JP7124318B2 - ophthalmic imaging equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to ophthalmic imaging equipment.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ophthalmic photographing apparatus capable of photographing an eye to be inspected by changing the photographing angle of view is known. For example, the fundus imaging device disclosed in Patent Document 1 can widen the imaging angle of view of the fundus image by attaching a wide-angle lens attachment.

JP 2016-123467 A

Instead of attaching and detaching the wide-angle lens attachment, it is conceivable that the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus has a plurality of objective optical units with mutually different imaging angles of view. In this case, when selectively arranging one of the plurality of objective optical sections on the optical axis of the photographing light, it is desirable that the plurality of objective optical sections be appropriately switched.

A typical object of the present disclosure is to provide an ophthalmic imaging apparatus capable of appropriately switching between a plurality of objective optical units.

A first aspect of an ophthalmologic photographing apparatus provided by a typical embodiment of the present disclosure has a light receiving element and emits photographing light from a light source through a reference optical axis extending straight toward the eye to be examined. and a photographing optical system for receiving the return light of the photographing light by the light receiving element, a plurality of objective optical units including at least two objective optical units having different photographing angles of view, and the plurality of objective optical units each of the at least two objective optical units includes an objective lens for irradiating the imaging light toward the subject's eye, and the at least two objective optical units have different lengths and , the supporting section rotatably supports the plurality of objective optical sections in a state in which the optical axes of the plurality of objective optical sections obliquely intersect at a reference point on the reference optical axis; and By rotating the plurality of objective optical sections, one of the plurality of objective optical sections can be selectively arranged on the reference optical axis, and at least one of the plurality of objective optical sections is retracted from the reference optical axis, the objective optical section retracted from the reference optical axis is tilted with respect to the reference optical axis, thereby moving away from the subject's eye. A second aspect of an ophthalmologic imaging apparatus provided by a typical embodiment of the present disclosure has a light receiving element and emits imaging light from a light source through a reference optical axis extending straight toward the eye to be examined. and a photographing optical system for receiving the return light of the photographing light by the light receiving element, a plurality of objective optical units including at least two objective optical units having different photographing angles of view, and the plurality of objective optical units a detecting unit capable of detecting the positions of the plurality of objective optical units in the direction of the reference optical axis; and a control unit, wherein each of the at least two objective optical units is capable of an objective lens for irradiating light toward an eye to be inspected, the supporting part being capable of selectively arranging one of the plurality of objective optical parts on the reference optical axis, and When at least one of the optical sections is retracted from the reference optical axis, the objective optical section to be retracted from the reference optical axis is moved in a direction away from the eye to be examined, and the detection section detects the When it is detected that at least one of the plurality of objective optical units is located closer to the subject's eye than the reference position, the control unit causes at least one of locking of the movement of the plurality of objective optical units and notification by the notification unit. to run.

According to the ophthalmic imaging apparatus according to the present disclosure, multiple objective optical units can be appropriately switched.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an overview of an ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an optical system of an ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the first embodiment in which objective optical sections 217 and 218 are rotated around a rotation axis R1 by a support section 26; FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a second embodiment in which objective optical units 217 and 218 are rotated about a rotation axis R2 by a support portion 26; It is a figure for demonstrating arrangement|positioning of the objective optical part 217,218 which concerns on a modification. It is a figure for demonstrating arrangement|positioning of the objective optical part 217,218 which concerns on a modification.

<Overview>
An ophthalmic imaging apparatus illustrated in this disclosure includes an imaging optical system, multiple objective optics, and a haptic. The imaging optical system emits imaging light to the eye to be inspected via a reference optical axis extending straight toward the eye to be inspected, and receives return light of the imaging light by a light receiving element. The plurality of objective optical units includes at least two objective optical units with mutually different imaging angles of view. The support supports a plurality of objective optics. Each of the at least two objective optical units includes an objective lens that irradiates the subject's eye with imaging light emitted from the light source. The support section is capable of selectively arranging one of the plurality of objective optical sections on the reference optical axis, and at least one of the plurality of objective optical sections is retracted from the reference optical axis. Secondly, the objective optical section retracted from the reference optical axis is moved away from the subject's eye. In this case, when one of the plurality of objective optical units is placed on the reference optical axis from the retracted position, the objective optical unit placed on the reference optical axis is positioned closer to the retracted position than the retracted position. Move toward the eye to be examined. Also, the other objective optical section is retracted from the reference optical axis and moved away from the subject's eye. At this time, the positional relationship between the photographing optical system and each objective optical section changes. In other words, each objective optical section is arranged on the reference optical axis and retracted from the reference optical axis with a change in the positional relationship with the photographing optical system.

Note that the plurality of objective optical units may be moved manually or automatically. If the objective optical parts are moved automatically, the ophthalmic imaging apparatus may further comprise a driving part and a control part connected to the support part. The drive unit may be controlled by the control unit to drive the support unit to move the plurality of objective optical units.

Further, the objective optical section to be moved away from the eye to be examined when retracted from the reference optical axis may be all of the plurality of objective optical sections, or may be a portion of the plurality of objective optical sections. may be

The imaging optical system may be a scanning optical system that performs imaging by scanning imaging light on the tissue of the eye to be examined, or may be a non-scanning optical system. An example of a scanning optical system may be a spot scan type optical system that two-dimensionally scans a spot-shaped imaging light on a tissue, or a line-shaped optical system that scans a line-shaped imaging light in one direction. It may be a scanning type optical system. In this case, any one of a point light receiving element, a line sensor, a two-dimensional light receiving element (imaging element) and the like can be appropriately adopted as the light receiving element. An example of a non-scanning optical system includes an optical system of a general fundus camera.

The supporting section rotatably supports the plurality of objective optical sections with the optical axes of the plurality of objective optical sections intersecting at a reference point on the reference optical axis, and rotates the plurality of objective optical sections. It may be possible to selectively place one of the plurality of objective optical units on the reference optical axis. In this case, when one of the plurality of objective optical sections is placed on the reference optical axis, the other objective optical sections are retracted from the reference optical axis with their optical axes tilted with respect to the reference optical axis. be. As a result, the length of the objective optical section retracted from the reference optical axis in the direction of the reference optical axis becomes shorter than the length of the objective optical section in the optical axis direction. In other words, the objective optical section is arranged on the reference optical axis when in use, and is inclined with respect to the reference optical axis when retracted (when not in use). Therefore, the end of the objective optical section on the side of the subject's eye during retraction is located closer to the reference point in the direction of the reference optical axis than the end of the objective optical section on the side of the subject's eye during use. Therefore, a plurality of objective optical units can be appropriately switched.

The support section may rotatably support the plurality of objective optical sections about a rotation axis that passes through the reference point and intersects the reference optical axis. In this case, the objective optical section to be used can be switched with a simple configuration that rotates around the rotation axis.

Note that the plurality of objective optical units may be rotatable in the vertical direction around a rotation axis extending in the horizontal direction. In this case, for example, it is easy to narrow the lateral width of the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus. It also becomes easy to provide other configurations (eg, an external fixation light, etc.) on at least one of the right and left sides of the plurality of objective optical units. Also, the plurality of objective optical units may be rotatable in the left-right direction around a rotation axis extending in the up-down direction. In this case, it is easy to reduce the height of the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus. It also becomes easy to provide other configurations on at least one of the upper side and the lower side of the plurality of objective optical sections. Moreover, the rotating shaft may extend in an oblique direction.

Also, the support section rotatably supports the plurality of objective optical sections about a rotation axis that passes through the reference point and perpendicularly intersects all the optical axes of the plurality of objective optical sections. may In this case, the objective optical section can be switched more appropriately with a simple configuration.

The support may rotatably support the plurality of objective optical sections about a rotation axis that passes through the reference point and obliquely intersects the reference optical axis. In this case, the objective optical section to be used can be switched with a simple configuration that rotates around the rotation axis.

The angles formed by the reference optical axis and each of the optical axes of the plurality of objective optical units and the rotation axis may be equal. In this case, the objective optical section can be switched more appropriately with a simple configuration.

The ophthalmologic imaging apparatus may further include a controller. The support section may support the plurality of objective optical sections so as to be movable in the direction of the reference optical axis. When rotating the plurality of objective optical units by controlling the driving unit that drives the support unit, the control unit rotates the plurality of objective optical units after moving the plurality of objective optical units to the reference point side. may In this case, the plurality of objective optical units are rotated after being moved to the reference point side. Therefore, when the plurality of objective optical units are rotated, it is possible to prevent the objective optical units from protruding toward the subject. Therefore, a plurality of objective optical units can be appropriately switched.

In addition, the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus may be capable of executing automatic switching photography in which the objective optical unit is automatically switched for photography. In this case, after photographing the subject's eye using one of the plurality of objective optical units, the control unit switches the objective optical units by controlling driving of the support unit to rotate the plurality of objective optical units. may Then, the control unit may perform imaging of the subject's eye using the switched objective optical unit. When switching the objective optical units, the control unit may rotate the multiple objective lenses after moving the multiple objective optical units to the reference point side. After rotating the plurality of objective lenses, the control unit may move the plurality of objective optical units toward the subject's eye.

The ophthalmologic imaging apparatus may further include a controller. The support may movably support a plurality of objective optics. The control unit controls the driving unit that drives the support unit to move the plurality of objective optical units, thereby arranging one of the plurality of objective optical units on the reference optical axis. At least one of the retracted objective optical units may be moved away from the subject's eye. In this case, the objective optical section is arranged on the reference optical axis when in use, and retracted from the reference optical axis in parallel with the reference optical axis when retracted (when not in use). Therefore, the end of the objective optical section on the side of the subject's eye during retraction is farther away from the subject's eye in the direction of the reference optical axis than the end of the objective optical section on the side of the subject's eye during use. Therefore, a plurality of objective optical units can be appropriately switched.

The ophthalmologic imaging apparatus may further include at least one lens arranged closer to the light source than the plurality of objective optical units in the optical path of the imaging light. Further, the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus may further include a dioptric adjustment unit that adjusts diopter by moving at least one lens. In this case, the diopter can be adjusted by moving at least one lens (dioptric adjustment lens) arranged closer to the light source than the plurality of objective optical units in the optical path of the photographing light. Therefore, it is not necessary to include a configuration for diopter adjustment in a plurality of objective optical units. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the configuration of the plurality of objective optical units from becoming complicated.

Note that the dioptric adjustment lens may be moved manually or automatically. If the dioptric adjustment lens is moved manually, the dioptric adjustment section may include an adjustment mechanism capable of moving the dioptric adjustment lens. For example, the visibility adjustment lens may be moved via the visibility adjustment section by the operation of the operation section or the like by the user. When the dioptric adjustment lens is automatically moved, the dioptric adjustment section may include a driving section connected to the adjustment mechanism in addition to the adjustment mechanism. The driving section of the visibility adjustment section may be controlled by the control section so that the driving section drives the adjustment mechanism to move the visibility adjustment lens.

The ophthalmologic imaging apparatus may further include a detector and a controller. The detection unit may be capable of detecting the positions of the plurality of objective optical units in the direction of the reference optical axis. When the detection unit detects that at least one of the plurality of objective optical units is located closer to the subject's eye than the reference position, the control unit causes at least locking of movement of the plurality of objective optical units and notification by the notification unit. You can do either. In this case, the user can know that at least one of the plurality of objective optical units is positioned closer to the subject's eye than the reference position by at least one of locking the movement of the plurality of objective optical units and reporting by the reporting unit. can be done.

When the plurality of objective optical units are moved, the control unit moves the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis to the side of the eye to be examined from the end of the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis on the side of the eye to be examined. , at least one of locking the rotation of the plurality of objective optical units and reporting by the reporting unit may be performed. In this case, when the plurality of objective optical units are rotated by at least one of locking the rotation of the plurality of objective optical units and reporting by the reporting unit, the user can see the subject's eye of the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis. It can be seen that the side end is positioned closer to the subject's eye than the subject's eye-side end of the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis.

<Embodiment>
Hereinafter, typical embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 illustrates an external configuration of an ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 has a configuration of a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO).

As shown in FIG. 1, the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 of this embodiment has, as an example, an imaging section 10, a base 11, a face support unit 12, a moving table 13, a tilt mechanism 14, and an operation section 15. FIG. An optical system for acquiring an image of the subject's eye E is stored in the imaging unit 10 (details will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3).

The base 11 supports each part of the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 . A movable table 13 is mounted on the base 11 . Also, in this embodiment, the face support unit 12 is fixed to the base 11 . The face support unit 12 faces the subject's eye E to the examination window (for example, the objective optical section 217 or the objective optical section 218 shown in FIG. 3) by supporting the subject's face. The face support unit 12 has an adjustment mechanism (not shown) that adjusts the height at which the face is supported.

The ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 further includes an XZ movement mechanism 24 (see FIG. 2) and a vertical movement mechanism 25 (see FIG. 2). The XZ moving mechanism 24 is driven by the drive unit 21 (see FIG. 2) to move the moving table 13 in the horizontal direction (X direction) and the front-rear direction (Z direction, for example, the working distance direction) with respect to the base 11. ). As a result, the photographing unit 10 mounted on the movable table 13 is also moved forward, backward, leftward, and rightward. As a result, the support portion 26 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) that is stored or supported in the photographing portion 10 is also moved forward, backward, leftward, and rightward. The vertical movement mechanism 25 is driven by the drive unit 22 (see FIG. 2) to move the photographing unit 10 in the vertical direction (Y direction).

Note that the XZ moving mechanism 24 does not have to be electrically driven by the driving section 21 . In this case, for example, the XZ moving mechanism 24 may include a mechanical (that is, by mechanical operation) sliding mechanism to move the moving table 13 with respect to the base 11 . Further, the vertical movement mechanism 25 does not have to be electrically driven by the drive section 22 . In this case, for example, the vertical movement mechanism 25 may be provided with a mechanical (that is, by mechanical operation) mechanism to vertically move the photographing unit 10 .

The tilt mechanism 14 is a mechanism that supports the photographing unit 10 so that the angle of the photographing unit 10 with respect to the eye E to be examined can be changed. In this embodiment, a joystick is used as an example of the operation unit 15 . The operating section 15 is used as a manual operating section for moving the movable table 13 in the horizontal direction. When a user (for example, an examiner) operates the operation unit 15 , the drive unit 21 drives the XZ movement mechanism 24 . As a result, the movable table 13 is moved in the direction in which the operation unit 15 is tilted. As a result, the imaging unit 10 and the supporting unit 26 housed in the imaging unit 10 are also moved horizontally. Furthermore, when the rotation knob provided in the operation section 15 is rotated, the vertical movement mechanism 25 is driven by the driving section 22 . As a result, the photographing unit 10 is moved vertically.

Next, the electrical configuration of the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 includes a control unit 16, a memory 17, an operation unit 15, a display unit 18, a detection unit 19, a notification unit 20, driving units 21, 22, 23, an SLO optical system 200, a front An eye imaging unit 300 and a fixation target projection unit 400 are provided, which are electrically connected. An XZ movement mechanism 24 is electrically connected to the drive unit 21 . A vertical movement mechanism 25 is electrically connected to the drive unit 22 . A supporting portion 26 is electrically connected to the driving portion 23 . The SLO optical system 200 includes a visibility adjustment section 230 , and the visibility adjustment section 230 includes a drive section 231 and an adjustment mechanism 232 . Although the details will be described later, in the present embodiment, the visibility adjustment unit 230 adjusts the visibility by driving the adjustment mechanism 232 with the driving unit 231 . The SLO optical system 200 also includes a light source 211, a scanning unit 216, a light receiving element 225 (see FIG. 3), etc., the details of which will be described later.

The control unit 16 controls each unit in the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 (for example, controls the driving units 21, 22, 23, the SLO optical system 200, etc.). The control unit 16 is realized by a general CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like. For example, the control unit 16 controls the SLO optical system 200 to acquire a front image of the fundus Er of the subject's eye E (see FIG. 3). For example, the control unit 16 controls the anterior segment imaging unit 300 to obtain a front image of the anterior segment of the eye E to be examined. Further, for example, the control unit 16 controls the fixation target projection unit 400 to project the fixation target onto the eye E to be examined.

The memory 17 records, for example, various kinds of information (for example, a photographed front image, etc.). The memory 17 also stores a control program for controlling the operation of the ophthalmologic photographing apparatus 1 .

The operation unit 15 can receive various inputs by being operated by the user. As described above, in this embodiment, a joystick is used as one of the operation units 15, but the present invention is not limited to this. The operating unit 15 may include, for example, at least one of a mouse, keyboard, joystick, touch panel, microphone, and the like. The control unit 16 controls each member of the driving units 21, 22, 23, the SLO optical system 200, the anterior segment imaging unit 300, and the fixation target projection unit 400 based on signals output from the operation unit 15. be able to.

The display unit 18 can display images. For example, the display unit 18 can display images stored in the memory 17 . The control unit 16 controls the display screen of the display unit 18 . A front image obtained from each of the anterior segment imaging unit 300 and the SLO optical system 200 is output to the display unit 18 as a still image or moving image. Also, the acquired front image may be stored in the memory 17 . The display unit 18 may be mounted on the main body of the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 or may be separate from the main body. A display unit mounted on the main body and a display unit separate from the main body may be used together as the display unit 18 .

The detection unit 19 can detect the positions of the objective optical units 217 and 218 (see FIG. 3) in the direction of the reference optical axis L1 (see FIG. 3, details of which will be described later). The detection unit 19 detects, for example, the position of the support unit 26 to detect whether the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis L1 is positioned closer to the subject's eye E than the reference position. Specifically, the detection unit 19 may include a photointerrupter. The detection unit 19 uses a photointerrupter to detect movement of the support unit 26 or a member that moves integrally with the support unit 26 (for example, the imaging unit 10, etc.). It may be detected whether or not the position is positioned closer to the subject's eye E than the position. Further, for example, the detection unit 19 may include a sensor. The detection unit 19 may detect the end of the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis L1, or the position of the end and the subject's eye E by a sensor. Thereby, the detection unit 19 may detect whether or not the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis L1 is positioned closer to the subject's eye E than the reference position, based on the detection result of the sensor. The reference position is, for example, a position at which the distance from the subject's eye E or the face support unit 12 is a predetermined distance in the front-rear direction (Z direction).

The notification unit 20 can notify various types of information. In this embodiment, the notification unit 20 is, for example, a buzzer. In this case, the notification unit 20 issues a warning by emitting a sound. Note that the notification unit 20 may be a device other than a buzzer (for example, a lighting light, a speaker, etc.).

Each of the drive units 21, 22, 23 is, for example, a motor. As described above, the driving section 21 drives the XZ movement mechanism 24 and the driving section 22 drives the vertical movement mechanism 25 . The drive section 23 drives the support section 26 . Although the details will be described later, the support section 26 movably supports the objective optical section 217 and the objective optical section 218 . The support section 26 is driven by the driving section 23 to move the objective optical section 217 and the objective optical section 218 .

Next, a schematic configuration of the optical system of the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 has an SLO optical system 200 , an anterior segment imaging unit 300 , and a fixation target projection unit 400 .

The SLO optical system 200 will be described. The SLO optical system 200 is an example of a scanning fundus imaging optical system for obtaining a front image of the fundus Er of the eye E to be examined. Specifically, the SLO optical system 200 of this embodiment is a confocal scanning fundus imaging optical system. The SLO optical system 200 has a light projecting optical system 210 and a light receiving optical system 220 .

The projection optical system 210 is used, for example, to irradiate the fundus Er of the eye E to be examined with laser light as imaging light. For example, the projection optical system 210 includes a light source 211, a condenser lens 212, a perforated mirror 213, a lens 214, a lens 215, a scanning unit 216, a dichroic mirror 301, a dichroic mirror 401, an objective optical unit 217, and an objective optical unit. 218 are included.

For the light source 211, for example, a light source that emits laser light (for example, a laser diode (LD), a superluminescent diode (SLD), etc.) may be used. Hereinafter, the light source 211 will be described as a light source that emits monochromatic light (more specifically, infrared light). However, the light source 211 is not limited to a light source that emits monochromatic light. For example, light source 211 may have multiple light sources. In this case, the light source 211 may be configured to emit light of multiple colors simultaneously or selectively. Also, the wavelength of the light emitted from the light source 211 is not limited to the infrared region, and may be, for example, a wavelength in the visible region.

The laser light emitted from the light source 211 is guided to the fundus Er along the route indicated by the solid line in FIG. In other words, the laser light from the light source 211 passes through the condensing lens 212 , the opening 213 A formed in the perforated mirror 213 , the lens 214 and the lens 215 , and then travels toward the scanning unit 216 . The laser light reflected by the scanning unit 216 passes through the dichroic mirrors 301 and 401 . Then, the laser light is applied to the objective optical section arranged on the reference optical axis L1. The laser light is condensed at the fundus Er of the subject's eye E by an objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis L1. As a result, the light reflected and scattered by the fundus Er is emitted from the pupil. The reference optical axis L1 is an optical axis extending straight toward the subject's eye E among the optical axes of the laser beam. In this embodiment, as an example, the reference optical axis L1 is an optical axis extending from the scanning unit 216 toward the eye E to be examined, and extends in the front-rear direction (Z direction).

The ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 includes a plurality of objective optical units including at least two objective optical units with mutually different imaging angles of view. In this embodiment, the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 includes an objective optical section 217 and an objective optical section 218 . The imaging angle of view of the objective optical section 218 is wider than the imaging angle of view of the objective optical section 217 . As described above, the supporting portion 26 is arranged so that the optical axis L4 of the objective optical section 217 and the optical axis L5 of the objective optical section 218 intersect at the reference point P on the reference optical axis L1. A portion 218 is rotatably supported. Although the details will be described later, the support section 26 rotates the objective optical section 217 and the objective optical section 218 to selectively align one of the objective optical section 217 and the objective optical section 218 on the reference optical axis L1. Can be placed.

In this embodiment, the lens 214 is configured to be movable in the direction of the optical axis L2 by means of the visibility adjustment section 230 . The diopter of the light projecting optical system 210 and the light receiving optical system 220 changes according to the position of the lens 214 . In this embodiment, the diopter of the subject's eye E is adjusted by adjusting the position of the lens 214 . As a result, the focus position of the laser beam can be adjusted to the observation site (for example, the retinal surface) of the fundus Er.

The lens 214 is arranged closer to the light source 211 than the objective optical sections 217 and 218 in the optical path of the laser beam. Diopter can be adjusted by moving the lens 214 . Therefore, the objective optical units 217 and 218 do not need to include a configuration for diopter adjustment. Note that the dioptric power adjusting lens 214 may be composed of a plurality of lenses.

The scanning unit 216 may be used to scan the fundus Er of the eye E to be examined with the laser light emitted from the light source 211 . In this embodiment, the scanning unit 216 is a unit having an optical scanner that changes the traveling direction of the laser light guided from the light source 211 (deflects the laser light). As an example, the scanning unit 216 has a resonant scanner 216A and a galvanomirror 216B. As shown in FIG. 3, the scanning unit 216 is covered by, for example, an optical path branching member (in this embodiment, the perforated mirror 213) for branching the optical path of the light projecting optical system 210 and the optical path of the light receiving optical system 220. It is arranged on the eye E side. In this embodiment, main scanning of laser light is performed in the X direction by the resonant scanner 216A. In addition, sub-scanning of the laser light is performed in the Y direction by the galvanomirror 216B. Note that the resonant scanner and the galvanomirror may be replaced with each other. That is, in FIG. 3, 216B can be used as a resonant scanner to perform main scanning in the X direction, and 216A can be used as a galvanomirror to perform sub-scanning in the Y direction. The optical scanner of the scanning unit 216 may be, for example, a reflecting mirror (galvano mirror, polygon mirror, resonant scanner), or an acoustooptic device (AOM) that changes the traveling (deflecting) direction of light.

The objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis L1 guides the laser light scanned by the scanning unit 216 to the fundus Er. Here, an example in which the objective optical section 217 is arranged on the reference optical axis L1 will be described. The objective optical unit 217 forms a turning point around which the laser light that has passed through the scanning unit 216 is turned. In this embodiment, the pivot point is formed on the reference optical axis L1 and at a position optically conjugate with the scanning unit 216 (for example, the intermediate point between the resonant scanner 216A and the galvanomirror 216B) with respect to the objective optical unit 217. be done. The laser light that has passed through the objective optical section 217 is rotated around the pivot point as the scanning section 216 operates. Therefore, by adjusting the working distance between the subject's eye E and the apparatus so that the turning point is formed at the pupil (for example, the position near C in FIG. 3), the laser beam is projected two-dimensionally on the fundus Er. are scanned systematically. The laser light applied to the fundus Er is reflected at a condensing position (for example, the surface of the retina). Light reflected by the fundus Er is emitted from the pupil as parallel light.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the objective optical section 217 can photograph the fundus Er at a narrower angle of view than the objective optical section 218 (for example, less than φ90 degrees). The angle of view referred to here corresponds to an angle with the pupil of the eye E to be examined as a reference. As an example, the objective optical unit 217 stores a lens 217A in a lens barrel. The lens 217A is arranged on the optical axis L4 of the objective optical section 217. As shown in FIG. Lens 217A has positive power. The lens 217A bends the light beam from the scanning unit 216 and guides it to the fundus Er.

Note that this embodiment shows an example in which the objective optical unit 217 is composed of a single lens. However, the objective optical section 217 may be composed of two or more lenses. Also, the objective optical unit 217 may use a cemented lens in which a plurality of lenses are cemented together, an aspherical lens, or the like. In addition, the objective optical unit 217 is not limited to an optical system configured by lenses, and for example, a mirror system may be applied.

As described above, in this embodiment, the objective optical section 218 can photograph the fundus with a wider angle of view than the objective optical section 217 . Specifically, the objective optical unit 218 can photograph the fundus at an angle of view of φ90° or more (for example, about φ90° to 150°). The objective optical section has, for example, a first lens 218A, a second lens 218B, and a third lens 218C, which are housed in a lens barrel. The first lens 218A, the second lens 218B, and the third lens 218C are arranged on the optical axis L5 of the objective optical section 218 in descending order of distance from the eye E to be examined.

The first lens 218A and the second lens 218B have the main positive power in the objective optical section 218 as well. The first lens 218A and the second lens 218B bend the light flux toward the reference optical axis L1 at the position where the height of the light flux from the scanning unit 216 is the highest, and guide the light flux to the fundus Er. The maximum height of the light beam passing through the objective optical section 218 is higher than that of the objective optical section 217 . This prevents the working distance from becoming excessively short.

The curvature of the first lens 218A on the side of the subject's eye E is preferably smaller than that on the scanning unit 216 side. For example, the surface of the first lens 218A on the side of the subject's eye E may be flat. This makes it easier to secure the working distance (the distance from the inspection window to the eye to be examined E). Also, the first lens 218A may be an aspherical lens. Here, with the widening of the angle (widening of the angle of view), there is a possibility that aberration depending on the aperture of the lens may cause vignetting or the like due to the iris. Therefore, for example, the aspherical shape of the first lens 218A may reduce the spherical aberration of imaging at the pupil position (rotation point of the light flux). As a result, vignetting of the luminous flux by the iris is suppressed, and the luminous flux can be favorably guided to the fundus. Not limited to this, a shape that corrects other aberrations that depend on the aperture of the lens may be adopted as the aspheric shape of the first lens 218A.

The second lens 218B may be a cemented lens. In the case of SLO, the chromatic aberration of magnification caused by the objective optical section 218 may be reduced by the second lens 218B. Also, when the second lens 218B is a cemented lens, asymmetrical aberrations and field curvature may be reduced by the second lens 218B. Also, the third lens 218C may be a concave lens having a concave surface facing the scanning unit 216 side. The light beam from the scanning unit 216 is refracted in a direction away from the reference optical axis L1 when passing through a place other than the center of the third lens 218C. Therefore, the light beam from the scanning unit 216 can be made to have a required light beam height at a shorter distance, and the total length of the objective optical unit 218 can be suppressed.

Note that this embodiment shows an example in which the objective optical unit 218 is composed of three lenses. However, the objective optical section 218 may be composed of one or two lenses, or may be composed of four or more lenses. Also, the objective optical unit 218 is not limited to an optical system composed of lenses, and for example, a mirror system may be applied.

Next, the light receiving optical system 220 will be described. The light receiving optical system 220 receives light from the fundus Er accompanying the laser light from the light projecting optical system 210 with the light receiving element 225 . The light receiving optical system 220 of this embodiment has a lens 221 , a pinhole plate 223 , a lens 224 and a light receiving element 225 . The pinhole plate 223 is arranged at a position conjugate with the fundus Er and functions as a confocal diaphragm. Further, the light receiving optical system 220 shares with the light projecting optical system 210 each member arranged from the objective optical section arranged on the reference optical axis L1 to the perforated mirror 213 . As a result, in this embodiment, the optical path from the subject's eye E to the perforated mirror 213 is formed as a common part of the light projecting optical system 210 and the light receiving optical system 220 .

When the fundus Er of the eye to be examined E is irradiated with laser light, the light reflected or scattered by the fundus Er is guided to the light receiving element 225 along the path of the light beam indicated by the dashed line in FIG. First, the light reflected or scattered by the fundus and extracted from the pupil travels backward through the projection optical system 210 described above and reaches the perforated mirror 213 .

In this embodiment, the perforated mirror 213 is an optical path branching member that branches the light from the fundus Er via the common optical path of the light projecting optical system 210 and the light receiving optical system 220 . Light from the fundus Er is split by the perforated mirror 213 into a light-receiving-side optical path (here, an optical path along the optical axis L3) and a light-source-side optical path (here, an optical path along the optical axis L2).

As shown in FIG. 3, the light reflected by the perforated mirror 213 is collected by the lens 221 . When the dioptric power is properly adjusted by the lens 214 , the light passing through the lens 221 is focused on the pinhole (that is, aperture) of the pinhole plate 223 . That is, in this case, the pinhole is arranged at the fundus conjugate position. The light that has passed through the pinhole is received by the light receiving element 225 via the lens 224 . In this embodiment, an APD (avalanche photodiode) having sensitivity in the infrared region is used as the light receiving element 225 . Each time the scanning unit 216 scans one frame of laser light, the control unit 16 performs image processing on the light receiving signal for one frame output from the light receiving element 225. As a result, one frame of the front image of the fundus oculi is obtained. is generated.

The imaging optical system 201 in this embodiment is formed by members of the light projecting optical system 210 and the light receiving optical system 220 in the SLO optical system 200, except for the objective optical section 217 and the objective optical section 218. FIG. Specifically, the imaging optical system 201 in this embodiment includes at least a light receiving element 225 . Further, the imaging optical system 201 of this embodiment includes a light source 211, a condenser lens 212, a perforated mirror 213, a lens 214, a lens 215, a scanning unit 216, a lens 221, a pinhole plate 223, a lens 224, a dichroic mirror 301, and a dichroic mirror 401 . The imaging optical system 201 is commonly used for each of the plurality of objective optical units 217 and 218 .

Next, the anterior segment imaging unit 300 will be described. The anterior segment imaging unit 300 is used to acquire a front image of the anterior segment of the eye E to be examined. The anterior segment imaging unit 300 has a lens 302 and an imaging device 303 . The imaging element 303 may be, for example, a two-dimensional imaging element such as a CCD. Although not shown, a plurality of infrared light sources for irradiating the anterior segment of the eye E to be inspected with infrared light are provided on the front side of the ophthalmologic photographing apparatus 1 (near the eye E to be inspected). The imaging device 303 captures an image of the anterior segment of the eye E by receiving infrared light reflected by the anterior segment of the eye E to be inspected. Specifically, the infrared light reflected by the anterior segment of the subject's eye E is reflected by the dichroic mirror 301 via the objective optical section and the dichroic mirror 401 arranged on the reference optical axis L1. After that, the infrared light reflected by the dichroic mirror 301 passes through the lens 302 and is received by the imaging device 303 .

Next, the fixation target projection unit 400 will be described. The fixation target projection unit 400 is used to project the fixation target toward the eye E to be examined. The fixation target projection unit 400 has a dichroic mirror 401 , a lens 402 and a light source 403 . The light source 403 emits fixation light, which is visible light. The fixation light emitted from the light source 403 is reflected by the dichroic mirror 401 after passing through the lens 402 . The fixation light reflected by the dichroic mirror 401 passes through the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis L1 and converges on the fundus Er of the eye E to be examined. A subject views visible light as a fixation target. Thereby, the subject's eye E is fixated.

Next, a method of rotating the objective optical section 217 and the objective optical section 218 will be described. As described above, the supporting portion 26 is arranged so that the optical axis L4 of the objective optical section 217 and the optical axis L5 of the objective optical section 218 intersect at the reference point P on the reference optical axis L1. A portion 218 is rotatably supported.

First, referring to FIG. 4, a first embodiment in which the objective optical sections 217 and 218 are rotated around the rotation axis R1 by the supporting section 26A will be described. In the first embodiment, the support section 26A is rod-shaped and provided on the rotation axis R1, and supports the objective optical sections 217 and 218 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis R1. The rotation axis R1 passes through the reference point P and perpendicularly intersects the reference optical axis L1. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the rotation axis R1 extends in the left-right direction (X direction). The support section 26A supports the optical axis L4 of the objective optical section 217 and the optical axis L5 of the objective optical section 218 in a state where they intersect at the reference point P. As shown in FIG. Here, the rotation axis R1 perpendicularly intersects the optical axis L4 and the optical axis L5. Therefore, the supporting section 26A can rotate the objective optical sections 217 and 218 in the vertical direction about the rotation axis R1 by being driven by the driving section 21. FIG. Thereby, the support section 26A can selectively place one of the objective optical sections 217 and 218 on the reference optical axis L1. In other words, each of the objective optical units 217 and 218 is arranged on the reference optical axis L1 and retracted from the reference optical axis L1 as the positional relationship with the imaging optical system 201 changes.

Note that the objective optical units 217 and 218 may be rotatable in the left-right direction around a rotation axis R1 extending in the up-down direction (Y direction). Moreover, the rotating shaft R1 may extend in an oblique direction.

Next, a second embodiment in which the objective optical sections 217 and 218 are rotated around the rotation axis R2 by the supporting section 26B will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the supporting portion 26B is disk-shaped and is provided on the rotation axis R2, and is supported by the housing of the photographing section 10 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis R2. Therefore, the support section 26B supports the objective optical sections 217 and 218 so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis R2. The rotation axis R2 passes through the reference point P and obliquely intersects the reference optical axis L1. The support portion 26B supports the optical axis L4 of the objective optical portion 217 and the optical axis L5 of the objective optical portion 218 in a state where they intersect at the reference point P. FIG. The angle between the reference optical axis L1 and the rotation axis R2 (θ1 in FIG. 5), the angle between the optical axis L4 and the rotation axis R2 (θ1 in FIG. 5), and the angle between the optical axis L5 and the rotation axis R2 ( Then θ2) are all equal. In other words, the reference optical axis L1 and the optical axes L4 and L5 are positioned on a circle centered on the rotation axis R2 on a virtual plane that passes through an arbitrary point on the rotation axis R2 and is perpendicular to the rotation axis R2. That is, on the virtual plane described above, the distances from each of the reference optical axis L1, optical axis L4, and optical axis L5 to the rotation axis R2 are the same. Therefore, the support section 26B can selectively place one of the objective optical section 217 and the objective optical section 218 on the reference optical axis L1 by rotating the objective optical sections 217 and 218 about the rotation axis R2. can.

In addition, in this embodiment, as an example, the objective optical units 217 and 218 are automatically rotated. Specifically, the driving section 23 is controlled by the control section 16 to drive the supporting section 26 (that is, the supporting section 26A or the supporting section 26B) to rotate the objective optical sections 217 and 218 . Note that the objective optical units 217 and 218 may be manually rotated. In this case, for example, the objective optical sections 217 and 218 may be rotated via the support section 26 by the user operating the support section 26 or a member holding the support section 26 .

In order to prevent the objective optical units 217 and 218 from protruding toward the subject's eye E when the objective optical units 217 and 218 are rotated, the ends of the objective optical units 217 and 218 on the subject's eye E side are It is conceivable to align the positions in the direction of the reference optical axis L1. However, in this case, in general, when the imaging angles of view of the objective optical units 217 and 218 are different, the distance between the end of the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis L1 on the side of the subject's eye E and the turning point of the laser beam is The distance differs between the objective optical sections 217 and 218 . Therefore, in all the objective optical units 217 and 218, the turning point of the laser beam and the rotation center of the tilt mechanism 14 cannot be matched. In the objective optical unit where the turning point of the laser light and the rotation center of the tilt mechanism 14 do not coincide, vignetting occurs on the iris of the eye E to be examined as the tilt mechanism 14 operates. Therefore, it may become difficult to tilt the photographing unit 10 by the tilt mechanism 14 to photograph the periphery of the fundus or the like.

In the present embodiment, when the detection unit 19 detects that the objective optical units 217 and 218 are located closer to the subject's eye E than the reference position, the control unit 16 moves (rotates) the objective optical units 217 and 218. , and at least one of the notification by the notification unit 20 can be executed. The user positions at least one of the objective optical units 217 and 218 closer to the subject's eye E than the reference position due to at least one of locking of the movement (rotation) of the objective optical units 217 and 218 and notification by the notification unit 20. can know. In this case, for example, the user can move the objective optical units 217 and 218 away from the subject's eye E by operating the operation unit 15 and moving the support unit 26 with the XZ movement mechanism 24 . When the movement (rotation) of the objective optical units 217 and 218 is locked, the locking may be released by moving the objective optical units 217 and 218 away from the eye E to be examined. Note that the objective optical units 217 and 218 may be moved away from the subject's eye E via a mechanism other than the XZ movement mechanism 24 .

Various modifications of the above embodiment are possible. In the above embodiment, the diopter adjustment lens 214 is automatically moved. However, lens 214 may be moved manually. In this case, the visibility adjusting section 230 does not have to include the driving section 231 . For example, the lens 214 may be moved via the visibility adjustment section 230 by the user operating an operation section or the like connected to the adjustment mechanism 232 .

When the objective optical units 217 and 218 are moved (rotated), the control unit 16 moves the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis L1 to the subject's eye E side of the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis L1. At least one of the locking of the movement (rotation) of the support section 26 and the notification by the notification section 20 may be performed when the support section 26 is positioned on the subject's eye E side of the end of the . In this case, when the objective optical units 217 and 218 are moved (rotated) by at least one of the locking of the rotation of the support unit 26 and the notification by the notification unit 20, the user can move (rotate) the objective optical unit arranged on the reference optical axis L1. It can be seen that the end of the section on the eye E side is located closer to the eye to be examined than the end of the objective optical section on the eye to be examined side arranged on the reference optical axis L1. In this case, for example, the user may keep the objective optical units 217 and 218 away from the subject's eye E by moving the support unit 26 . When the movement (rotation) of the support section 26 is locked, the lock may be released by moving the objective optical section arranged on the reference optical axis L1 away from the eye E to be examined.

As described above, the XZ moving mechanism 24 is driven by the drive unit 21 so that the moving table 13 can move in the front-rear direction (Z direction) with respect to the base 11 . Thereby, the support part 26 is also movable in the front-rear direction (Z direction). When the objective optical sections 217 and 218 are rotated by controlling the support section 26, the control section 16 moves the objective optical sections 217 and 218 toward the reference point P side, and then rotates the objective optical sections 217 and 218. You can rotate it. Specifically, the control unit 16 may control the drive unit 21 to drive the XZ movement mechanism 24 to move the support unit 26 backward. Thereby, the control unit 16 may move the objective optical units 217 and 218 to the reference point P side (backward). After that, the control section 16 may control the support section 26 to rotate the objective optical sections 217 and 218 . The ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 may include a mechanism for moving the support section 26 separately from the XZ movement mechanism 24, so that the objective optical sections 217 and 218 can be moved in the front-rear direction (Z direction).

In addition, the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 may be capable of executing automatic switching photography in which the objective optical units 217 and 218 are automatically switched for photography. In this case, the control unit 16 takes an image of the subject's eye E using one of the objective optical units 217 and 218, and then controls the support unit 26 to rotate the objective optical units 217 and 218. You can switch parts. Then, the control unit 16 may perform imaging of the subject's eye E using the switched objective optical unit. When switching between the objective optical units 217 and 218, the control unit 16 may rotate the objective optical units 217 and 218 after moving the objective optical units 217 and 218 to the reference point P side. After rotating the objective optical units 217 and 218, the control unit 16 may move the objective optical units 217 and 218 toward the subject's eye E side.

In the above-described embodiment, the supporting portion 26 is arranged so that the optical axis L4 of the objective optical section 217 and the optical axis L5 of the objective optical section 218 intersect at the reference point P on the reference optical axis L1. is rotatably supported. However, it is also possible to vary the manner in which the multiple objectives are supported. For example, the support section 26 may movably support the objective optical sections 217 and 218 with the optical axis L4 and the optical axis L5 parallel to the reference optical axis L1. Then, when one of the objective optical units 217 and 218 is arranged on the reference optical axis L1 by controlling the driving unit 23, the control unit 16 causes at least one of the objective optical units to be retracted from the reference optical axis. may be moved away from the eye E to be examined. A modification in such a case will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the objective optical units 217 and 218 of this modified example are arranged such that the optical axis L4 and the optical axis L5 are parallel to the reference optical axis L1. 6 and 7 are the same as those in FIG. 3 except for the arrangement and movement method of the objective optical units 217 and 218, so description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 6, when the objective optical section 217 is arranged on the reference optical axis L1, the objective optical section 218 retreats in the direction away from the subject's eye E (toward the reference point P) in the direction of the reference optical axis L1. be done. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when the objective optical section 218 is arranged on the reference optical axis L1, the objective optical section 217 moves away from the subject's eye E in the direction of the reference optical axis L1 (the side of the reference point P). is evacuated to The control unit 16 drives the support unit 26 by controlling the driving unit 23, and when one of the objective optical units 217 and 218 is arranged on the reference optical axis L1, the other of the objective optical units 217 and 218 is positioned on the reference optical axis L1. is moved away from the subject's eye E in the direction of the reference optical axis L1. Note that the objective optical unit retracted from the reference optical axis L<b>1 may be accommodated in the housing of the photographing unit 10 . Further, in this modified example, the length of the objective optical section 217 in the optical axis direction is shorter than the length of the objective optical section 218 in the optical axis direction. Therefore, when the objective optical part 217 is retracted from the reference optical axis L1, the objective optical part 217 does not have to be moved away from the eye E to be examined.

When the objective optics 217, 218 are switched, for example, the objective optics 217, 218 may be moved up and down. In the modified examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the objective optical units 217 and 218 are arranged vertically. etc.), the optical axis L4 and the optical axis L5 may be arranged parallel to the reference optical axis L1. Also, for example, the distances between each of the objective optical units 217 and 218 and the reference optical axis L1 may be equal. In this case, the objective optical units 217 and 218 may be switched by being rotated around the reference optical axis L1. The objective optical sections 217 and 218 may be supported in a state in which the optical axis L4 and the optical axis L5 are not parallel.

In the above embodiments, objective optical section 217 and objective optical section 218 are separate objective optical sections, and one of objective optical section 217 and objective optical section 218 is arranged on reference optical axis L1. However, for example, in a state in which one objective optical section is arranged on the reference optical axis L1, another objective optical section is configured by additionally arranging at least one other lens on the reference optical axis L1. may For example, in a state where the lens 217A of the objective optical section 217 is arranged on the reference optical axis L1, the first lens 218A and the second lens 218B are additionally arranged on the reference optical axis L1 to obtain an objective with a wide angle of view. An optic may be configured. At least one lens may be additionally arranged by the support section 26 supporting at least one lens and the driving section 23 being controlled by the control section 16 .

In the above embodiment, the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 has an SLO configuration as an example. However, the ophthalmologic imaging apparatus 1 may have a configuration other than the SLO configuration. For example, the ophthalmologic imaging device 1 may include an optical coherence tomography device. Fourier domain OCT or time domain OCT (TD-OCT) may be employed in the optical coherence tomography apparatus. Spectral-domain-OCT (SD-OCT), Swept-source-OCT (SS-OCT), etc. can be employed as examples of Fourier domain OCT. Further, for example, the ophthalmologic photographing apparatus 1 may include a fundus photographing apparatus (for example, a fundus camera or the like).

The laser light in the above embodiments is an example of the "imaging light" of the present invention. The lens 217A, the first lens 218A, the second lens 218B, and the third lens 218C in the above embodiment are examples of the "objective lens" of the present invention.

1 ophthalmic photographing apparatus 16 control unit 19 detection unit 20 notification unit 26 support unit 201 photographing optical system 211 light source 214 lenses 217 and 218 objective optical unit 217 first lens 218A first lens 218B second lens 218C third lens 230 diopter adjustment Part E eye to be examined L1 reference optical axes L4, L5 optical axis P reference points R1, R2 rotation axis

Claims (2)

Imaging optics having a light receiving element for emitting imaging light from a light source to the eye to be inspected through a reference optical axis extending straight toward the eye to be inspected, and for receiving return light of the imaging light by the light receiving element. a system, a plurality of objective optical sections including at least two objective optical sections having different imaging angles of view, and a support section for supporting the plurality of objective optical sections, wherein each of the at least two objective optical sections is and an objective lens for irradiating the photographing light toward the eye to be inspected, wherein the at least two objective optical parts have different lengths, and the support part is arranged at a reference point on the reference optical axis for the plurality of objective optical parts. rotatably supporting the plurality of objective optical sections with the optical axes of the sections obliquely crossing each other; and rotating the plurality of objective optical sections to rotate one of the plurality of objective optical sections can be selectively arranged on the reference optical axis, and at least one of the plurality of objective optical sections is retracted from the reference optical axis when retracting from the reference optical axis. An ophthalmologic photographing apparatus, characterized in that the objective optical unit for moving the subject's eye is moved in a direction away from the subject's eye by arranging the objective optical section to be tilted with respect to the reference optical axis . Imaging optics having a light receiving element for emitting imaging light from a light source to the eye to be inspected through a reference optical axis extending straight toward the eye to be inspected, and for receiving return light of the imaging light by the light receiving element. a system, a plurality of objective optical sections including at least two objective optical sections having different imaging angles of view, a support section for supporting the plurality of objective optical sections, and directions of the reference optical axes of the plurality of objective optical sections. a detection unit capable of detecting a position in the When one of the plurality of objective optical units can be selectively arranged on the reference optical axis, and at least one of the plurality of objective optical units is retracted from the reference optical axis and moving the objective optical section to be retracted from the reference optical axis in a direction away from the eye to be examined , and positioning at least one of the plurality of objective optical sections closer to the eye to be examined than the reference position by the detecting section. The ophthalmologic photographing apparatus , wherein, when it is detected, the control section executes at least one of locking of movement of the plurality of objective optical sections and notification by a notification section .

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