US5777715A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Low vision rehabilitation system
Assignee: ALLEN VISION SYSTEMS Inc A Corp OF PENNSYLVANIA
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Filing: 1997-01-21
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Granted: 1998-07-07
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Expires: 2017-01-21
Abstract
Abstract The present invention is a head-mounted vision rehabilitation system for aiding in the rehabilitation of the visually impaired which includes a headset having an anterior portion extending over a patient's eyes and a posterior portion partially encircling the patient's head; a camera for imaging an image source which includes a focusing means and an electro-optical sensor to create an image signal based upon light from the image source; a coherent video display located within the anterior portion of the headset for receiving the image signal and recreating the image onto the patient's eyes; a disengageable connector for removably attaching the camera to the anterior portion of the headset; and a control unit in communication with the camera, the video display and the headset for controlling the operation of the head-mounted vision rehabilitation system. The present invention further includes a scanning system for scanning the image source without movement of the headset and a stabilization system for stabilizing the image recreated from the video display.
Inventors
- 👤 Herman A. Kruegle
- 👤 Allen Blumenthal
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 11:53
CPC Classifications
G; G02; G02B; G02B23/00; G02B23/12; G02B23/125; G02B27/00; G02B27/01; G02B27/017; G02B27/0172; A; A61; A61F; A61F9/00; A61F9/08; G02B27/0101; G02B2027/0132; G02B2027/0138; G02B27/0149; G02B2027/0154; G02B2027/0156; G02B2027/0178; G02B27/0179; G02B2027/0187; G02B2027/0192; G02B2027/0198
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
181 words
A head-mounted vision rehabilitation system for aiding in the rehabilitation of a visually impaired individual comprising: a headset, said headset having an anterior portion extending over said individual's eyes and a posterior portion partially encircling said individual's head, said anterior portion of said headset having a spacing means to allow said headset to be worn in conjunction with other eyewear; a camera for imaging an image source located at a distance from said camera, said camera comprising a focusing means and an electro-optical sensor, wherein said focusing means focuses incident light from said image source onto said electro-optical sensor, said sensor creating an image signal based upon said incident light; a coherent video display, located within said anterior portion of said headset for receiving said image signal from said camera and recreating said image from said image source onto said individual's eyes; a disengageable connector for removably attaching said camera to said anterior portion of said headset; a control unit, in communication with said camera, said video display and said headset, for controlling the operation of said head-mounted vision rehabilitation system.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
181 words
A head-mounted vision rehabilitation system for aiding in the rehabilitation of a visually impaired individual comprising: a headset, said headset having an anterior portion extending over said individual's eyes and a posterior portion partially encircling said individual's head, said anterior portion of said headset having a spacing means to allow said headset to be worn in conjunction with other eyewear; a camera for imaging an image source located at a distance from said camera, said camera comprising a focusing means and an electro-optical sensor, wherein said focusing means focuses incident light from said image source onto said electro-optical sensor, said sensor creating an image signal based upon said incident light; a coherent video display, located within said anterior portion of said headset for receiving said image signal from said camera and recreating said image from said image source onto said individual's eyes; a disengageable connector for removably attaching said camera to said anterior portion of said headset; a control unit, in communication with said camera, said video display and said headset, for controlling the operation of said head-mounted vision rehabilitation system.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The vision rehabilitation system of claim 1 wherein said disengageable connector further comprises a disengagedly communication means for communicating electrical signals between said camera and said headset.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
17 words
The vision rehabilitation system of claim 1 wherein said electro-optical image sensor is a charged coupled device.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
The vision rehabilitation system of claim 1 wherein said focusing means is an autofocusing lens system.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
The vision rehabilitation system of claim 1 wherein said focusing means is a zoom lens system.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
The vision rehabilitation system of claim 1 wherein said focusing means comprises a plurality of lenses, each of said lenses having a different level of magnification, and further comprising an actuator for moving any of said lenses and said electrical-optical sensor in relation to each other; and an actuator control means for controlling the operation of said actuator.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
The vision rehabilitation system of claim 1 further comprising a scanning means attached to said camera to allow said camera to scan said image source without movement of said headset.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
37 words
The vision rehabilitation system of claim 7 wherein said scanning means comprises: an actuator for effecting movement of said electro-optical sensor relative to said focusing system; and an actuator control means for controlling movement of said actuator.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
33 words
The vision rehabilitation system of claim 1 further comprising a stabilization means, connected to said camera, for stabilizing the image created on said electro-optical sensor by said incident light from said image source.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
75 words
The vision rehabilitation system of claim 8 wherein said stabilization means comprises: an optical wedge; an actuator connected to said optical wedge for effecting movement of said optical wedge; at least one motion sensor for detecting movement of said camera relative to said image source; and an actuator control means in communication with said actuator and said motion sensor for controlling movement of said optical wedge based upon said motion detected by said motion sensor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
74 words
The vision rehabilitation system of claim 8 wherein said stabilization means comprises: an electro-optical sensor, said electro-optical sensor having an image-detection area greater than the image created by said incident light from said image source; at least one motion sensor for detecting motion of said camera relative to said image source; and an image processing means for processing said image signal from said electro-optical sensor to stabilize said image recreated by said video display.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
106 words
The video rehabilitation system of claim 1 wherein said electro-optical sensor has an image-detection area greater than the image created by said light from said image source and wherein said vision rehabilitation system further comprises: at least one motion sensor for detecting motion of said camera relative to said image source; and an electronic control means in communication with said motion sensor, said electro-optical sensor, and said video display, said image control means being capable of electronically effecting movement of said image across said detection surface of said electro-optical sensor to controllably scan said image source and to stabilize said image recreated by said video display.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2001-07-06 | 2002-01-05 | 2002-07-07 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2005-07-06 | 2006-01-05 | 2006-07-07 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2009-07-06 | 2010-01-05 | 2010-07-07 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |