Patent ID: 6309069
Filing Date: 2001-10-30
Classification: A61B,G06K,G07C

Abstract:
An apparatus for providing an information signal characteristic of an eye, said apparatus comprising:a housing having an entrance window;an illumination source mounted on the housing, and operable to illuminate the eye over an area outside the pupil; andan image capture device mounted within the housing, in optical communication with said entrance window, and operable to provide an image signal representing one or more features of the anterior of the eye responsive to the incidence of light from the illumination source reflected from the eye;an optical device;wherein, in use, visible light travels along a first optical path via the optical device to the eye to provide a visible image to be viewed by the eye and light from the illumination source and reflected from the eye travels along a second optical path via the optical device to said image capture apparatus;wherein said optical device is arranged to interact with at least one of said illumination light and said visible light such that substantially all illumination light of a predetermined type travels further along said second optical path towards said image capture apparatus, and a significant proportion of said visible light travels further along said first optical path towards the eye.