Video opto-diagnostic instrument with single-adjustment focus

Abstract

A hand-held ophthalmoscope modified by the removal or augmentation of the focusing wheel and the addition of a manual or automatic focusing lens system. An electronic imager (CCD array or video camera) is placed optically conjugate to a viewing screen such that focus operations performed by the examiner to adjust the image seen by the examiner on the screen also focuses the image on the electronic imager. This is accomplished by an optical system which includes a straight path from the viewing screen to the patient's eye with a beam splitter interposed to cause the image of the patient's eye to be reflected onto the imager. As a result, when the examiner uses the focusing lens system, manual or automatic, positioned between the beam splitter and the patient's eye, to affect the image viewed by the examiner, the focus of the imager is simultaneously affected as well. Alternatively, the image from the imager is sent to a liquid crystal display (LCD) in the instrument's eye piece; when the examiner focuses the image on the LCD, the image on the imager is focused simultaneously. Also provided is an automatic focusing system for the imager that operates independently of the examiner's focusing adjustments. An automatic focusing system for the imager can also be incorporated in the other two embodiments. The output from the electronic imager can be in digital or analog form and can consist of a single frame or a video stream.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This is a divisional of prior filed copending application Ser. No. 10 / 351,879, filed Jan. 27, 2003, now abandoned, which in turn is a divisional of prior filed copending application Ser. No. 09 / 370,646, filed Aug. 6, 1999, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,420, on Jan. 28, 2003, which claims the benefit of prior filed copending U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60 / 095,534, filed Aug. 6, 1998.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] This invention relates generally to medical diagnostic instruments and, more specifically, to a hand-held opto-diagnostic instrument, e.g., an ophthalmoscope or an otoscope, modified so that a video image generated by the instrument is in proper focus. In some embodiments, fine focus adjustments performed by an examiner (physician or physician's assistant), or automatically by the instrument for the examiner, simultaneously focus the video image generated by the instrument. The inven...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0019] (a) to eliminate the examiner's accommodation as an adjustable optical element other than to bring the real image on the viewing screen into sharp focus;

[0021] (c) to provide an ophthalmoscope that has an image capture switch, thus allowing the examiner to save the in-focus image that is directly viewed through the ophthalmoscope.

Problems solved by technology

As noted above, one difficulty experienced in the use of such instruments is that focusing the image requires separate adjustments for the two different images.

However, none of the above devices assure that the image viewed by the examiner is in fine focus on the CCD array or other imaging device.

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