摘要 |
A motorized head supporting and positioning apparatus is disclosed, such as is useful for eye examination or treatment. The apparatus includes head-receiving supports, which can include a forehead rest and a chinrest, which can be linked by a single arm assembly. A main assembly of the apparatus contains a motor assembly, which can include three motors driven in a coupled manner to guide a head along a three-dimensional path at a speed that is comfortable to the patient. The apparatus can be relatively compact, owing at least in part to a pivoted approximate Z-axis movement along the optical axis. In addition to open-loop operation, the apparatus can be used with a tracking subsystem to achieve closed-loop positioning in real time, as well as to enable the activation of an examination/treatment instrument when the eye is brought within an acceptable tolerance of a desired position. |