Patent · US Expired

Coaxial spatially resolved refractometer

US6099125A · kind A · utility

9Cited by
5References
66Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 7, 1998
Grant dateAug 8, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 7, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B3/1015
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A refractometer provides a reference path coaxial with a measurement path and thereby simplifies construction by reducing the number of parts and simplifies maintenance by halving the number of optical axes to be aligned. The refractometer includes a reference projector for projecting a reference pattern on a reference pattern position on a detector during a reference interval, a site-selector for selecting a measurement site on an optical system, and a measurement projector for projecting a measurement pattern through this selected measurement site and onto a measurement pattern position on the detector during a measurement interval. The reference projector, the site selector, and the measurement projector are all aligned along the same optical axis. In the case in which the optical system is a human eye, the designated site in typically a site on the cornea and the detector is the retina of the eye. The refractometer provides an aligner for aligning the reference pattern position with a measurement pattern position. The amount by which these two positions are moved in order to achieve alignment provides a measure of the optimal wavefront corresponding to the measurement site.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.