Optics: eye examining – vision testing and correcting – Eye examining or testing instrument – Objective type
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-23
2004-08-10
Casler, Brian L. (Department: 3737)
Optics: eye examining, vision testing and correcting
Eye examining or testing instrument
Objective type
Reexamination Certificate
active
06773109
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ophthalmic photographing apparatus for photographing a fundus of an eye to be examined.
2. Description of Related Art
When a fundus is photographed using a fundus camera, a region that can be photographed at a time is part of the fundus. Therefore, when an image of a large part of a fundus is to be obtained, plural sections of the fundus are each photographed while a fixation light (a fixation target) is used to guide a line of sight of an eye to be examined. Then the image thus photographed is stored in an image memory, and is brought up onto a monitor. When the photographed images are displayed, each of the images may appear individually, or a plurality of the photographed images stored in the memory may be scaled down so that they can appear on the same screen to be observed at a glance.
Conventionally, however, a position in which to arrange the scaled-down image to be displayed on the monitor is not associated with a position on the fundus at which the image has been photographed, and the scaled-down images are arranged in accordance with a sequence of storing the photographed images. This has involved a problem of difficulty in interpreting a positional relationship among the images appearing on an at-a-glance screen.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and has an object to overcome the above problem and to provide an ophthalmic photographing apparatus capable of facilitating interpretation of the relationship between a photographed image and a position at which that image has been photographed.
To achieve the objects and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, an ophthalmic photographing apparatus comprises photographing means for photoelectrically photographing the eye; display means for displaying a photographed image; first storage means for storing a template where a plurality of the images are scaled-down and arranged in given positions so that the images appear on a screen of the displaying means; assigning means for assigning each of the images to one of the positions for arranging the images in the template; second storage means for storing the images and information about where the images have been assigned, in which the images are each associated with their own assignment information; and display control means for arranging that one or more of the images appear on the screen of the display means, based on the stored images and their assignment information.
In another aspect of the present invention, an ophthalmic photographing apparatus comprises a photographing optical system for photographing an eye to be examined, having a photoelectric photographic element; a display, which is sometimes called a monitor; a first memory which stores a template where a plurality of the photographed images are scaled-down and arranged in given positions so that the images appear on the display; an input part which inputs a designation signal to designate one of the positions for arranging the images in the template with respect to each of the images; a second memory which stores the images to which the positions in the template have been designated for arranging the images; and a display control part which arranges that the images appear on the display based on the stored images and the positions designated for arranging the images.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
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Ichikawa Naoki
Miyabayashi Hikaru
Casler Brian L.
Nidek Co. Ltd.
Sanders John R
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