Bausch-lomb Incorporated

Other

United States of America As Represented by the Secretary of the Air Force

Lloyd G Allred

Barry T Eagan

Jeffrey B McBeth

Ming Lai

Gregg D Niven

Joseph R Bentley

Donald Charles Grove

Lloyd M Caldwell

Ning Zhang

Barry T Egan

Lloyd Caldwell

An apparatus for facilitating elimination of ambient light from an image of an object, comprising an illumination apparatus adapted to sequentially illuminate the object using multiple lighting arrangements, an image sensor. The apparatus adapted to form on the image sensor (i) a first image of the object using a first illumination arrangement, (ii) a second image of the object using a second illumination arrangement, and (iii) a dark image of the object without illumination. The image sensor is adapted to A) compare an intensity value of a first pixel in the first image to an intensity value of a corresponding, first pixel in the second image to determine a first minimum intensity value, B) determine if the first minimum intensity value is greater than an intensity value of a corresponding, first pixel in the dark image by greater than a predetermined amount; and C) identify an ambient intensity value (a) as the first minimum intensity value, if the first minimum intensity value is not greater than the intensity value of the first pixel in the dark image by greater than the predetermined amount, or (b) as the intensity value of the first pixel in the dark image, if the first minimum intensity value is greater than the intensity value of the first pixel in the dark image by greater than the predetermined amount.

Methods and apparatus for facilitating elimination of ambient light from an image

A method for determining a centroid coordinate of an image spot, comprising a) determining a search region having a border, b) identifying a first pixel in the search region, the pixel having a first intensity value, c) determining an upper threshold intensity value greater than the first intensity value, d) searching for a second pixel within the search region having an intensity value that is greater than the upper threshold intensity value, and e) upon finding the second pixel, designating the first pixel an integration region center.

Method and apparatus for making and processing aberration measurements

An apparatus for measuring a subject's eye having an instrument axis, comprising a slit projector for projecting slits of light, at least one sensor. The apparatus being adapted to form a first image of light from a first slit on the at least one sensor after the light scatters from the eye along a first pathway. The apparatus adapted to form a second image of light from the first slit on the at least one sensor after the light scatters from the eye along a second pathway. The apparatus comprising a processor operatively coupled to receive the first image and the second image, the processor adapted to perform a projective transformation of the second image and to combine data from the first image and the second image, after it is transformed, to form a third image.

Eye measurement apparatus and methods of using same

Aspects of the invention are directed to apparatus and methods for automatically setting a power level of light emitted by a light source; illuminating a retina of a patient with the light emitted by the light source; receiving, at a sensor, light reflected from the retina of the patient; providing a signal based upon the received light; determining whether the signal meets one or more signal quality criteria; automatically setting a second power level of light emitted by the light source; and repeating the steps of illuminating the patient's eye, receiving reflected light, providing the signal, and determining whether the signal meets the signal quality criteria. In some embodiments, setting the second power level is performed in response to determining whether the signal meets the signal criteria. In still other embodiments, the method comprises selecting an operating power based upon the signal quality criteria.

Power-adjusted aberrometer

Methods and apparatus for facilitating determination of centroids of image spots in an image containing an array of image spots generated by an aberrometer, the image comprising a first plurality of pixels each pixel having a corresponding intensity value, the method comprising calculating an average intensity value for a second plurality of pixels in a perimeter around a pixel, the average calculated using a subset of the second plurality exclusive of at least a portion of the pixels in the perimeter.

Aberrometer having reduced noise

An optical system calibration system and method particularly suited for calibrating the optical slit planes in an ophthalmic diagnostic instrument. The system includes an illumination source projector, an illumination image receiver, and a calibration component all having known relative positions, orientations and physical and optical characteristics. The calibration component includes at least two separated, diffusely reflecting surfaces. Images of an exemplary slit illumination pattern projected onto the calibration component and formed on the diffusely reflecting surfaces are detected by the image receiver such as a video camera. Based upon camera image coordinates and triangulation parameters of the projector, the receiver, and the calibration component, the slit image positions on the image detector plane can be calibrated to the axially displaced, diffusely reflecting calibration component surface positions.

Optical calibration system and method

An apparatus for determining a position of a subject's cornea, comprising a camera, a first illumination apparatus adapted to provide a first beam of light and a first diffuse portion of light that are coincident, and a second illumination apparatus adapted to provide a second beam of light and a second diffuse portion of light, that are coincident. In some embodiments, the first, second, third and fourth images are disposed on the midpoints of a square, when a cornea is located along an optical axis of camera.

Apparatus and method for determining a position of an eye

A corneal topography slit image alignment systemincludes a half-slit projectorfor projecting half-slit images onto a patient's eyeHalf-slit imagesandare aligned into a single slit image. A cameracaptures an image of the aligned slit image. Processorincluding a memoryconnected to the half-slit projectorand the cameraanalyzes the alignment of the half-slit imagesandAn edge detectordetects the edges of each captured half-slit image and determines an amount of misalignment of the half-slit imagesandrelative to half-slit images being aligned into a single slit image. This amount of misalignment allows computer processorto correct the three-dimensional coordinates of the slit images obtained by a slit beam system

Corneal topography slit image alignment via analysis of half-slit image alignment

An ophthalmic placido patternis used to determine a curvature of an anterior surface of a cornea of an eye. The patternincludes a series of alternating light and dark concentric ringsandcentered about a central point. A series of shaped geometric shapesandare placed about at least some of the concentric ringsand. The shapesandare of a contrasting color with respect to the ringoron which the shapeoris placed.

Dot radial ringed placido

A placido pattern for use in obtaining a topography of an eye, includes a series of spaced arcuate segments centered about a central point and a series of spaced radial lines emanating from the central point Each pair of adjacent radial lines defines a boundary of a portion of the arcuate segments

Spider-web placido pattern

A process and system for determining the integrity of an object by analyzing its dynamic heat properties is disclosed. A properly functioning reference object is heated and an infrared camera is positioned above the object. A digital computer collects the infrared images of the object and analyzes its dynamic heat properties. Only heat changes within predefined regions of the object are analyzed and the data is reduced to a peak temperature across each region for a given time. This data is stored and used for future reference. Next, a test object is sampled in the same manner. The reference and test object data is then compared by employing a complex neural network. The neural network uses confidence estimates and historical data on similar reference and test objects to determine the integrity of the object. Thermal images of objects under test are graphically displayed on a video screen. Out-of-profile regions are indicated on the thermal image by displaying the region's actual heating rate and a range of acceptable heating rates.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

Lloyd G Allred