Fundus Observation Device

Abstract

Image forming part 220 forms a 2-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus oculi Ef (fundus oculi image) and a tomographic image of the fundus oculi Ef. The fundus oculi image 212a and the tomographic image Ga captured at the first examination time and the fundus oculi image 212b and the tomographic image Gb captured at the second examination time are stored in an image storage part 212. Position information generating part 214 generates the position information 213a indicating the position of the tomographic image Ga in the fundus oculi image 212a and the position information 213b indicating the position of the tomographic image Gb in the fundus oculi image 212b. The generated position information 213a and 213b are stored in information storage part 213. Image processing part 230 adjusts the position between the tomographic images Ga and Gb based on such position information 213a and 213b.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram representing one example of the entire constitution in a preferred embodiment of the fundus observation device related to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram representing one costitutional example of a scanning unit installed in a fundus camera unit in a preferred embodiment of the fundus observation device related to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram representing one costitutional example of an OCT unit in a preferred embodiment of the fundus observation device related to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram representing one example of hardware configurations of an arithmetic and control unit in an embodiment of the fundus observation device related to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram representing one costitutional example of a control system in a preferred embodiment of the fundus observation device related to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the apparent configuration of the operation panel in a preferred embodiment of the fundus observation device related to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a drawing showing one example of configuration of the arithmetic and control unit in an preferred embodiment related to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram representing one example of scanning features of signal light in a preferred embodiment of the fundus observation device related to the present invention. FIG. 8A represents one example of the scanning features of signal light when a fundus oculi is seen from the incident side of the signal light with respect to an eye. In addition, FIG. 8B represents one example of arrangement features of scanning points of each scanning line.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram representing one example of the scanning features of signal light and tomographic image features formed along each scanning line in a preferred embodiment of the fundus observation device related to the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart that shows one example of the workings of a modification of the preferred embodiment of a fundus observation device related to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the screen displayed by a preferred embodiment of the fundus observation device related to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing one example of operation according to the preferred embodiment of the fundus observation device related to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing one example of the appearance of a conventional fundus observation device (optical image measuring device).

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram representing one example of an internal constitution (an optical system constitution) of a conventional fundus observation device (fundus camera).

Claims

1. A fundus observation device comprising: an image forming part including a first image forming part and a second image forming part, the first image forming part configured to form a 2-dimensional image of the surface of the fundus oculi of an eye based on optically captured data, a second image forming part configured to form tomographic images of said fundus oculi based on data captured by an optical scan;a position information generating part configured to generate position information for said 2-dimensional image and said tomographic image which are formed substantially simultaneously, the position information indicating the position of the tomographic image in the 2-dimensional image; andan image processing part configured to adjust the position, based on said position information generated for said 2-dimensional image and said tomographic image which are formed substantially simultaneously and based on said position information generated for said 2-dimensional image and said tomographic image which are formed substantially simultaneously at a subsequent time, of said former tomographic image and said latter tomographic image.

2. A fundus observation device according to claim 1, wherein said second image forming part comprises: a light source; an interference light generator to split said light emitted from said light source into the signal light directed toward said fundus oculi and the reference light directed toward a reference object and to generate interference light by superposing the signal light having reached said fundus oculi and the reference light having reached said reference object; a detector to receive the generated interference light and to output a detecting signal; and a scanner to scan the incident position of said signal light to said fundus oculi respectively in a certain main scanning direction and in a sub scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction,wherein, for each of a plurality of said incident positions along said main scanning direction, an image depth-wise of said fundus oculi is formed at the incident position based on said detecting signal based on the interference light generated from the signal light having reached the incident position and said reference light, and a tomographic image along said main scanning direction is formed based on the images depth-wise formed for said plurality of incident positions so that said tomographic image is formed at each of two or more positions along said sub scanning direction,wherein said position information generating part expresses as said position information the region in which said signal light was scanned by said scanner when said tomographic image was formed, said position information expressed in coordinates of a 2-dimensional coordinate system preset on said 2-dimensional image, andwherein said image processing part includes a displacement calculating part to perform calculations for displacement between said each coordinate when said two or more former tomographic images were formed and said each coordinate when said two or more latter tomographic images were formed, and said image processing part adjusts the position, based on the displacement of which calculation was performed, of said former tomographic image and said latter tomographic image in the direction of the surface of said fundus oculi.

3. A fundus observation device according to claim 1, wherein said image forming part includes a fixation target projecting part to project on said fundus oculi a fixation target to have said eye fixated, said position information generating part expresses the projection position of said fixation target as said position information in coordinates of a 2-dimensional coordinate system preset on said 2-dimensional image, andsaid image processing part includes a displacement calculating part configured to perform calculations for displacement between said coordinate when said former tomographic images were formed and said coordinate when said latter tomographic images were formed, and said image processing part adjusts the position, based on the displacement for which calculation was performed, of said former tomographic image and said latter tomographic image in the direction of the surface of said fundus oculi.

4. A fundus observation device according to claim 1, wherein said position information generating part generates depth information as said position information, the depth information indicating depth-wise position of the tomographic image based on the tomographic image formed by said second image forming part, and said image processing part adjusts the position of said former tomographic image and said latter tomographic image depth-wise, based on said depth information generated for said former tomographic image and said depth information generated for said latter tomographic image.

5. A fundus observation device comprising: an image forming part configured to form a tomographic image of a fundus oculi of an eye based on data captured by an optical scan,a position information generating part configured to generate the depth information indicating depth-wise position of the tomographic image based on the formed tomographic image, andan image processing part configured to adjust the position, based on said depth information generated for said tomographic image formed and said depth information generated for said tomographic image formed at a subsequent time, of said former tomographic image and said latter tomographic image depth-wise.

6. A fundus observation device according to claim 4, wherein said depth information includes information that the position of a certain layer of a fundus oculi in the tomographic image formed by said image forming part is expressed in coordinates preset on said tomographic image, and said image processing part adjusts the depth-wise position of said former tomographic image and said latter tomographic image, so as to match said coordinates corresponding with said former tomographic image and the coordinates corresponding with said latter tomographic image.

7. A fundus observation device according to claim 5, wherein said depth information includes information that the position of a certain layer of a fundus oculi in the tomographic image formed by said image forming part is expressed in coordinates preset on said tomographic image, and said image processing part adjusts the depth-wise position of said former tomographic image and said latter tomographic image, so as to match said coordinates corresponding with said former tomographic image and the coordinates corresponding with said latter tomographic image.

8. A fundus observation device comprising: an image forming part configured to form a tomographic image of a fundus oculi of an eye based on data captured by an optical scan;an accumulated image generating part configured to generate a first and a second accumulated images by accumulating each of a first said tomographic image and a second said tomographic image formed on different examination dates and times in the direction of depth;an accumulated image displacement calculating part configured to perform calculations for displacement of the generated first accumulated image and second accumulated image; andan image position changing part configured to adjust the position, based on the calculated displacement, of said first tomographic image and said second tomographic image in the direction of the surface of said fundus oculi.

9. A fundus observation device according to claim 8, wherein said image forming comprises: said light source; an interference light generator to split light emitted from the light source into the signal light directed toward said fundus oculi and the reference light directed toward a reference object and to generate interference light by superposing the signal light having reached said fundus oculi and the reference light having reached said reference object; a detector to receive the generated interference light and to output a detecting signal; and a scanner to scan the incident position of said signal light to said fundus oculi respectively in a certain main scanning direction and in a sub scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction,wherein, for each of a plurality of said incident position along said main scanning direction, an image depth-wise of said fundus oculi at the incident position is formed based on said detecting signal based on the interference light generated from the signal light having reached the incident position and said reference light, and a tomographic image along said main scanning direction is formed based on the images depth-wise formed for said plurality of incident positions so that said tomographic image is formed at each of two or more positions along said sub scanning direction, andwherein said accumulated image generating part generates said first accumulated image by accumulating said two or more first tomographic images respectively in the direction of depth and generates said second accumulated image by accumulating said two or more second tomographic images respectively in the direction of depth.