WO2005009230A1

WO2005009230A1 - Lighting device for iridoscopes

Info

Publication number: WO2005009230A1
Application number: PCT/IT2003/000465
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luciano Piollini
Original assignee: Luciano Piollini
Priority date: 2003-07-28
Filing date: 2003-07-28
Publication date: 2005-02-03
Also published as: AU2003253277A1

Abstract

A lighting device for iridoscopes comprising a light source (11) arranged in at least a main container (5) behind at least a reflecting or refracting element (15) provided with a hole (17) for the passage of the light emitted by said source (11), as well as a flash-unit (2) suitable for emitting light on said reflecting or refracting element (15), so that this last reflects or refracts it substantially in the same direction of the light emitted by the light source (11), said container (5) being mechanically connected to supporting and adjusting means (6, 8, 9, 10) suitable for rotatably fixing the device to an iridoscope (7) and for directing the light emitted by the light source (11) or by the flash-unit (2) towards the eye to be examined.

Description

"LIGHTING DEVICE FOR IRIDOSCOPES"

The present invention relates to a lighting device for iridoscopes and particularly to a device which can be applied to iridoscopes to light the eyes to be examined. The known iridoscopes comprise a binoculars, a light source for lighting the eye, a telecamera or a photocamera and a flash-unit to photograph the image of the iris provided by the binoculars. The flash-unit is usually arranged on a base independent from the iridoscope, as for example a tripod. The operator, watching through the oculars of the binoculars, focuses the iris of the eye and photographs the image obtained through the photocamera and the diffused light of the flash-unit. These iridoscopes have the problem that the slide or photograph thus obtained do not reproduce faithfully the image of the iris because of the reflections and of the scarce and inhomogeneous light which reaches it. Therefore, the colors of the iris appear different from those real. Moreover, the image of the eye reproduced in the slide often has shadings which can induce the operator to diagnose actually inexistent pathologies . The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a device to examine the eye free from the above mentioned drawbacks. Said object is achieved through a lighting device whose main features are specified in the first claim, while other features are specified in the following claims. The device according to the present invention allows to obtain slides or photographs which represent faithfully the iris, both from a chromatic and from an image clearness point of view. With this device the operator is thus able to suitably examine the human eye, without risking incorrect diagnoses. Furthermore, the device according to the present invention is easy to manufacture and can be applied to any iridoscope, even of known type, with consequent economic advantages. Further advantages and features of the lighting device for iridoscopes according to the present invention will be clear from the following detailed and non limiting description of one embodiment thereof with reference to the attached drawings wherein: figure 1 shows a perspective view of the device according to the present invention; - figure 2 shows a sectional view of the device of figure 1 ; and figure 3 shows a schematic plan view of the device of figure 1 applied to an iridoscope. Referring to figure 1, there is seen that the device according to the present invention comprises a chamber 1 suitable for containing and directing the light emitted by a flash-unit 2, which can be fixed under said chamber 1 , at the emitting surface, by means of a fixing bracket 3. The device according to the present invention comprises further a light beam outlet conduit 4, a main container 5 and supporting and adjusting means. In particular, chamber 1 consists of a hollow cylinder open towards the outlet conduit 4, which is in turn open towards the container 5. Said supporting and adjusting means comprise a rotating support 6 through which container 5 can be applied to an iridoscope 7, of which in figure 1 only a small part is shown. This rotating support 6 allows container 5 to rotate according to a substantially vertical rotational axis around the iridoscope 7 between two end positions. Further supporting and adjusting means are a shaft 8, around which container 5 can rotate, a mechanism 9 to adjust the vertical position of container 5 and an arm 10 pivoted to support 6, which allow the operator to arrange the container 5 in the desired position. Referring now also to figure 2, it is shown that inside container 5 there is contained a light source 11 for emitting light to allow the operator to focus the image visible through the lenses of the iridoscope. In particular, in the present embodiment, the light source 11 comprises a bulb connected to a pair of contacts 12, 12' for the passage of electric current. Light source 11 can be supplied by a supply or by batteries. In this last case the batteries can be contained in a housing 13 placed under container 5. The device according to the present invention can be provided with a switch, not shown in the figures, suitable for deactivating the light source of the iridoscope and simultaneously activating the light source 11 , when necessary. The external opening of the outlet conduit 4, which is placed inside a housing 14, is provided with a removable perforated screen 16, possibly provided with one or more lenses, which allows the operator to select the diameter of the cross section of the beam coming out from conduit 4 as necessary, as well as to direct this beam in the desired direction. A reflecting or refracting element 15 is placed in conduit 4 in front of the light source 11 and over the chamber 1, so as to be able to reflect or refract the light emitted by the flash-unit 2 substantially in the same direction of the beam emitted by the source 11. For this purpose, the reflecting or refracting element 15 is provided with a central hole 17, so that the light emitted by the light source 11 is able to pass through the element 15, the screen 16 and to reach the eye to be examined. In this way both beams, that produced by the flash-unit 2 and that produced by the light source 11, are arranged on the same axis, turned towards the eye to be examined. In the present embodiment of the invention the light beam of the flash-unit 2 passing through the chamber 1 has a direction that is perpendicular to the light beam passing through the hole 17 and the element 15 is a mirror arranged at 45° with respect to said beams. Figure 3 shows the position of the device 18 according to the present invention with respect to the iridoscope 7. The latter may comprise in a known way two oculars 19, a plurality of optic prisms placed in a container 20, an optic separator 21, a photocamera 22, a binocular lens 23, a rotating knob 24 to vary the magnifications and a support 25 for the correct positioning of the face of the patient. Iridoscope 7 may further be provided with sliding means suitable to allow the transverse translation thereof so as to allow the operator to focus and examine both eyes 26 of the patient. During utilization, the operator has only to adjust the position of the device according to the present invention, to focus by means of the light of the light source 11, and to shoot the photograph to obtain a clear and faithful image of the eye to be examined, lighted by the beam of the flash-unit 2 during the shooting of this photograph. It is clear that the embodiment herein described and illustrated is only a non limiting example of the invention. In fact it is for example possible to realize a chamber 1 of such dimension to internally contain the unit-flash 2. In this way it is possible to obtain a more compact device and the flash-unit 2 is sheltered from possible knocks. Possible other changes and/or additions can be made by those skilled in the art to the embodiment of the invention herein described and illustrated, without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A lighting device for iridoscopes, characterized in that it comprises a light source (11) arranged in at least a main container (5) behind at least a reflecting or refracting element (15) provided with a hole (17) for the passage of the light emitted by said source (11), as well as a flash-unit (2) suitable for emitting light on said reflecting or refracting element (15), so that the latter reflects or refracts it substantially in the same direction of the light emitted by the light source (11), said container (5) being mechanically connected to supporting and adjusting means (6, 8, 9, 10) suitable for rotatably fixing the device to an iridoscope (7) and for directing the light emitted by the light source (11) or by the flash-unit (2) towards the eye to be examined.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the light of said flash-unit (2) is directed towards said reflecting or refracting element (15) by means of a chamber (1).

3. A device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said supporting and adjusting means (6, 8, 9, 10) comprise a rotating support (6) to rotate the container (5) around the iridoscope (7) and a shaft (8), around which the container (5) can rotate, connected to the rotating support (6) by means of an arm (10).

4. A device according to claim 3, characterized in that said supporting and adjusting means (6, 8, 9, 10) further comprise a mechanism (9) to adjust the height of the container (5).

5. A device according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the reflecting or refracting element (15) is placed in a conduit (4) provided with a perforated removable screen (16), possibly provided with lens, to adjust the cross section of the beam emitted by the light source (1 1) or by the flash-unit (2).

6. A device according to one or more o the previous claims, characterized in that said chamber (1) comprises a hollow cylinder open towards the conduit (4), which is in turn open towards the container (5).

7. A lighting device for iridoscopes according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that the light source (11) is supplied by batteries.

8. A device according to claim 7, characterized in that said batteries are contained in a housing (13) placed under the container (5).

9. An iridoscope (7), characterized in that it comprises a device (18) according to one of the previous claims.