Five-degree-of-freedom ocular mounting assembly

• US 5,381,263 A
• Filed: 07/19/1993
• Issued: 01/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: General Scientific Corporation (VISTA Information Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Scientific Corporation (VISTA Information Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nowak, David, Kim, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARSONS, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US08/093,831
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 351/205, 351/158, 351/57, 351/58, 351/59, 351/63, 359/368, 359/374, 359/399, 359/407, 359/409, 359/411, 359/815, 359/822
• US Class Current: 359/411
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/18 for binocular arrangements focusing binocular pairs G02B7/06; adjusting pupillary distance of binocular pairs G02B7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 25/00 Eyepieces; Magnifying glasses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 25/002 Magnifying glasses
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 25/004 having binocular arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/002 Mounting on the human body
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/12 Adjusting pupillary distance of binocular pairs
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/088 Lens systems mounted to spectacles
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 9/00 Attaching auxiliary optical parts auxiliary optical parts per se G02C7/08 - G02C7/16

Abstract

An ocular mounting assembly for adjustably mounting a pair of ocular devices, such as telemicroscopic loupes, to an eyeglass frame or head mount with linear and rotational adjustments through five degrees of freedom. The ocular mounting assembly includes an adjustable ocular support assembly and an adjustable clamp assembly rotatably attached to the ocular support assembly. The ocular support assembly provides interpupillary distance, convergence angle and view direction adjustment of the ocular devices, which are rotatably attached to the support assembly. The adjustable clamp assembly provides height and view angle adjustment of the ocular devices and allows the ocular devices to be flipped up out of the way when not needed. The height adjustment in conjunction with the view angle adjustment allows the line of sight to be adjusted while the ocular devices are positioned close to the eye or eyeglass lens.

Claims

1. A five-degree-of-freedom ocular mounting assembly, comprising:

a rectangular-shaped ocular support assembly housing having a rigidly attached view angle hinge pin with opposing ends;

a pair of ocular support arms slidably disposed within the assembly housing for supporting a pair of ocular devices rotatably attached to the ends of the ocular support arms, each ocular support arm having a slot with a set of serrated teeth, the teeth being substantially enclosed within the housing during operation;

an interpupillary adjustment knob on the assembly housing having a set of serrated teeth which engage with the serrated teeth in the slots of the ocular support arms;

an eyeglass mount having a protruding pad with parallel sides and a rigidly-attached flip-up hinge pin with opposing ends;

a pair of clamp assembly members having slots that engage the flip-up hinge pin and the view-angle hinge pin, the assembly providing means for independent adjustment of each end of each pin;

a height adjustment rail that engages with the pad on the eyeglass mount to allow the height of the ocular devices to be adjusted; and

means to lock the pad into the channel at a desired height,

wherein rotation of the interpupillary adjustment knob causes the ocular support arms to slide in and out of the assembly housing for adjustment of the interpupillary distance between the two ocular devices, the convergence angle and view direction of the two ocular devices being adjusted by rotating the ocular devices, the ocular support assembly about the view angle hinge pin and the ocular devices are flipped up out of the way by rotating the ocular support assembly and clamp assembly members about the flip-up hinge pin.

2. The ocular mounting assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the ocular devices are rotatably attached to the ends of the ocular support arms by screws which allow the rotational friction of the convergence angle and view direction adjustment to be varied and the ocular devices to be locked in place once the desired convergence angle and view direction are selected.

3. The ocular mounting assembly as set forth in claim 1, and further including a mounting clamp that clamps together with the height adjustment rail about the eyeglass frame to rigidly attach the clamp assembly to the frame.

4. The ocular mounting assembly as set forth in claim 1, the means for independent adjustment of each end of each pin including screws that allow the rotational friction of the view angle adjustment and the flip-up of the ocular devices to be varied.

5. In an ocular mounting assembly of the type having an eyeglass mount, a flip-up and view-angle adjustment assembly connected to the mount, and an ocular support assembly connected to the flip-up and view-angle adjustment assembly, the ocular support assembly including a pair of slidably disposed arms, each arm supporting an ocular to provide for interpupillary distance adjustment, each ocular being rotatable relative to its arm for convergence angle adjustment, the improvement comprising:

the flip-up and view-angle adjustment assembly incorporating flip-up and view-angle hinge pins, each with opposing ends; and

a yoke assembly which encases the pins, the yoke assembly including separately adjustable clamping means associated with each end of each pin.

6. The ocular mounting assembly as set forth in claim 5, further including:

a vertically disposed height adjustment mechanism associated with the eyeglass mount, the mechanism proving for line-of-sight adjustment of the oculars.

7. The ocular mounting assembly as set forth in claim 6, the height adjustment mechanism including:

a vertical rail forming a part of the eyeglass mount;

a vertical channel forming a part of the flip-up and view-angle adjustment assembly which engages with the rail; and

means to lock the rail within the channel once the desired height of the oculars has been selected.

8. The ocular mounting assembly as set forth in claim 5, the ocular support assembly including a housing, said arms being substantially enclosed within the housing during normal operation.