Phosphene generator device
OwnerRobert W. Hamilton, Robert E. Gillisinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for generating phosphenes is adapted to be worn on the head of a person and is provided with eye openings to pass light from an external light source to the eyes. A rotating element modulates the light passing through the eye opening by being sized and selectably rotated so as to create high intensity phosphenes.
Claims11
In a phosphene generator device adapted to be worn on the head of a person wherein openings are provided therein in spaced relation to one another so as to be aligned with the eyes whereby to pass light from an external light source to the eyes, the improvement comprising:
- a movable element mounted on said device so as to traverse the eye openings, said movable element having blade members passing over the eye openings of a size so as not to completely block the passage of light through the eye openings, and
- variable speed drive means to impart movement to said movable element at a predetermined but variable rate of speed in order to produce light pulses in the range of 1 to 25 cycles per second.
A phosphene generator device comprising in combination:
- a housing having front and rear generally circular plates interconnected in spaced parallel relation to one another, said front and rear plates provided with aligned eye openings in each of said plates whereby when the housing is mounted on the head of a person the eye openings in said plates are aligned with the eyes;
- an external light source;
- a rotary element mounted in said housing for rotation about an axis parallel to the path of light through said eye openings, said rotary element being sized in relation to said eye openings so as to present alternating light and dark pulses;
- and
- variable speed rotating means drivingly connected to said rotating element to impart rotation to said element at a predetermined rate of speed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.