The scope of the present invention is a unit for eye examinations according to the preamble of the main claim. Such preamble can be read in document DE102005004642.

The medical-health care sector experienced a continuous technological progress over years, both at the equipment level, which is more and more in the fore front, and at the software level, thus providing specialists with appropriate resources to be able to exploit their expertise at the best. In particular, the need for creating image processing solutions assumed a fundamental importance, solutions that now play a central role for the medical art, which is growing and growing in the world market. Having systems capable of processing images with a high resolution, accessible in any moment and viewable by several doctors makes it possible an early recognition and diagnosis of the various abnormalities, thus also facilitating an important training of the medical staff.

Ophthalmology is no doubt one of the main recipients of such innovative solutions, a branch of the medicine appointed to the measurement of the sight and to the prevention, diagnosis, therapy, and surgery of eye diseases. This continuous technological and information technology progress makes the traditional operating procedures and management of the work spaces obsolete.

As a matter of fact, an eye specialist's surgery comprises a slit lamp which represents its main component part, in addition to other pieces of equipment, at least four (such that a phoropter, an auto-refractometer , a front-focometer , and a projector), which not only occupy a valuable space, but oblige the patient and the doctor to move from one instrument to the other whenever so required. It goes without saying that this circumstance jeopardizes the efficiency of a medical examination, at least because of a waste of time which could otherwise be usefully exploited.

An object of the present invention is to offer a furniture or unit, wherein by such term means a furniture for an eye specialist's surgery that allows to centralize in one multi-functional arrangement the (above mentioned) usual equipments used to perform an eye examination, a centralization that allows an easier functional management of said pieces of equipment during such examination.

Another object is to offer a furniture of the mentioned type that allows to automatically manage the instruments suitable for performing an eye examinations, by integrating the processes of use followed during such examination and thus making it possible to reduce the doctor's operating times .

Another object is to offer a unit or furniture that offers an as high comfort as possible to a patient during an examination, which enables the doctor to make eye analyses through the use of different instruments in a practical manner and without moving away from one eye specialist's chair where the patient is seated during the examination and offers a high practical conveniences to the doctor by enabling him/her to perform all necessary examinations in a quick way and with an optimum use of such instruments and making the diagnosis easier to him/her.

Another object is to offer a unit or furniture having a modular and ergonomic design which allows to limit the overall dimensions of the instruments used for eye examinations in an eye specialist's surgery as much as possible while optimizing the arrangement of such instruments in the eye specialist's surgery and the work spaces of the eye specialist.

A further object is to offer a unit or furniture for eye examinations that provides such a high automation as to make eye examinations highly efficient, easy to make, and thorough .

A further object of the invention is to offer a unit or furniture for eye examinations that, besides providing a high accuracy, simplification, and ease of use, also stands out in that it can be managed via a processor, even remotely, even or mainly by way of voice synthesis.

In particular, an object of the invention is to offer a unit or furniture according to the invention controlled via a dedicated software and preset to remote control and telemedicine via a PC, Tablet and SmartPhone, either locally or remotely, also or mainly manageable by way of voice synthesis.

Another object is to offer a unit or furniture that offers the capability of storing the metric parameters of the individual patients and the controls of the individual instruments during the examination so as to allow to reposition the patient in front of the desired instrument, with an ergonomic accuracy, thus reducing the times of the examination, should he/she come back for a subsequent eye examination .

These and other objects, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, are achieved by a unit or furniture according to the features indicated in the main claim .

For a better understanding of the present invention, the following drawings are attached for merely illustrative not limitative purposes, wherein:

figure 1 shows a perspective view of a unit or furniture according to the invention equipped with a plurality of instruments suitable for performing a thorough eye or ophthalmologic examination;

figure 2 shows a side view of the furniture of figure 1, the above-mentioned instruments not being equipped;

figure 3 shows a front view of the furniture of figure

2;

figure 4 shows a top view of the furniture of figure 2; figure 5 shows a top view of the furniture of figure 2 during an operating step different from that shown in figure 2 ;

figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view according to line 6-6 in figure 2 ;

figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view according to line 7-7 in figure 6 ;

figure 8 shows a perspective view of a first variant of the furniture of figure 1 ;

figure 9 shows a perspective view of a second variant of the furniture of figure 1 ;

figure 10 shows a perspective view of another variant of the invention, similar to that of figure 6 ;

figure 11 shows a side view of a section of the variant of figure 10;

figure 12 shows a side view of a further variant of the invention;

figure 13 shows a front view of the variant of figure

12;

figure 14 shows a top view of a piece of furniture supplementing the furniture of figure 1; and

figure 15 shows a perspective view of the piece of furniture of figure 14 with some parts for a better clarity .

With reference to the mentioned figures, a unit or furniture according to the invention is generally identified by the reference numeral 1. It is of a modular type and offers the possibility of being realized with different lengths as measured along the axis K (see figure 1, parallel to a longitudinal axis of the furniture, not shown) on which lays a double arrow W, whose function will be described below. Just as an example, figures 1, 8, and 9 show perspective views of a furniture 1 with three different lengths along the axis K.

As already said, the furniture 1 is of a modular type and comprises a portion IK defined by a plurality of modules 2 coupled and couplable with each other in a known manner whatsoever. Such modules 2 possibly include, as shown in the figures, side drawers, pieces of furniture 3 (for instance containing lenses or other instruments usable by the doctor for an eye examination) or internal compartments 4 closed by their own door 5. Upper drawerlike parts 6 of such modules are (preferably) co-planar, so as to define one supporting plane 7 of the furniture portion IK to support a plurality of instruments for eye examinations .

Just as an example, such instruments (known by themselves) include a phoropter 10, with its own arm 10A, a slit lamp 11, an auto-refractometer 12, a front-focometer 13, a topograph 14. Obviously, only part of these analysis instruments (for instance the phoropter 10 and the slit lamp 11) can be placed on the plane 7.

Advantageously and preferably, such instruments rest on the upper parts 6 of the corresponding pieces of furniture 2 which are realized in such a way as to be able to move them outside the furniture 1 on a side 17, as shown for instance in figure 1 for the part 6 which supports the topograph 14. Such parts 6 are motor-driven and preferably comprise a usual mechanical assembly to convert the rotary movement of the motor into a linear movement, such as, for instance, a rack-and-pinion set, a toothed or trapezoidal belt-pulley set, with the use of a speed reducer, if any.

The furniture portion IK includes a first terminal end 1A and a terminal structure IB at the other, second end, having a column (or a similar element) 20 raising up from the plane 7 and supporting, for instance at a free end 23 thereof, movable arms 24 carrying a surgical lamp 25 and/or a projector 26.

On the side 17 of the movable portion IK there is present an eye specialist's chair 30 for a patient which is movable along such side and allows to bring the patient closer to the ophthalmic instrument deemed suitable by the doctor to carry out the eye examination, without being it necessary for the patient to move from the chair. Therefore, the "patient position" defined by the eye specialist's chair 30 can move in such a way so as to make each individual instrument 10-14 accessible without continual changes of position.

Preferably and advantageously all instruments are connected to a processor (not shown, such as a personal computer or desktop, a portable computer such as a notebook, a handheld computer, or the like) or to another microprocessor-based control electronic device or instrument (such as a smartphone) which enables it to control, activate, and file the obtained data in a storage connected to such device. This enables the doctor to make a quick and functional diagnosis and to draw-up an appropriate therapy. Such control device is associated with an independent piece of furniture ("control position") located in the eye specialist's surgery where the unit or furniture 1 is present. Such position is shown in figures 14 and 15 for explanatory purposes, where it is identified by the reference numeral 300. It preferably comprises a support plane 301, consoles 302, and one or several VDUs 303, as well as a bookrest 304 to support case sheets. The consoles 302 and/or the plane 301 can support, for instance, the above-mentioned PC and printing devices connected thereto (not shown), if any.

Small arm-chairs or chairs 310 are associated with the piece of furniture 300.

The piece of furniture 300 is also modular and configurable at will.

The eye specialist's chair 30 is supported by a basic body 31 which is movable and supported by wheels or rollers 31K. Such basic body 31 is connected, via one or several side arms 32, to a shuttle 33 which is movably placed on a guide 34 defined, in one embodiment of the invention, by a worm screw 36 inserted in the unit furniture 1. Preferably is such guide or screw 36 placed in proximity to a base 38 of the furniture portion IK at a distance from the modules 2 above. A cavity 40 is thus created between such modules and the base, within which the side arms 32 can move along the axis K and with a movement in the two senses on the latter, as indicated by the double arrow W. In the case of a worm screw 36, the movement is created by the rotation of the screw obtained via an electric motor 41 inserted into the furniture portion IK.

The screw 36 is rotatably supported by support elements or bushings 43 associated with the unit or furniture 1 (for instance with its base 38) .

The movement of the eye specialist's chair 30 (for instance a displacement of a length equal to that of each individual module 2, for instance 45 cm) is also controllable via the above-mentioned electronic device or instrument (for instance a personal computer) which controls (via cable or remotely) the rotation of the electric motor 41.

The eye specialist's chair 30 comprises a seat 30A, a back 30B, and a front part 30C preferably completely reclining and raisable (see broken lines in figure 2) so as to transform the eye specialist's chair into a couch. In addition, the eye specialist's chair is advantageously raisable above the basic body 31 to make it possible to bring the patient to an appropriate position for the use of any of the instruments 15.

In addition to what said above, every module 2 includes at least one light strip 49 on its upper part 6 (for instance obtained by positioning a LED strip on such part) which allows to light the unit or furniture and the surrounding areas without negatively affecting the execution of the patient's eye examination.

In addition, above the unit or furniture, there might be placed a support 60 slidable (double arrow X) along a wall-mounted or folding guide 61 and suitable for supporting a tablet or another electronic device 62 suitable for enabling the doctor to view whatever has been analyzed directly at the computer, to compare it with pre- ordered data, or to get in contact with other doctors via the Internet for a consultation, just while the eye examination is underway. The tablet might even be used for projecting optotypes in replacement of the projector 27.

Advantageously the eye specialist's chair is further associated with an articulated anchoring arm 63 (figures 10 and 11) which is rigidly connected to a seat 64 for the operator who consequently places himself /herself in front of the eye specialist's chair and of the patient, or laterally thereto, as appropriate.

Thanks to the invention, a patient comfortably seated on the dedicated eye specialist's chair 30 is moved along the modular furniture portion IK and submitted to specific diagnostic examinations determined by the operation of the specific instrument-holder drawer-like parts 6. Such drawer-like part 6 brings the supported diagnostic equipment 10-14 to its work position, by placing it in front of the patient for the execution of the eye examination, which will proceed in a similar manner for the subsequent instruments by moving the eye specialist's chair 30 and the corresponding drawer-like parts 6.

Everything can be automatically operated by the control device .

In order for this structure to achieve the preset aims, the drawers and the eye specialist's chair must be automated according to appropriate control logics, which supply the operator with all simple instruments necessary to perform an examination for a total comfort for patients.

Just as an example, the instrument-holder drawer-like parts 6 are motor driven by classic 12 Vdc motors, selected so as to provide the appropriate torque to every drawer- like part 6 and to the movable eye specialist's chair 30; the speed is constant along the stroke, no need existing for accelerations nor decelerations.

The link between reaching the complete opening or closing position of the drawer-like part 6 and the stop of the eye specialist's chair 30 is subject to the control architecture, which is capable of controlling the power supply to every electric motor, its stop, and reversion to come back to the initial conditions (for instance, for the part 6, the closing condition) .

As described, the eye specialist's chair is provided with a reclining back and a seat that can be moved upwards or downwards along the axis Z, as shown in figure 2. As said above, the eye specialist's chair 30 is rigidly connected to the worm screw 36 placed in the lower part of the unit furniture 1. The rotation of the screw 36, driven by the motor 41 placed at its end, causes a translation of the formed rigid system of the screw support 36, the shuttle 33, and the basic body 31, in one of its two possible directions (arrow W) by making a patient's position move forward or backward along the unit furniture 1 depending on the direction of rotation of the electrical machine.

So, the motor operates the rotary movement of the screw 36 which, besides imparting an appropriate movement to the eye specialist's chair, also operates as a guide parallel to the seat itself and drives the shuttle 33. The pitch of the screw, the translation speed one wishes to impart to the system, and the present kinematic characteristics determine the selection of the electric actuator that shall impart the correct angular speed to the screw to determine the desired displacement at the requested translation speed. Therefore, it will mainly depend on the specific type of the mechanical parts in use, possibly variable as a function of a number of modules that the position should be equipped with, a type selected according to usual design techniques .

The control device makes it possible to manage the individual parts of the unit furniture 1, the remaining pieces of equipment 10-14 present thereon and the various tilts and heights of the eye specialist's chair 30 on which the patient is seated, and the change of the ambient lighting. In addition, such device, besides providing an advanced management in filing the data typical of a doctor- patient relationship, also provides an advanced management of important data for a further use thereof (for instance the geometrical conditions, i.e. the movement data of the individual parts of the unit or furniture 1, the lighting conditions, and those of the eye images taken via usual photo-cine-video cameras) .

Data management can also be made via a processor, even verbally, and such management can also concern a unit or furniture 1 with a compact linear arrangement of the pieces of equipment where both the slit lamp and the remaining instruments can be secured to the unit furniture itself.

The instruments can be managed in different manners, for instance by voice synthesis, keyboards, including processor keyboards, to acquire the images to be stored for controlling the camera. That is to say that the taken images can be stored in a patient-dedicated file by the control device.

Account being taken of the system geometry (i.e. of the elements that generate the movement of its individual movable parts) and the data or string relevant to the final position assumed by the eye specialist's chair 30 and by each individual instrument being easily processable by the control device, a data item that is stored in a usual manner in a storage of such device, the conditions of a previous examination can be replicated upon a new patient's examination .

It is also possible to transfer the data of a performed eye examination to a remote verification position, for instance via the Internet. In such position, a doctor, possibly one located at many kilometers far away, can examine the patient as if he/she were present in front of the slit lamp and give his/her opinion about the patient's status.

In a variant, the eye specialist's chair 30 can be disconnected from the basic body 31 and replaced by a disabled chair 100, should the unit or furniture 1 be used for an eye examination of a disabled person. For this purpose, the basic body 31 is equipped with a connection device (known by itself and not shown here) for such disabled chair 100.

Thanks to the arrangement and use of the unit or furniture 1 (including the basic body 31 and the disabled seat 100, if any), said eye examination can be performed completely .

Various embodiments of the invention have been described. Others are possible (such as that which includes controlled mover elements or means of the eye specialist's chair or basic body 31 different from the screw 36 or such as that which includes one instrument only on the plane 7 and several modules 2) and are consequently construed to fall in the scope of the invention as defined by the attached claims.