Tomographic image capturing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9989351-B2
Application number	US-201515329725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2015
Priority date	Jul 30, 2014
Publication date	Jun 5, 2018
Grant date	Jun 5, 2018

Abstract

The tomographic image capturing device of the present invention comprises a display means ( 18 ) configured to: split light from a light source ( 11 ) into measurement light and reference light and cause the measurement light and the reference light to be incident to an object (E) and a reference object ( 49 ), respectively; capture tomographic images of the object (E) on the basis of interference light generated by superposition of the measurement light reflected from the object (E) and the reference light reflected from the reference object ( 49 ); and display tomographic pictures of the object generated on the basis of the captured tomographic images. The tomographic image capturing device has a first image capturing mode and a second image capturing mode. The first image capturing mode is a mode in which the measurement light is two-dimensionally scanned by raster scan to be incident to the object (E) and the tomographic images of the object (E) are captured. The second image capturing mode is a mode in which the measurement light is two-dimensionally scanned by raster scan to be incident to the object (E) and the tomographic images of the object (E) are captured. The raster scan in the second image capturing mode is thinned from the raster scan in the first image capturing mode. The display means ( 18 ) is configured to be switchable between a first display mode and a second display mode. The first display mode is a mode in which a plurality of tomographic pictures including a region of interest of the object (E) is selected from among the tomographic pictures generated on the basis of the tomographic images captured in the second image capturing mode and only the selected plurality of tomographic pictures is displayed. The second display mode is a mode in which all of the tomographic pictures generated on the basis of the tomographic images captured in the second image capturing mode are in turn displayed. The capturing of the tomographic images in the first image capturing mode is performed after separately performing a first adjustment operation and a second adjustment operation for adjustment of an image capturing condition necessary for capturing the tomographic images in the first image capturing mode. The first adjustment operation is based on the tomographic pictures displayed in the first display mode. The second adjustment operation is based on the tomographic pictures displayed in the second display mode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tomographic image capturing device comprising a display means configured to:
split light from a light source into measurement light and reference light and cause the measurement light and the reference light to be incident to an object and a reference object, respectively;
capture tomographic images of the object on a basis of interference light generated by superposition of the measurement light reflected from the object and the reference light reflected from the reference object; and
display tomographic pictures of the object generated on a basis of the captured tomographic images,
the tomographic image capturing device having a first image capturing mode and a second image capturing mode,
the first image capturing mode being a mode in which the measurement light is two-dimensionally scanned by raster scan to be incident to the object and the tomographic images of the object are captured,
the second image capturing mode being a mode in which the measurement light is two-dimensionally scanned by raster scan to be incident to the object and the tomographic images of the object are captured, the raster scan in the second image capturing mode being thinned from the raster scan in the first image capturing mode,
the display means being configured to be switchable between a first display mode and a second display mode,
the first display mode being a mode in which a plurality of tomographic pictures including a region of interest of the object is selected from among the tomographic pictures generated on the basis of the tomographic images captured in the second image capturing mode and only the selected plurality of tomographic pictures is displayed,
the second display mode being a mode in which all of the tomographic pictures generated on the basis of the tomographic images captured in the second image capturing mode are in turn displayed,
the capturing of the tomographic images in the first image capturing mode being performed after separately performing a first adjustment operation and a second adjustment operation for adjustment of an image capturing condition necessary for capturing the tomographic images in the first image capturing mode, the first adjustment operation being based on the tomographic pictures displayed in the first display mode, the second adjustment operation being based on the tomographic pictures displayed in the second display mode.

2. The tomographic image capturing device as recited in claim 1 , wherein, in the first display mode, the display means displays the selected plurality of tomographic pictures repetitively in turn.

3. The tomographic image capturing device as recited in claim 1 , wherein, in the first display mode, the display means displays the selected plurality of tomographic pictures side by side in same screen.

4. The tomographic image capturing device as recited in claim 2 or 3 , wherein only a desired selected region can be displayed for each of the selected plurality of tomographic pictures.

5. The tomographic image capturing device as recited in claim 3 , wherein only a region including a tomographic structure of the object is enlarged for each of the selected plurality of tomographic pictures and the enlarged tomographic pictures are displayed side by side in same screen.

Assignees

• Kowa Co

Inventors

• Kobayashi Naoki
• Nakagawa Toshiaki

Classifications

• A61B3/13

  Ophthalmic microscopes · CPC title

• G01B9/02068

  Auto-alignment of optical elements · CPC title

• A61B3/15

  with means for aligning, spacing or blocking spurious reflection {; with means for relaxing} · CPC title

• G01B11/02

  for measuring length, width or thickness (G01B11/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01B9/02027

  Two or more interferometric channels or interferometers · CPC title