Animatronic Eye with an Electromagnetic Drive and Fluid Suspension and with Video Capability

• US 20110066239A1
• Filed: 09/16/2009
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Smoot, Lanny Starkes, Hammond, Marcus, Bassett, Katherine May
• Granted Patent: US 8,715,033 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/6.64
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/141 Artificial eyes
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 3/40 movable
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/26 Magnetic or electric toys electric drives A63H29/22 ; indoor games played with small balls using magnetic power A63F7/0088, A63F7/068
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/02 Artificial eyes from organic plastic material implantable eye parts, artificial eyes A61F2/14
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 23/30 Anatomical models G09B23/281 - G09B23/288 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/50 Constructional details

Abstract

An animatronic eye with fluid suspension, electromagnetic drive, and video capability. The eye assembly includes a spherical, hollow outer shell that contains a suspension liquid. An inner sphere is positioned in the outer shell in the suspension liquid to be centrally floated at a distance away from the shell wall. The inner sphere includes painted portions providing a sclera and iris and includes an unpainted rear portion and front portion or pupil. The shell, liquid, and inner sphere are have matching indices of refraction such that interfaces between the components are not readily observed. A camera is provided adjacent a rear portion of the outer shell to receive light passing through the shell, liquid, and inner sphere. A drive assembly is provided including permanent magnets on the inner sphere that are driven by electromagnetic coils on the outer shell to provide frictionless yaw and pitch movements simulating eye movements.

Claims

1. An eye apparatus, comprising:

an outer shell comprising a wall defining a substantially spherical inner void space and having a substantially spherical outer surface, wherein the outer shell includes a front portion and a rear portion both transmitting light with a first index of refraction;

a volume of suspension liquid contained within the inner void space of the outer shell, the suspension liquid transmitting light with a second index of refraction substantially matching the first index of refraction;

an inner sphere comprising a solid body with a third index of refraction substantially matching the first and second indices of refraction, wherein the inner sphere is positioned in the inner void space of the outer shell in the suspension liquid; and

a camera positioned adjacent the rear portion of the outer shell, whereby an image capturing device of the camera receives light passing through the outer shell, the suspension liquid and the inner sphere.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the solid body and the wall of the outer shell are formed of a substantially transparent plastic.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the substantially transparent plastic comprises an acrylic.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the suspension liquid has a specific gravity selected to provide approximately neutral buoyancy to the inner sphere.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the suspension liquid comprises a mixture of glycerin and water.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the outer shell wall has an inner diameter greater than an outer diameter of the solid body of the inner sphere, the outer diameter having a magnitude greater than about 80 percent of the inner diameter of the outer shell wall.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rear portion of the outer shell comprises an opaque hemisphere including an opening and a spherical camera lens extending over the opening, sealably attached to the opaque hemisphere, and positioned between the camera and the inner void space.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an electromagnetic drive assembly including a set of magnetic elements spaced apart on a great circle of the solid body of the inner sphere and a set of electromagnetic drive mechanisms positioned proximate to the outer surface of the outer shell, wherein the electromagnetic drive mechanisms are selectively operable to apply drive magnetic fields to the magnetic elements to provide yaw and pitch movements to the solid body.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each of the electromagnetic drive mechanisms comprise a restoring permanent magnet positioned proximate to a great circle of the outer shell and wherein the restoring permanent magnets apply a restoring magnetic force on the magnetic elements on the solid body to return and maintain the solid body in a predefined center position in the inner void space spaced apart from the outer shell wall.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the set of magnetic elements comprise four permanent magnets spaced 90 degrees apart on the great circle of the solid body and wherein each of the electromagnetic drive mechanisms comprise a pair of electromagnetic coils positioned adjacent to each other and on opposite sides of a great circle of the outer shell, whereby pairs of the electromagnetic coils in the electromagnetic drive mechanisms located on opposite sides of the outer shell are positioned to have center points proximate to antipodal points of the outer shell such that the opposite pairs are antipodal coil pairs and wherein the antipodal pairs are operated concurrently to apply symmetric driving forces on the magnetic elements of the inner sphere to maintain the solid body spaced apart from the outer shell wall.

11. An animatronic eye for use in an animatronic figure, comprising:

a lens assembly comprising a spherical, hollow outer shell for mounting onto the animatronic figure, a volume of liquid within the outer shell, and an inner sphere suspended within the liquid; and

a drive assembly comprising a set of magnetic elements provided on a great circle of the inner sphere and a set of electromagnetic drives positioned external to the outer shell about a great circle of the spherical outer shell, wherein the electromagnetic drives are selectively operable to apply magnetic drive forces upon the magnetic elements to rotate the inner sphere about a center point in yaw and pitch directions.

12. The animatronic eye of claim 11, wherein the inner sphere has an outer diameter with a magnitude of at least about 80 percent of a magnitude of an inner diameter of the spherical outer shell and wherein the volume of liquid substantially fills a space between the inner sphere and the spherical outer shell and has a specific gravity to provide neutral buoyancy for the inner sphere such that the center point of the inner sphere substantially coincides with a center of the spherical outer shell.

13. The animatronic eye of claim 11, wherein the set of magnetic elements comprise four permanent magnets proximate to an outer surface of the inner sphere and spaced apart about 90 degrees on the great circle of the inner sphere.

14. The animatronic eye of claim 13, wherein the set of electromagnetic drives comprises four pairs of electromagnetic coils spaced apart about 90 degrees along the great circle of the spherical outer shell and wherein in each of the pairs a first coil is positioned on a first side and a second coil is positioned on a second side of the great circle of the spherical outer shell, whereby opposite ones of the first and second coils have center points coinciding with antipodal points of the spherical outer shell and whereby concurrently driving the opposite ones of the first and second coils applies symmetric driving forces upon the permanent magnets to cause the rotation in the yaw and pitch directions.

15. The animatronic eye of claim 11, further comprising a video camera attached to the outer shell upon a rear portion of the outer shell adapted to focus on a front portion opposite the rear portion, wherein the outer shell, the liquid, and the inner sphere have matching indices of refraction.

16. The animatronic eye of claim 15, wherein the inner sphere comprises a solid body with a painted portion extending over a hemisphere positioned proximate to the front portion of the outer shell and with an unpainted pupil portion provided within the painted portion providing an inlet window for light to pass through the solid body.

17. A prosthetic eye assembly, comprising:

a spherical, hollow outer shell for positioning within a human eye socket of a prosthesis recipient;

a suspension liquid contained within the outer shell;

a spherical body suspended within the liquid; and

a magnetic drive assembly comprising a set of magnetic elements provided on a great circle of the inner sphere and a magnetic field generator positioned a distance apart from the outer shell, wherein the magnetic field generator generates magnetic forces rotating the spherical body.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the set of magnetic elements comprises a number of permanent magnets provided on a great circle of the spherical body and wherein the suspension liquid fill a space between the spherical body and the outer shell and has specific gravity to provide a substantially neutral buoyancy to the spherical body.

19. The assembly of claim 17, further comprising a controller providing drive signals to the magnetic field generator to drive the spherical body to have yaw and pitch movements tracking movement of a functioning eye of the prosthesis recipient.

20. The assembly of claim 19, further comprising means for tracking the movement of the functioning eye.

21. The assembly of claim 20, further comprising a frame wearable by the prosthesis recipient, wherein the magnetic field generator and tracking means are mounted in the frame with the magnetic field generator adjacent the spherical body.