Eye protection methods and apparatus
AssigneeGPT Glendale, Inc.
InventorsMark McLear, Tobias Gerfin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An eye protection apparatus includes a selectively darkenable element, such as a liquid crystal panel, and a controller that causes transmission of a darken signal that causes the selectively darkenable element to darken in conjunction with an emission of light, such as intense diffuse light that is used in some medical procedures. Protection against both laser light and diffuse light may be provided in the same eye protection apparatus. The darken signal may be transmitted prior to the emission of the diffuse light, and cause the selectively darkenable element to achieve a darkened state prior to emission of the diffuse light.
Claims60
An eye protection apparatus, comprising:
- a selectively darkenable element;
- and
- a controller that detects a trigger signal that triggers an emission of diffuse light from a diffuse light emission device, and causes transmission of a darken signal that causes the selectively darkenable element to darken in conjunction with the emission of the diffuse light.
An eye protection method, comprising:
- detecting a trigger signal that triggers an emission of diffuse light from a diffuse light emission device;
- and
- transmitting a darken signal that causes a selectively darkenable element to darken in conjunction with the emission of the diffuse light.
An eye protection apparatus, comprising:
- means for detecting a trigger signal that triggers an emission of diffuse light from a diffuse light emission device;
- and
- means for transmitting a darken signal that causes a selectively darkenable element to darken in conjunction with the emission of the diffuse light.
A method of protecting eyes in a medical procedure, comprising:
- wearing a selectively darkenable element that darkens in response to an emission of intense diffuse light from an intense diffuse light emission device and, in a darkened state, protects eyes from the intense diffuse light;
- and
- performing a medical procedure using the intense diffuse light, causing the selectively darkenable element to be placed in the darkened state.
An eye protection apparatus comprising a selectively darkenable element that, in a darkened state, protects a wearer's eyes from intense diffuse light, the eye protection apparatus also being capable of protecting the wearer's eyes from at least one pre-selected wavelength of laser light at a position corresponding to a position of the selectively darkenable element while the selectively darkenable element is in a see-through state.
An eye protection apparatus, comprising:
- a selectively darkenable element;
- and
- a controller that causes transmission of a darken signal acoustically or as a flash of low intensity light that causes the selectively darkenable element to darken in conjunction with an emission of intense light by an intense light emission device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.