to enable self-alignment by naturally guiding an eye toward a specified location. Generally, a retinal camera will constrict the bounds of an optical stop until the optical stop is aligned with the eye. In some embodiments, the optical stop is mechanically resized as a subject shifts their eye. In some embodiments, the 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. In such embodiments, the size of the optical stop can be varied by changing which LCD layer(s) are active at a given point in time.