Method for improving vision of a low-vision person and viewing aid

• US 20060147197A1
• Filed: 12/07/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Original Assignee: Carl Zeiss AG (Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung)
• Inventors: Brattke, Simon, Landsinger, Ruediger, Rottenkolber, Birgit, Wurscher, Norbert, Edelmann, Martin, Spruck, Bernd
• Granted Patent: US 8,049,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/429
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/008 using visual presentation of the information for the partially sighted

Abstract

A method for improving vision of a low-vision person and a viewing aid therefore are disclosed. An image is recorded by means of an image recording device, the image being intermediately stored within an image memory and modified and presented to the eyes of the person by means of an image display device being mounted on the head of the person. An image is recorded within a recording mode and the modified image is transferred to the image display device within a display mode. The display mode is initiated in an interval in time with regard to the image recording mode, the interval in time being manually adjustable.

Claims

1. A method for improving vision of a low-vision person, comprising the steps of:

initiating a recording mode

recording an image by means of an image recording device within said recording mode,

intermediately storing said image within an image memory within said recording mode,

modifying said image within said image memory to create a modified image within said recording mode,

initiating a display mode at a distance in time with regard to said image recording mode, said distance in time being manually adjusted by said person,

transferring said modified image to an image display device being mounted to a head of said person within said display mode

presenting said modified image to eyes of said person by means of said image display device within said display mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein movements of said head are sensed, said image being modified within said image memory as a function of said movements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein movements of a hand of said person are sensed, said image being modified within said image memory as a function of said movements.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said image recording device is held manually.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said image recording device is mounted to said head of said person.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said image recording device is mounted stationarily.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a camera is used as said image recording device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a scanner is used as said image recording device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein within said recording mode a plurality of individual images of a total image is recorded first and said total image is electronically composed from said individual images thereafter.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein within said recording mode a total image is recorded first and a detail from said total image is created thereafter.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a camera is used as said image recording device said detail being created by optically zooming said camera.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said detail is created from a stored high-resolution electronic image by reading only a portion of a corresponding memory contents.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said detail is defined by means of a manual input device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein during recording of a text presented in lines, said text is read line by line into said image memory within said recording mode and is concurrently aligned along said direction of said lines.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said recorded text is integrated with a gray scale value thereof line by line along a direction intended for a display of said text, a position of said lines being varied stepwise orthogonally to said direction, said recorded text after having been integrated being rotated within a plane thereof as long as and with said integration being repeated, until a transition of said integrals of said gray scale value along said lines in a transition from a text line to an adjoining space has a maximum steepness.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said recorded text is subjected to a 2D-Fourier-Transformation and is rotated within a plane thereof as a function of a transformation result until said lines of said recorded text extend parallel to a direction intended for a display of said text.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein said modified image is shown within said display mode line by line within said image display device, said lines being shown in a sweep, a speed of said sweep being set as a function of said movements, preferably proportional to an angular velocity during turning of said head.

18. The method of claim 2, wherein said modified image is magnified, a corresponding magnification factor being set as a function of said movements, preferably inverse-proportionally to an angular velocity during turning of said head.

19. The method of claim 2, wherein during presentation of a text shown in lines, said presentation jumps from an end of a line to a beginning of a subsequent line upon a movement of said head in a direction of said text.

20. The method of claim 2, wherein during presentation of a text shown in lines, said presentation jumps from a beginning of a line to an end of a preceding line upon a movement of said head opposite to a direction of said text.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein said jump is initiated by a nodding movement of said head.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein a compensation of jitter movements of said head is effected within said image memory.

23. The method, in particular of claim 2, wherein said movements are detected by means of an image recording device manually carried by a hand of said person or mounted to a head of said person.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein during a presentation of a text line by line, said text is in parallel outputted as a speech signal.

25. A viewing aid for low-vision persons, comprising an image recording device for recording an image, an image memory connected to said image recording device, and an image display device connected to said image memory and mounted to a head of said person, wherein said image memory is adapted to be operated in a recording mode and in a display mode, wherein, further, within said recording mode an image is recorded by means of said image recording device and is stored within said image memory and wherein within said display mode a modified image is transferred to said image display device, a manually operable input device being provided for initiating said display mode at an adjustable distance in time with regard to said recording mode.

26. The viewing aid of claim 25, wherein at least one sensor is provided for sensing movements of said head, said sensor being connected to said image memory such that an image stored within said image memory, is modified as a function of said movements, and is transferred to said image display device.

27. The viewing aid of claim 25, wherein at least one sensor is provided for sensing movements of a hand of said person, said sensor being connected to said image memory such that an image stored within said image memory is modified as a function of said movements, and is transferred to said image display device.

28. The viewing aid of claim 25, wherein said image recording device is a camera.

29. The viewing aid of claim 28, wherein said camera is a hand camera.

30. The viewing aid of claim 28, wherein said camera is mounted to said head of said person.

31. The viewing aid of claim 25, wherein said image recording device is a scanner.

32. The viewing aid of claim 25, wherein said image recording device is mounted stationary.

33. The viewing aid of claim 25, wherein first means are provided for first recording a plurality of individual images within said recording mode and for subsequently composing a total image from said individual images.

34. The viewing aid of claim 25, wherein second means are provided for first recording a total image within said recording mode and for subsequently creating a detail from said total image.

35. The viewing aid of claim 34, wherein said image recording device is a camera and said second means are configured as a zoom lens of said camera.

36. The viewing aid of claim 35, wherein said second means are configured as an electronic circuit which reads only a portion of a corresponding memory contents of a stored high-resolution electronic image.

37. The viewing aid of claim 34, wherein a manually operable input device is provided for defining said detail, in particular for defining a magnification.

38. The viewing aid of claim 37, wherein said input device is a mouse.

39. The viewing aid of claim 37, wherein said input device is adapted to be lifted off a support and comprises means for detecting a distance from said support, said detail being defined as a function of said distance, in particular a magnification of said detail is set as a function of said distance.

40. The viewing aid of claim 26, wherein said at least one sensor is a gyro sensor.

41. The viewing aid of claims 26, wherein said at least one sensor is an inclination sensor.

42. The viewing aid, in particular of claim 26, wherein said at least one sensor is configured as an image recording device manually held by a hand of said person or mounted to a head of said person.

43. The viewing aid of claim 25, wherein a hand scanner is, further, connected to said image memory, output signals from said hand scanner being adapted to be read into said image memory as an alternative to said output signals from said camera.

44. The viewing aid of claim 25, wherein said image display device is mounted to a spectacle.

45. The viewing aid of claim 44, wherein said image display device is pivotably mounted to a spectacle, such that in a first position it is arranged outside said field of vision of said spectacle and in a second position it is arranged inside said field of vision of said spectacle.

46. The viewing aid of claim 26, wherein said at least one sensor is mounted to a spectacle.

47. The viewing aid of claim 25, wherein means are provided for a compensation of jitter movements of said head.

48. The viewing aid of claim 25, wherein during said presentation of a text line by line, means are provided for outputting said text as a speech signal.