Optical guide fixture
OwnerMikki Arai, Tatuso Hiroseinventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides an optical guide fixture for coupling visual information on a surface to a viewer. The optical guide fixture of the invention can be coupled to an optical receiver, such as a digital camera, operably connected to a head-mounted display unit to provide a device according to the invention for viewing a surface. Such a device, in one application, provides magnified images of visual information on a surface, such as a page of a book, to a patient with a visual impairment.
Claims33
An optical guide fixture for coupling visual information present on a surface to an optical receiver, the fixture comprising:
- a pedestal having a base adapted for manually guided translation along the surface, and
- a mount coupled to the pedestal adapted for coupling to an optical receiver having a field of view at a surface substantially at a surface on which said base is disposed,
- whereby the mount maintains an optical receiver at a predetermined distance and angle with respect to the surface when the optical guide fixture is translated along the surface.
An optical guide fixture for coupling visual information present on a surface to an optical receiver, the fixture comprising:
- a pedestal having at a first axial end an input window adapted for manually guided translation along the surface, and having at a second axial end an output window adapted for coupling to an optical receiver,
- the input window and the output window being in optical alignment along an axially extending optical passage, and the pedestal maintaining the output window at a predetermined distance and angle with respect to the surface when the optical guide fixture is translated along the surface, and
- wherein the pedestal has, between the first and second axial ends, at least one opening for removably and replaceably passing an implement from outside the fixture to the optical passage within the fixture.
A system for viewing visual information present on a surface, comprising:
- a pedestal having at a first axial end an input window adapted for manually guided translation along the surface, and having at a second axial end an output window adapted for coupling to an optical receiver, the input window and the output window being in optical alignment along an axially extending optical passage, and the pedestal maintaining the output window at a predetermined distance and angle with respect to the surface when the pedestal is translated along the surface,
- an optical receiver coupled to the optical passage to provide an image of visual information on the surface within the input window,
- a head-mounted display unit operably coupled to the optical receiver to receive the image and to display the image to a viewer, and
- wherein the pedestal has, between the first and second axial ends, at least one opening for removably and replaceably passing an implement into the optical passage between said input and output windows.
A method for providing an image of a selected portion of a surface bearing visual information to a viewer, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing an optical guide fixture comprising a pedestal having at a first axial end an input window adapted for manually guided translation along the surface, and having at a second axial end an output window adapted for coupling to an optical receiver, the input window and the output window being in optical alignment along an axially extending optical passage, and the pedestal maintaining the output window at a predetermined distance and angle with respect to the surface when the optical guide fixture is translated along the surface, and wherein the pedestal has, between the first and second axial ends, at least one opening for removably and replaceably passing an implement from outside the fixture to the optical passage within the fixture,
- coupling an optical receiver to the output window of the optical fixture for receiving visual information present at the input window and producing data corresponding to the received visual information, and
- coupling a head-mounted display unit to the optical receiver to receive the data and display the data to a viewer.
An optical guide fixture adapted for imaging visual information present on a surface, the fixture comprising:
- housing means for housing an imaging means for detecting visual information present on the surface, the imaging means having a field of view at the surface,
- guide means coupled to the housing means for contacting the surface and being translated along the surface while maintaining the imaging means at a predetermined distance and angle with respect to the surface, and
- aperture means for passing an object into the field of view of the imaging means when the guide means is disposed on the surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.