JPH0624516B2 - Fundus image recorder - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a fundus image recording apparatus mainly used in the field of medicine for observing a condition of a fundus of a patient and recording a case. .

[Outline of Invention]

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for recording a fundus image as a still image in the form of a TV signal, without administering a mydriatic agent to a patient, and by special sensitivity multiplication such as an image intensifier. As a measure to reduce the influence on the patient at the same time without using a device, it is compact and easy to operate. At the same time, a preparation work for recording is performed by infrared light, and a flash lamp that emits light in synchronization with the vertical sync signal of the TV system is used. TV camera output signal 1 formed by the flash lamp
Only the screen portion is recorded in the still image recording device.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the functions and operations of the conventional fundus camera device 1. The state of the patient's fundus 2 illuminated by the incandescent light source for observation 7 is the objective lens system 3, the relay lens system. 4, and can be observed by the doctor's eye 6 through the eyepiece lens system 5.

At this time, the patient is given a certain kind of drug called a mydriatic drug so that the illumination (illumination) of the observation incandescent light source 7 does not close the pupil (iris), but it is said that the mydriatic drug has side effects depending on the disease. It is being appreciated. Further, the incandescent light source 7 for observation is used at the minimum brightness that does not hinder the observation in order to reduce the influence on the patient's illness and the glare, but since the light amount is insufficient when taking a picture, the film camera is used. A flash lamp 9 that works with the shutter 8 is also used. When taking a picture, the optical path switching mirror 10 switches the optical path from the eyepiece system 5 to the film camera 8.

Photographing is a method that has been used for a long time, but it requires development processing and lacks immediacy, so it is used as a signal source for teaching and discussion at medical colleges, recording cases, and image processing. The use of TV images is expected.

Conventionally, in order to obtain this TV image, as shown in FIG. 3, a camera head 11a and a camera control unit 11b are used instead of the film camera 8 in FIG.
Although the tube color TV camera 11 is arranged, the incandescent light source 7 for observation is used at the minimum brightness that does not hinder the observation as described above, and therefore each of the camera heads 11a is supplemented in order to compensate for the insufficient light quantity. It is necessary to combine image intensifiers 13R, 13G, and 13B with the image pickup tubes 12R, 12G, and 12B, respectively.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

The above-mentioned conventional technique requires administration of a mydriatic agent and further uses an image intensifier.
Not only did the 11a become large and impair the operability, but the TV image obtained was noisy and the device was extremely expensive, which hindered its use. Since the most expensive image intensifier 13 is a consumable item, it was a factor that increased the running cost of the equipment.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is configured such that the recording preparation work is performed under infrared light by utilizing the characteristic that the human eye cannot detect infrared light. The flash lamp 9 that emits light in synchronization with the vertical synchronizing signal of the TV camera 11 momentarily illuminates the fundus, and only one screen of the TV camera 11 formed by the flash lamp 9 is surely a still image recording device 20. The above problem is solved by controlling each timing so as to be recorded in.

[Action]

The present invention, by the above means, does not require administration of mydriatics,
Furthermore, it is compact, has good operation characteristics, and can record high-quality images at a low price.

The present invention aims to record a still image, whereas the method using the image intensifier in the above-mentioned conventional technique can obtain a moving image, so that the present invention is inferior in operational effect and is liable to cause misunderstanding. However, as can be seen from the fact that photography has been carried out for a long time in the above-mentioned prior art, the recorded image is a still image, which is sufficiently practical.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining the function and operation of an embodiment of a fundus image recording apparatus according to the present invention, in which image pickup tubes 12R ', 12G', 12B 'of a camera head 11a' are infrared rays. Sensitivity from region to visible light region, built-in device visible light cut filter 14, infrared light cut filter 15, infrared light cut filter switching mechanism 16 and sync signal generator 17, recording command foot switch 18, control The cooperative operation of the device 19 acts to record a color TV image of the fundus 2 of the video disc recorder 20. That is, the patient enters a dark room without being administered with a mydriatic agent and goes to the fundus image recording apparatus 1'in the state of natural mydriasis. At this time, since the visible light cut filter 14 built in the device is inserted in the optical path of the incandescent light source 7 for observation, the fundus 2 is illuminated only by the infrared light, and the infrared light cut filter 15 is the camera head 11a. Since it is not inserted in the optical path of ', it is a three-tube color TV.
A TV image of the fundus 2 can be obtained by the sensitivity of the camera 11 'in the infrared light region, and the angle of view and focus can be adjusted prior to recording the fundus image. During this time, since the patient cannot recognize the infrared light of the incandescent light source 7 for inspection, the patient's pupil remains in a state of natural mydriasis.

FIG. 4 is a time chart for explaining the recording operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1. The output signal of the three-tube color TV camera 11 'driven by the sync signal generator 17 and the foot switch are shown. Control device based on 18 recording command signals
Infrared light cut filter switching mechanism output from 19 1
6, flash lamp 9 and video disk recorder 2
The relative timing of the control signals for 0 is shown.

In FIG. 1, the output signal of the three-tube color TV camera 11 'is interlaced and scanned by VD (vertical drive signal), HD (horizontal drive signal), etc. supplied from the synchronization signal generator 17, and the vertical synchronization signal is supplied. An odd field O and an even field E are alternately output with a vertical blanking period V _BLK including VS in between. The VD of the synchronization signal generator 17 is also supplied to the control device 19 together with the recording command signal of the foot switch 18.

When recording the image, when the foot switch 18 is pressed, the infrared light cut filter switching mechanism 16 first operates to put the infrared light cut filter 15 in the optical path of the camera head 11a ', and the three-tube type Only the visible light can be supplied to the color TV camera 11 ', and at the same time, the flash lamp 9 emits light within the first vertical blanking period V _BLK so that the fundus 2 is instantaneously illuminated with the visible light. Only a pair of odd field E and even field O following the period V _BLK are output, and an image signal for one screen is recorded in the video disc recorder 20. At this time, if the TV camera is of the progressive scanning system, the first one field corresponds to one screen.

When the flash lamp 9 emits light, the patient's pupil closes, but the response of the pupil is sufficiently larger than the image signal period for one screen, so it does not hinder image recording.

After recording is complete, the infrared light cut filter switching mechanism is used again.
16 operates and infrared light cut filter 15 operates in camera head 11
Since it is removed from the optical path of a ', the optical image of the fundus 2 illuminated by only the infrared light of the incandescent light source for observation 7 is formed on the image pickup surface of the camera head 11a', and a TV image is obtained again.

In the above embodiment, the system for supplying VD or HD from the sync signal generator 17 has been described, but a system for synchronously separating VD from the signal output of a TV camera having a built-in sync signal generation circuit is also applicable to the present invention. Therefore, it can be said that the flash lamp 9 emits light in synchronization with the vertical synchronizing signal of the TV camera.

When an element such as a CCD (charge-coupled solid-state image sensor) that accompanies the transfer of charges is used instead of the image pickup tube of the TV camera 11 ', the output signal of the TV camera 12 is output from the flash lamp 9. Since the light emission is delayed by the charge transfer time and then output, the recording control signal of the video disk recorder 20 output from the control unit 19 is delayed by the charge transfer time or the flash output. It is also within the scope of the present invention to output a recording control signal delayed from the light emission of the lamp 9 by the amount corresponding to the charge transfer time.

In the above description, the TV camera 11 ', the synchronizing signal generator 17, the recording command foot switch 18, the control device 19, the video disc recorder 20 and the like are described as separate items, but some of them are also integrated into this book. It is included in the scope of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the control device 19 shown in FIG. 3. The flash lamp 9 is placed in the vertical blanking period V _{BLK by ANDing} the output signal of the foot switch 18 and VD supplied from the synchronization signal generator 17. Flash lamp control circuit 19a for emitting light,
Video disc recorder 20 with foot switch 18 pressed
The infrared light cut filter control circuit 19b that keeps the infrared light cut filter 15 inserted in the optical path of the camera head 11a 'until the recording of is completed, and the video disc recorder 20 for only one screen period following the emission of the flash lamp 9. The video disk recorder control circuit 19c for making the recording state operate in cooperation with each other at the timing shown in FIG.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, there is no need to administer a mydriatic agent to a patient, a TV camera does not use an image intensifier, and it is small and has good operability. Since the image of can be recorded, its contribution to the medical field is immeasurable.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram for explaining the functions and operations of a conventional fundus camera device 1, and FIG. 3 is a TV image of the fundus. FIG. 4 is a block diagram for explaining a conventional technique for the above, FIG. 4 is a time chart for explaining an image recording operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a control device 19 of FIG. It is a block diagram for explaining. 1: conventional fundus camera device, 2: patient's fundus, 3: objective lens system, 4: relay lens system, 5: eyepiece system,
6: Doctor's eye, 7: Observation incandescent light source, 8: Film camera, 9: Flash lamp, 10: Optical path switching mirror,
11: 3-tube color TV camera, 11a: camera head, 11
b: camera control unit, 12: image pickup tube, 13: image intensifier, 14: visible light cut filter, 15: infrared light cut filter, 16: infrared light cut filter switching mechanism, 17: synchronization signal generator, 18: Foot switch, 19: Control device, 20: Video disk recorder.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A device for recording the state of the fundus in the form of a TV image signal, wherein an output signal of a TV camera arranged so that an optical image of the fundus is formed on an image pickup surface is connected to a still image recording device, An infrared light cut filter is detachably arranged in the optical path of the TV camera, and a visible light flash lamp for illuminating the fundus momentarily is arranged in advance.
When observing the fundus illuminated by infrared light, the infrared light cut filter is pulled out to utilize the sensitivity of the TV camera in the infrared light region. When recording an image of the fundus, the infrared light cut filter is used. By inserting and controlling the sensitivity of the TV camera in the visible light region, the recording command signal of the switch and the subsequent vertical synchronization signal of the TV camera are ANDed to synchronize with the vertical synchronization signal of the TV camera. A fundus image characterized in that the visible light flash lamp is made to emit light at a timing, and only one screen output signal of a TV camera formed by the emission of the visible light flash lamp is recorded in a still image recording device. Recording device.