High Resolution Vision System for Fundus Camera Application

What is Fundus camera?

Fundus cameras image the fundus through the pupil. Fundus is the part of the eyeball opposite the pupil. Fundus camera can be described as a specialised optical design, based on indirect ophthalmoscope, that integrates with a camera system. The fundus camera comes with illumination circuits that emits light rays that enters the pupil and goes through reflections and exits the pupil that is captured by the camera system.

Why do we need Fundus cameras?

Eye specialists need fundus camera to detect, follow, and treat eye illness such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, optic atrophy, papilledema, retinoblastoma, and congenital glaucoma.

What is the problem statement?

The main challenge in fundus photography is the capability to capture the right images with lower noise, best focus, low or no shadows. The requirement is to develop a camera system that integrates with the illumination system and is controlled by an application running on embedded handheld system with an intuitive user interface. The camera image capture shall have to tightly synchronised with the illumination system.

The solution

The solution plan comprises of an embedded system comprising of an ARM based SOM integrated with a carrier board. The SOM was running Android to enable the development of a user intuitive UI. The carrier board was designed to integrate with a high-resolution camera system, lighting system, battery along with battery gauging and charging circuit, and a capacitive touch display.

The camera system was designed to be capable of preview of a custom square resolution and enable 4K image capture. The camera setup has auto-focus lens incorporate in it that could support both auto focus as well as manual focus mode. The preview happens in NIR lighting and then once the focus is achieved, the image capture happens in white light. The camera has in-built Image Signal Processor (ISP) that takes care of debayering, color correction, contrast correction, Auto functions such as focus, exposure and white balance.

Custom Optics was designed on top of the camera to create the indirect ophthalmoscope.

The application was developed on Android to enable the practitioner to preview, image capture, adjust camera, etc.

Vadzo worked to develop the camera system, carrier board, UI/UX design, sample application development. The end-customer took care of SOM selection, final application development, optics design and enclosure development.

Benefits with Vadzo solution

Ready to use Auto-Focus camera system for initial trials and prototyping.
Customization-friendly engineering team who can help with customizing the off the shelf camera to fit your use case in terms of hardware design as well as firmware aspects.
Capability to provide NIR pass cost-effective AF camera.
Seamless integration support with embedded platforms.
One-stop solution for camera design and application development.