HK1070431B - Binocular optical device, in particular electronic spectacles, comprising an electronic camera for automatically setting a focus that includes the correction of different vision defects - Google Patents

Description

Binocular optical device, in particular electronic spectacles, with an electronic camera for automatic sharpness adjustment, including correction of various vision errors

Technical Field

The invention mainly relates to a binocular optical device, in particular to electronic glasses.

Background

Glasses or vision aids and glasses for correcting vision errors or for protection against light, dust, debris and other kinds of glasses have long been known. Most of these typologies have lenses or prisms that are worn in front of the eye to correct various vision errors. The most widely used form of spectacles consists of a pair of glass lenses supported by a metal or plastic frame and placed over the bridge of the nose. The frame is held in place by hooks (temples) that wrap around the head on the sides or behind the ears. Spectacles with plastic lenses are common today because this material is less fragile and lightweight.

The human eye is a photographic eye with a lens arrangement and a number of visual cells grouped into one retina, and has a spherical structure with a diameter of about 2.5 cm and a pronounced bulge on the anterior side. The spherical eyeball is surrounded by a white, firm membrane (sclera) which is formed as a clear cornea in the anterior sclera. On the inner wall of the sclera is the ocular envelope with a large number of vessels, which forms a circular moving arcual membrane (iris) on the scleral border. The iris allows vision through the eye opening (pupil), wherein the pupil is narrowed or enlarged by contraction or relaxation of the iris muscles and allows an appropriate amount of light to always enter the eyeball. Inside the retina is the retina, which is made up of visual cells and receives, processes and transmits light to the brain via the optic nerve. The interior of the eye is filled with a transparent vitreous body which provides the intraocular pressure and strength of the eyeball and presses the retina and the retina of the eye against the substrate. The lens is stretched behind the iris and pupil and can be arched or flattened (focused) by a special smooth muscle. The pupil can be widened or narrowed by other sarcomas. The periphery of the pupil lies on the anterior lens surface and separates the posterior chamber of the eye, which is filled with chamber water, from the anterior chamber, which lies between the lens, iris and cornea.

As mentioned previously, the eye works like a simple camera. The lens projects an inverted image of the outside world onto the light-sensitive retina, which corresponds to film in a camera. As mentioned before, sharpness adjustment (i.e. focusing) of the image is performed by flattening or thickening of the lens, a process called focusing. For healthy eyes, focusing is not required for identifying distant objects; the lens is flattened by its retaining band and projects a sharp image of the object onto the retina. However, the closer the object being fixated, the more strongly the smooth muscle contracts, keeping the band relaxed and the lens rounded. A child can see objects clearly at a distance of about 6 cm, however with age the elasticity of the lens decreases, so that the boundary of clear vision is about 15 cm at age 30 and 40 cm at age 50. At a greater age, most people lose the ability to adjust their eyes to reading or working distances.

Refractive errors result in an unclear visual image. These errors are caused by physical defects of the eyeball, cornea or lens or by paralysis of the internal eye muscles (astigmatism, fluoroscopy and myopia). The refractive error (refractive variation) -i.e. the deviation from normal light refraction in the eye with the corresponding visual defect-is: myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.

Myopia, also known as myopia (Myopie), is a functional defect of the eye caused by lengthening of the axis of the eye (axial myopia) or by an excessively strong refractive power of the lens (refractive myopia); these reasons cause the light rays refracted by the lens to converge before striking the retina. Vision is still possible over short distances, while at normal or longer distances the image is not clear. Myopia is most natural, however, often progresses at a later age. The compensation method is to use a concave polished spectacle glass.

Hyperopia, also known as hypermetropia (hyperopia) or hyperopia, is a refractive error caused by the wrong relationship between the refractive power of a lens and the length of the eyeball. Either (in most cases) the eye is too short, i.e. axial hyperopia, or the refractive index is too small, i.e. refractive hyperopia. In this case the (imaginary) point of convergence of the parallel beams is also behind the retina and the resulting image is therefore not sharp. The compensation for hyperopia is accomplished with convex spectacle glasses. The elderly manifestation of hyperopia, and refractive hyperopia is presbyopia (Presbyopie), i.e. hyperopia caused by a decline in accommodative power with age due to the loss of elasticity in the eye's fluoroscopy.

Astigmatism (rod vision, refractive error of the eye caused by most irregular wrinkles of the cornea, mostly genetic and congenital) is compensated for by cylindrical polished glasses and contact lenses, which compensate for the asymmetry of the eye and thus correct astigmatism. Finally, the glasses are polished to a prism to compensate for the focus error.

It is often necessary to grind the lens into a combination of the above-mentioned shapes to correct multiple defects simultaneously. The focal length of the entire ocular system is now increased or decreased so that at eye rest, the (parallel) light beam from the object at distance produces a sharp image on the retina. The thickness (refractive index) of a lens is measured as the reciprocal of the focal length (in meters), which is called the power (symbol: dpt, formerly dptr). A lens with a focal length of 1m thus has a1 dpt-1 m^-1Is used as a refractive index of (1).

A converging lens is denoted by + and a diverging lens is denoted by; for example, a lens with +2dpt would be a converging lens with a focal length of 50 cm (for distance vision) and a lens with-2 dpt would be a diverging lens with a focal length of 50 cm (for near vision).

In bifocal glasses (lenses with two focal lengths), the upper part is used to look far and the lower part is used to look near, so that the wearer, for example, only has to look down to read, and up to clearly identify distant objects. A trifocal lens is a bifocal lens in which another lens for intermediate distance is ground in the middle. In addition to being placed in the frame, the lenses are placed in a fixture (clips, pliers) or as rod lenses (binoculars with long handle) or as monocular lenses (monocular glasses). Contact lenses (thin lenses) are placed in an invisible manner directly on the cornea beneath the eyelid.

Video cameras (each of general optical image capturing apparatuses) have long been known. Modern cameras consist of 4 basic components: a housing, a shutter, an aperture and an objective lens. The film is located in a light-tight housing with an aperture and a shutter. An objective lens installed in front of the camera is composed of a plurality of optical glass lenses. It allows the photographer to focus his target so that a sharp image is projected onto the film. The large variable aperture and shutter together control the amount of light incident. The iris diaphragm is made of a thin sheet of metal or plastic, which gives an adjustable circular hole. The aperture values correspond to different aperture sizes, which are given on the camera or on the objective. A small aperture value indicates that the aperture hole is large and a large aperture value indicates that the aperture hole is small.

A shutter in the optical path of the camera adjusts the length of time (exposure time) during which light is incident by opening and closing. Most modern cameras have a slit shutter or a iris shutter and a viewfinder system that allows the photographer to accurately select the image segment. All monocular specular cameras are equipped with this device. Furthermore, almost all cameras are equipped with a focusing unit and a film transport device.

To obtain a greater light intensity, modern cameras have lens groups, however the use of lens combinations produces imaging errors which must be corrected with complex lens systems. The main imaging errors are: color deviation, spherical deviation, coma and distortion, astigmatism and field curvature. If the diaphragm is arranged in front of the objective lens, the distortion is barrel-shaped, and if the diaphragm is arranged behind the objective lens, the distortion is pillow-shaped; this imaging error also occurs when a front lens is employed.

The amount of incident light required for the optical film to be sensitized is adjusted by the exposure time (shutter time) and the aperture. The two have a proportional relationship with each other. The shorter the shutter time, the larger the aperture must be so that the same amount of light can reach the film. To snap a target in motion, a shorter shutter time (and a larger aperture hole) is selected. Conversely, with a small aperture (and correspondingly longer shutter times), the so-called depth of field (or sharpness in depth) becomes larger. The depth of field describes a spatial region in which an object captured by a photographer is clearly imaged. In a photograph having a large depth of field, not only near objects but also distant objects can be accurately recognized. Many cameras have a scale on the objective lens that gives the depth of field at different aperture adjustments.

There are a variety of camera types available for various purposes. Large format cameras (9 × 12 to 24 × 30 cm), medium format cameras (6 × 9, 6 × 7, 6 × 6, 6 × 4.5 cm), small photograph cameras (24 × 36, 18 × 24 mm), and minimum photograph cameras (10 × 14 and 13 × 17 mm) according to film specifications; and ground glass cameras, viewfinder cameras, and specular reflection cameras. The measurement viewfinder camera is equipped with a transparent viewfinder (with integrated range finder) through which the photographer can select the picture content. The viewfinder, however, does not strictly display the image segment collected by the objective lens, but only an approximately identical image. When the image collected by the objective lens does not coincide with the image displayed in the viewfinder, it is called parallax. This deviation hardly works when the distance of the target is large. However, at short distances parallax results in the target content not being fully rendered on the finished photograph.

Monocular or binocular specular cameras are equipped with mirrors that direct objects collected by the objective lens to the viewfinder. The binocular mirror-reflected camera has a viewfinder formed of a horizontally focusing glass mounted on the upper portion of the housing. The lower of the two objectives in front of the camera is used for exposure of the film and the upper one is used for viewing the external scene. The two objectives are interconnected such that the sharpness adjustment of one objective automatically follows the adjustment of the other objective. The image collected by the viewfinder is reflected onto the focusing glass via a mirror mounted at a 45 degree angle. The photographer observes the desired image segment while in focus. The image collected by the lower objective lens is projected onto a film located at the rear of the housing. Like a viewfinder camera, parallax also exists in a binocular specular reflection camera.

In monocular specular cameras (ESR), the objective lens is used not only for viewing image sections, but also for exposing the film. The object image reflected by an obliquely placed mirror reaches the viewfinder through a pentagonal prism. When the shutter is operated, i.e., opened, the mirror flips upward so that incident light can expose the film unimpeded. There is no parallax in the monocular specular reflection camera.

Most monocular specular cameras have an (electronic) slit shutter. Many cameras are equipped with automatic exposure devices. In aperture adjustment, electronic and manual adjustment possibilities often exist. More and more camera manufacturers produce ESR cameras with an automatic focusing device in which the distance to the target is automatically determined. The central processing unit moreover coordinates the electronic functions of a number of cameras. Most autofocus cameras use infrared or ultrasonic waves for distance determination and sharpness adjustment (active autofocus). Others have been equipped with passive autofocus systems in which the focal length of the cameras is varied until the two images received by the cameras coincide.

The great advantage of monocular specular cameras is that the image appearing in the viewfinder is truly the same as the image later exposed on the film. Furthermore, the monocular specular reflection camera is relatively simple to operate. There are also a large number of interchangeable lens and camera accessories on the market to choose from. For these reasons ESR is preferred by both professional and amateur photographers. The measurement viewfinder camera that has previously been used by travel photographers due to its small size and simplicity of operation has been replaced by a monocular specular reflection camera. Such cameras are stronger, lighter, and produce less sound than measurement framing cameras due to their simple optical system. The operation of the binocular specular camera is more complex than the other two cameras and fewer options of alternative objectives are available. With more negative film sizes, the photographer can create higher detail resolution: an american astronaut flying in apollo filmed the moon using a binocular Hasselblad specular reflection camera. In addition to such cameras, there are small image fine-tuning cameras that are particularly preferred by business photography enthusiasts, whose operation is constantly automated.

The image pickup lens can be divided into a wide-angle lens, a normal lens and a telephoto lens. These names denote the focal length of the objective lens in millimeters. The focal length is the distance of the focal point from the objective lens. The depth of field of the image section and the picture depends on the focal length of the objective lens.

All three lenses are assembled by the large-size camera, the measurement viewfinder camera and the specular reflection camera. Standard lenses that are not interchangeable with a focal length of 20 to 35 mm are mostly used in small image cameras. Its wide-angle objective lens provides maximum depth of field and collects a larger image fragment than the other lenses. The remotely focused object thus presented is particularly small. Extreme wide-angle or Fisheye lenses (fisherye) provide image angles of 180 degrees and greater. Such that the image projected onto the film is circularly distorted. An objective lens having a focal length of 45 to 55 mm is called a normal lens because it can take a photograph which is closest to an image seen by human eyes in both image size and perspective. An objective lens having a longer focal length is called a telephoto lens. It provides a limited field of view and little depth of field, yet displays image segments with greater gain. An objective lens having a focal length of 85 mm or more is used as the telephoto lens in the small image camera.

Automation is achieved by means of microchips and photocells. For example, an auto focus camera may automatically adjust the distance with a zoom lens. The zoom lens is a variable objective lens (old called rubber lens), i.e., an objective lens having a varying focal length, which can continuously change the image size without changing the standing place. When a real zoom lens is used, if the focal length is changed, the sharpness does not need to be adjusted. The zoom lens for a small image camera has 10 to 20 lenses. Initially insufficient imaging efficiency has increased significantly during this period, whereas objectives with a fixed focal length have more intense light and are more sharp in the extreme range. The zoom lens is particularly suitable in combination with a monocular specularly reflective camera because the change in focal length (and the size of the object) is visible in the viewfinder.

Plastic or glass filters mounted on the camera lens are used to change hue, contrast or brightness. In addition, special effects can be achieved.

Today, the demarcation limit between classical photography and other imaging systems begins to disappear. Electronic information carriers are continuously used in single image photography instead of silver halide emulsions. The resolution of the photograph (493 × 373 and 320 × 240 pixels) corresponds to the image quality of a typical pc monitor; a1 megabyte memory is sufficient to store 8 to 16 pictures. If a photograph is to be sent over the internet, special image mailing card software must be applied. Therefore, there are video camcorders that record image data-different light values reflected by a photographed object-on a floppy disk. The finished image can be viewed on a conventional television screen and printed on paper by a printer. There are also known small-format CCD (charge coupled device) cameras or CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) cameras used in the fields of industrial monitoring, security technology, image communication, and the like. For example, a CCD micro-finger camera has a 55 mm long, 18 mm diameter housing, a 14 mm lens diameter, a 0.5Lux (Lux) light sensitivity, a 3.6 mm focal length, automatic aperture adjustment, and a 27 gram weight; or the CCD micro-camera module has a length and width of 32 mm, a depth of 14 mm, a light sensitivity of 2Lux, a focal length of 4.5 mm, an automatic aperture adjustment, and a weight of 10 grams. By way of comparison, a CMOS camera module is known which has a length and width of 16 mm, a depth of 15 mm, a focal length of 4.9 mm and an aperture of 2.8 mm.

Combinations as vision aids have also been disclosed. DE 3418319C1, for example, discloses a viewing aid having a video monitor, a video camera, a holder which can be placed in the field of view of the camera and on which a reading material is placed, and a device for generating a relative movement between the objective of the camera and the holder. In particular, a scanning mirror is mounted in the beam path of the camera objective by means of a joint which can be rotated about two axes which are arranged perpendicular to one another. One drive motor is coupled to the mirror for each axis of rotation. Furthermore, a manually or foot-operated operating device is provided, the control signals of which are connected to the drive motor via an electronic control device.

Furthermore, DE84379921U1 discloses a viewing aid, in particular a reading aid, which has a carrier support for two optical lenses which are arranged at a distance from one another. The support has a centered support member facing the bridge of the nose of the user, and at least one support member connected to the center support member. A support device for placing two lenses, and two brackets rotatably fixed on the open end of the support and opposite to the upper support of the auricle-support. In particular, the two optical lenses are separable and one or both of them are interchangeably fixed by the user of the vision aid to one or both of the support means carrying the support, while one or both of the support means are fixedly connected to the central support.

DE29804368U1 discloses spectacles with a manually adjustable focusing device. The focusing device comprises an additional support with two lens frames and two annular wheels rotatably mounted therein. There is also a flexible swivel device connecting the two wheels and two lenses fitted into the two annular wheels. An engaging plate is fixedly mounted on an intermediate member inside the additional support and is attached with a boss. A master carrier has two hooks that are pushed over the user's ears and two lens frames into which two lenses are placed. The main support has a recess on its inside which is designed to receive a projection on the engagement plate.

Similarly, DE 3720190a1 proposes an optical device for persons suffering from essential amblyopia. The optical device has a conventional spectacle frame, which is equipped with neutral or optical lenses and in front of these lenses is mounted a telescopic prism system which is focused at a defined distance from the spectacle frame at a common focal point. In particular, a further holder is movably mounted on the spectacle frame, on which one or two prismatic lenses are mounted. Furthermore, a lever for the movement thereof is arranged upstream of the or each telescope system, so that in this way the focal length of the entire system is changed to a variable focal length. The lever is also used to move the lens out of the optical path from this position.

DE19959379a1 discloses a variable refractive index lens. The spectacles have lens systems whose refractive index and the position and orientation of the optical axis are variable. Furthermore, an adjusting device is provided for simultaneously adjusting the refractive index, the position and the orientation of the optical axis of the respective lens.

DE29911082U1 likewise discloses spectacles in which 11 eyelets are used for enlarging the vision, which can be adjusted to the respective desired vision by means of a rotatable movement.

Furthermore, DE 4004248C1 discloses a binocular vision aid having a frame which can be worn on the head of a user, two optical systems being carried by the frame: the optical axis of each optical system passes through the reception rotation point of the eye of the user to which the optical system is fitted, so that the user can simultaneously view with both eyes through the optical system possessed by the respective eyes. Furthermore, an angle adjustment device is provided for adjusting the direction of the main axes of the two optical systems in a plane containing the optical axis for each of at least two different working distances. The angle adjustment device has a guide means, and when each optical system moves in its guide means, the corresponding optical axis rotates around the reception rotation point of the corresponding eye of the user. Furthermore, a correction device is provided, which makes it possible to adjust the optical system to a corresponding viewing distance.

Glasses with light intensity modulation have also been known. For example, DE 9313834U1 discloses eyeglasses having a first pair of glass-fitting grooves and a second pair of glass-fitting grooves in both frames of the eyeglass holder. The first pair of glasses and the second pair of glasses are placed in the first pair or the second pair of glass-mount channels, respectively, and the first pair and the second pair of glasses are designed as polarization filters. The second pair of glasses has teeth around the edges. Two driving gears are mounted in the centre of the support and mesh with the teeth of the second pair of glasses. A drive mechanism is provided for rotating the drive gear to rotate the second pair of glasses relative to the first pair of glasses.

Also known today are electronic spectacles. For example, DE19724139C1 discloses an electronic pair of spectacles with a spectacle frame which carries at least one electronic camera and two displays which can be viewed by the user binocular respectively via a viewing lens system. Furthermore, an image processing circuit is present, which processes the image received by the electronic camera and provides an output signal for controlling the display. In particular, at least one of the two viewing lens systems has a shim glass which is delimited by two opposing planes which enclose an angle and which is mounted rotatably about an axis which is approximately perpendicular to the two planes and parallel to the optical axis of the viewing lens system.

DE19959379a1 discloses variable refractive index spectacles, the refractive index of which is adjustable in order to support the adjustment of the eye. The spectacles have two viewing lens systems, each having a variable index lens and a variable angle prism. The variable index lens has a first adjusting device for adjusting the refractive index of the variable index lens, a second adjusting device for adjusting the refractive index of the prism having a variable angle prism, and a connecting device. The first adjusting means changes the curvature of the front surface of the corresponding lens to change the refractive index thereof. The second adjusting means changes the inclination angle of the front surface of the corresponding prism having a variable angle to change the prism refractive index thereof. Finally, the connecting means are used to adjust the first and second adjustment means so that the two adjustments cooperate with each other. Thus, a comfortable binocular vision is obtained when the glasses are worn for a long time, and the balance between adaptation and feeling is not deteriorated. In particular, lenses with variable refractive index have a flexible sheath that is filled with a transparent liquid.

In particular, a corresponding prism with variable angle is composed of two fixed transparent plates and a flexible membrane which seals the space between the fixed transparent plates. The inner space is filled with a transparent liquid. The front surface of the variable index corresponding prism is inclined to change the outer edge angle of the temple side of the wearer according to the volume of the transparent liquid. The first pump is used to adjust the volume of transparent liquid that is forced into the variable index lens. The first pump and the electromagnet that pushes the piston of the first pump constitute first adjusting means for adjusting the refractive index of the lens. A second pump is used to adjust the volume of transparent liquid that is forced into the prism with variable angles. The second pump and the electromagnet that drives the piston of the second pump form a second means for adjusting the prism refractive index of the prism. In a similar manner, a third pump (which is connected to the variable-index lens) and an electromagnet form the first control device. A fourth pump, which is connected to the variable-angle prism, and an electromagnet form the second adjusting device.

The variable refractive index glasses disclosed in DE19959379a1 also have a distance sensor for measuring the distance to the object, a processor for controlling the 4 electromagnets and a memory in which the relationship between the distance to the object and the required electromagnet actuation size is stored. The processor reads out from the memory a relationship between the driving sizes of the electromagnets corresponding to the object distance signals of the distance sensors. The processor reads out the electromagnet driving size corresponding to the object distance signal of the distance sensor from the memory and then controls the electromagnet to adjust the refractive index of the variable refractive index lens. While the processor reads from the memory the drive size of the electromagnet corresponding to the respective additional refractive index of the object distance signal and controls the electromagnet to adjust the prism refractive index of the prism having the variable angle. While the processor has the function of connecting means to configure the adjustment made by the first adjusting means to the adjustment made by the second adjusting means to connect one adjustment to the other. With this structure, not only the refractive index but also the refractive index of the prism changes when the subject distance changes, thereby maintaining a balance between accommodation and comfort.

JP 08-043775a discloses a similar electronic spectacles with a microprocessor, a distance measuring device and an automatic focusing. With one +18D lens and one-20D lens to provide a range of adjustment between 5 meters and 30 centimeters. The distance measuring device is arranged in the central nose piece of the glasses.

DE 3342126a1 discloses a video camera. The view of the user is taken with a miniature television camera mounted on the nose piece of glasses (or with two cameras if the shot is taken for stereo viewing). One or two miniature cameras may be mounted on the eyeglass frame so that the user can view the scene normally and check through a viewfinder which displays the portion of the scene provided to the television camera. This allows the user to take a picture with the hands free and to take a scene in near real time because the camera and viewfinder are directionally aligned with the desired portion of the scene. Since the eyes of different persons have different eye distances, the viewing area should be adjusted such that it is suitable for the user. It is generally reasonable that the position of the viewfinder be adjusted on the glasses when one of the cameras is down-adjusted. The viewfinder can move up and down the sides, and this movement can be accommodated by the nose piece of the glasses. If a zoom apparatus is required, this can be achieved electronically, where each camera has a CCD chip (charge coupled device chip) that picks up the light and generates an electronic signal based on the image received by the optical charge displacement element. The chip is mounted behind a single lens unit (typically a 16 mm F2 gonio lens) and a mirror. The camera does not require focal length adjustment if a short focal length optical lens is used. Focal length adjustment can be used as desired and a simple focal length thread is used to adjust the lens. If it is desired to shield the adjustment of the focal length screw, a small sliding rod is mounted on the rear side of the support. There may also be a focus indicator, for example colour coded, and mounted along the CCD so as to be visible only to the user. Electronic or other methods of autofocusing may also be employed:

as mentioned above, the aperture may be controlled manually or by simple electronic means (e.g. a liquid crystal device mounted directly behind the camera lens). Alternatively, a CCD having a sufficient light receiving frequency band may be used so that the diaphragm function can be realized by an automatic gain adjusting circuit in the photographing device. Video cameras, in particular electronic lenses and viewfinders according to DE 3342126a1, have wide application in the field of application of glass, goggles or other spectacles. Popular video tapes or electronic still image recordings can be made at little cost and without affecting hand. The camera may be used in a boat, vehicle, airplane, etc. Other applications are in self-training videotape work, in the industrial field, in training movies, and creating an immediately deliverable picture, as a disabled person's camera, and in security and military sectors where a conservative secret is sometimes needed.

DE 19624184 a1 discloses sunglasses or radio glasses with a receiver for information, in particular broadcasts. In the area of the receiver built in the upper part of the 1-eye hook, a volume adjuster, a combination switch and a channel selector are installed in different slots. In a further groove behind the ear there is an earphone with a tubular bow-shaped clip, which is mounted on a displacement device for adjustment. The displacement device consists of a displacement element with displacement bearings in a grid, which can be fixed in different locking positions. Behind the microphone aperture is a microphone which can be selectively switched on by a combination switch. Furthermore, a battery is accommodated in a structural space, which has a cover. The individual equipment units in the two hooks are connected to one another by connecting wires located in the bridge. For this purpose, slip ring contacts, or bridge lines, can be provided on the joint. The receiver can be switched on or off by means of a combination switch and the microphone can be switched on in another switch position. A jack is provided below the bridge for connecting a cassette recorder.

In the above-mentioned prior art, binocular optical devices, electronic spectacles and typoscope are known, which have the main disadvantage that the sharpness adjustment of the optical system over the respective working distance requires a great mechanical expenditure and constant manual operation and is generally very heavy. Electronic glasses with a microcomputer, a distance meter and an autofocus are capable of meeting all the requirements as a whole, but it proposes an expensive solution to the requirements. Accordingly, electronic eyeglasses are not widely available and adapted eyeglasses or vision aids are produced for each user, typically after a corresponding eye test has been performed. Of particular interest, industry in the field of optics is seen as a particularly advanced, promising industry with very rapid improvements and simplifications.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to realize the device cheaply compared with the existing binocular vision device and realize automatic definition adjustment including correction of various vision errors.

The above task is accomplished by a binocular optical device, in particular electronic spectacles, having:

-a frame for a spectacle,

at least one electronic camera mounted on said spectacle frame, and

an actuatable lens system arranged on the front side, which is connected to the electronic camera,

wherein the vision errors are corrected by adjusting the refractive index and/or focus of the lens, including automatic adjustment to the reading distance or working distance.

The optical device of the present invention has the following advantages: a continuous correction of the visual error for an individual can be achieved in an extremely simple manner. The additional weight of the electronic camera improved according to the invention, preferably a video camera with its lens looking forward, is very light compared to the total weight of the optical device, since the weight is reduced by dispensing with manual adjustment means for sharpness adjustment. The invention is based on the combination of a camera function and an eyeglass function for the purpose of meeting the requirements of different wearers, so that a further fully automated, on-demand eyeglass is provided for the first time by using an electronic control unit, which can fulfill various requirements with high resolution without having to pay higher outlay for this purpose. It has a wide range of applications, from people with severe vision impairment to vision aids in the fields of surgical operations or industrial mounting of micromachines and the like. The structural depth of the frame is preferably between 28 mm and 50 mm and the magnification range is preferably between 2.5 and 10 times. Practice has shown that the maximum total weight is about 70 grams. Due to the elimination of manual adjustment, for example in the case of the spectacles with manually adjustable focusing devices disclosed in DE29804368U1, the spectacles are comfortable in use and can be moved safely by people with severe visual impairment.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, an electronic control device is provided which is connected to the lens system and the camera and has a memory for storing a manual preset value for at least two eyes, which preset value serves as a setpoint value for the automatic correction of eye distance and vision errors during operation.

This solution of the invention has the following advantages: due to the disposability and the individual pre-adjustment, the costs for the fully automatic adjustment can be kept low. Sharp images are continuously obtained by auto-focusing which constantly controls the contrast.

According to the invention, a motor is also provided for driving the lens system in movement.

In a further development of the invention, a control device is provided for driving the lens system which is connected to and controlled by the control device, and a transmission is provided on the driven shaft side of the motor for increasing the adjustment speed.

This improved design of the present invention has the following advantages: with the aid of direct motor control and transmission, focusing of 25 cm up to infinity is accomplished in a time of about 0.2 seconds up to a maximum of 1 second.

It is advantageous if the lens system is formed by a plurality of plastic lenses and has a guide for adjustment by twisting and/or rotation of the individual lenses.

The guide for rotating the individual lenses enables a highly precise positioning and ensures a low friction loss and a low wear mode of operation. The lens system can also have a plurality of switchable focal lengths, as in the prism system of DE9016891U1, in particular constructed as a birefringent crystal, or the lens can be adjusted by tilting about an axis lying perpendicular to the optical axis, as described separately for the device of DE19905779a 1. The lens system may also have a polyhedral lens with at least four optically active surfaces, two corresponding surfaces being placed in pairs in the beam path of the lens system by means of a rotary device for adjusting the desired focal length of the lens system, as is the case, for example, with the lens system described in DE19603191C2, which is used for cameras, video cameras, telescopes, etc. It is also possible to use zoom lenses used in cameras, for example for cameras with motor-driven zoom lenses as described in DE4104548C2, or for cameras with motor-driven variable objectives as described in DE4312489a1, or for a manually and motor-operated objective lens barrel as described in DE10009684a1, with corresponding adaptations.

In a further development of the invention, the transmission is selected from the group consisting of wheels, traction means, belts, screws, claws and cam transmissions, and not only hard transmission elements such as gears and shafts, but also deformable elements such as belts, chains and guides are made of plastic.

Such a transmission can achieve very precise staging (i.e. a single-stage, high-reduction transmission) and the transmission of high torques without a high outlay being required for this purpose. In combination with the control circuit of the invention, on the one hand a very precise lens positioning can be achieved and on the other hand very high process speeds can be achieved. In addition, the following advantages are provided: all the components of the actuator and the optical device according to the invention are made of the same material, for example plastic, and can be produced in mass production by injection molding, the combination having a comparatively low level of operating noise, being insensitive to processing and installation errors, and being very light (a plastic lens weighs approximately 2 g and a glass lens weighs approximately 8 g).

Advantageously, a power source in the form of a rechargeable battery is mounted on the frame for supplying power, and an indicator is provided on the side of the frame for indicating the charge status of the rechargeable battery.

By means of a charge status indication, preferably an LCD indication (LCD indication), the user can remove the cause of the fault in the event of a fault, for which reason an alarm indication (for example flashing and/or an audible indication as an alarm sound or corresponding voice output at a different volume) will be generated when the rechargeable battery is running out of power.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the spectacles are used as medical or leisure spectacles with mutually different magnifications and have an interface circuit connected to a camera for connecting a recording device to the camera.

An advantage of the above-described embodiments of the invention is that first the test is recorded and a corresponding medical assessment can be made. Recorded material may be formed on vacation, for example during a sporting event or while roaming in a mountain, and later played back.

It is advantageous that either one of a broadcast radio receiver and a telephone receiver, which are connected to the indicator, is installed at one hanger.

The structure not only enables users to talk and improves the leisure value of the optical device, but also ensures the contact of the users.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the spectacles are designed as a sealed dust-tight box, on which the hooks are hinged and in which ventilation slots are formed.

The advantage of the above-described design according to the invention is that ventilation of the cassette is possible, so that covering of the lens with moisture in the presence of moisture or in the event of alternating cold and hot, for example, into a room, is reliably avoided.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a movable visor is provided on the spectacle frame, forming an aid.

The above-described embodiments have the advantage that the lens remains clean and that the glare effect can be reliably avoided.

Drawings

Further advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of advantageous embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a front view of an optical device of the present invention, an

Fig. 2 shows a perspective side view of the device.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 and 2 show a preferred embodiment of the optical device according to the invention, which is designed as a fully automatic spectacle system. The concept of the present invention is suitable for many applications, such as sighting aid as a helmet.

The binocular optical arrangement of the invention has a spectacle frame B and also at least one electronic camera K, preferably a video camera. Furthermore, a lens system L is provided, which is preferably drivable by means of a motor M and is mounted on the front side. The lens system L is connected to the electronic camera K in such a way that visual errors are corrected by adjusting the refractive index and/or the focus of the lens (including automatic adjustment to the reading distance or working distance).

An electronic control unit ST is also provided, which is connected to the lens system L and the camera K and has a memory for storing a preset manual preset value for at least two eyes, as a target value for adapting the automatic correction of the eye distance and the vision error during operation.

For motor control and increasing the control speed, the control device ST preferably has a gear on the driven shaft side of the motor M. A wheel or traction device, belt, screw, pawl, or cam drive may be used as the drive. Both the hard drives, such as gears and shafts, and the deformable parts, such as belts, chains, and guides, are made of plastic (e.g., Makralon), optionally reinforced with glass fibers.

The lens system L (preferably consisting of 4 lenses) is made of plastic and also has a guide for adjustment to a target point by twisting and/or rotation of the individual lenses or the optical axis. The size enlargement is 4 times when used as medical spectacles and 2.5 times when used as leisure spectacles, which is proposed as empirical data after extensive tests (while a 10-fold enlargement is also within the scope of protection of the invention from weight and price considerations). The depth of construction of frame B is about 28 mm to 35 mm in 2.5 times magnification leisure glasses and about 35 mm to 50 mm in 4 times magnification medical glasses. The focus range for the casual glasses starts at about 1 to 3 meters and the focus range for the medical glasses starts at 25 centimeters (reading distance).

A rechargeable battery a is mounted in the frame B for powering the camera K, the control circuit ST and the motor M. In addition, the spectacle frame is also provided with an indicator AZ for indicating the charging state of the rechargeable battery.

At a hook B * a broadcast radio receiver R and/or a telephone receiver may be mounted, which are connected to the indicator AZ. Furthermore, an interface circuit can be provided which is connected to the camera K for connection to a recording device.

The frames are designed as dust-tight boxes G with hooks B * hinged to the boxes. The mechanical device, the lens L, the refraction adjusting device, the focusing device and the control device for focusing, and a frame for supporting all the elements in accordance with the functions are arranged in a box G, and the box G can BE provided with a ventilation gap BE.

In addition, the frame has a movable visor BL as an auxiliary device and a microphone M1 is mounted on the front side of the frame. The shutter plate may be made of cellulose acetate resistant to breakage and replaceable.

Compared to the known prior art, the optical device of the invention does not require constant manual adjustment of the magnification and can further eliminate visual errors at very low cost, since the contrast-controlled autofocus is continuously adjusted.

All the possible embodiments which have been given and described, and all the new features and combinations thereof indicated in the description and/or the drawings are only essential to the invention. For example, the focusing lens group can be displaced along the optical axis for focusing purposes due to the rotation of the actuating unit (guide device), or it can have a varistor lens group and a compensation lens group, which can be displaced relative to one another along the optical axis for focusing purposes due to the axial displacement of the actuating unit, the frame and the spectacle frame can be formed from Makralon (possibly reinforced with glass fibers), the camera can also have a CCD sensor in addition to the objective lens and, in addition to the remaining electronic components, these components can also be mounted on a circuit board, can have an additional socket for connecting an external battery, the adjustment (in particular the pre-adjustment) can also be carried out by means of remote control and an additional remote control receiver, etc.

Claims (14)

1. A binocular optical device having:

an eyeglass frame (B)

At least one electronic camera (K) with autofocus function mounted on the spectacle frame (B), and

a drivable lens system (L) in which the lens is directed forwards towards the reading or working distance and is connected to the electronic camera (K),

wherein the wearer's visual error is corrected by adjusting the refractive index and/or focus of the lens, including automatic adjustment to the reading or working distance.

2. Optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that a motor (M) is provided for driving the lens system (L) in movement.

3. Optical device according to claim 1, further comprising an electronic control unit (ST) connected to said lens system (L) and to said camera (K), said electronic control unit (ST) having a memory for storing a manual preset value for at least two eyes, this preset value being a nominal value for adapting, in operation, the automatic correction of eye distance and vision errors.

4. Optical device according to claim 3, characterized in that a motor (M) is provided for driving the lens system (L) connected to and controlled by the control means (ST), and a transmission is provided on the driven shaft side of the motor (M) for increasing the adjustment speed.

5. Optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lens system (L) comprises a plurality of plastic lenses and that a guiding means is provided for adjustment by at least one of twisting and rotating the individual lenses.

6. The optical device of claim 4, wherein the actuator is selected from the group consisting of wheels, traction devices, belts, screws, claws, and cam actuators, and wherein the rigid drive webs, deformable members, and guides are all comprised of plastic.

7. An optical device according to claim 6, wherein the hard drive is a gear or a shaft and the deformable member is a belt or chain.

8. Optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that it further comprises a power source in the form of a rechargeable battery (a), and an indicator (AZ) for indicating the charge state of the rechargeable battery (a) fitted to the eyeglasses frame (B).

9. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein the optical device is configured as medical or leisure glasses having mutually different magnifications.

10. Optical apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an interface circuit (S) connected to said camera (K) for connecting a recording device to said camera.

11. Optical device according to claim 8, characterized in that at one hook (B *) there is provided either a broadcast radio receiver (R) or a telephone receiver, which is connected to the indicator (AZ).

12. Optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that the spectacles are designed in the form of a dust-tight box (G) with hooks (B *) hinged thereto, and in that ventilation slots (BE) are formed in this box.

13. Optical device according to claim 1, characterized in that a movable light shield (BL) is arranged on the spectacle frame, forming an auxiliary device.

14. The optical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the optical apparatus is configured as electronic eyewear.