Artificial system for vision and the like

• US 6,658,299 B1
• Filed: 01/04/2000
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Research Foundation for The State University of New York (State University of New York)
• Original Assignee: William H. Dobelle
• Inventors: Dobelle, William H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bockelman, Mark
• Application Number:
  US09/477,554
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 607/54, 607/53, 600/558, 382/266
• US Class Current: 607/54
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/08 Devices or methods enabling eye-patients to replace direct visual perception by another kind of perception

Abstract

An artificial system for vision and the like in which a camera views an object and creates signals corresponding thereto which are conveyed to the nervous system of the subject and produce corresponding sensations such as phosphenes in the subject'"'"'s nervous system, in which the effectiveness of the system in conveying intelligence to the subject is enhanced by converting light-corresponding and dark-corresponding portions of the camera-produced signals into dark-corresponding and light-corresponding portions of the actual sensation-producing signals. Other enhancements include producing a comparatively bright signal of the edge of the object being viewed, the signals applied by a multiplexer which applies the plurality of pulses sequentially to particular locations. Other aspects include providing the subject with a rangefinder which causes sensations that periodically vary, as in brightness, at a rate corresponding to the distance to the object being viewed as well as providing an adjustable signal amplifier to produce a controllable “zoom” effect.

Claims

1. An artificial vision system comprising means for creating electrical signals corresponding to a visual image of an object, an implantable brain stimulator for producing phosphenes in the brain of a visually impaired individual, and an electrical connection between said signal creating means and said stimulator which comprises signal modifying means effective to produce said phosphenes corresponding to a modified image of said object which modified image has a comparatively bright object outline when compared to the remaining portion of said modified image.

2. The artificial vision system of claim 1, in which said signals correspond to light and dark portions respectively of said object and in which said signal modifying means is effective to cause the electrically created signals corresponding to light and dark portions of said object to be modified so as to produce phosphenes having dark and light portions in said modified image of said object respectively.

3. An artificial vision system comprising means for creating electrical signals corresponding to light and dark portions of a visual image of an object, an implantable brain stimulator for producing phosphenes in the brain of a visually impaired individual, and an electrical connection between said signal creating means and said stimulator which comprises signal modifying means effective to cause the created electrical signals corresponding to light and dark portions of said object to be modified so as to produce phosphenes corresponding to the dark and light portions of said object respectively.

4. An artificial vision system comprising means for creating electrical signals corresponding to a visual image of an object, an implantable brain stimulator for producing phosphenes in the brain of a visually impaired individual, and an electrical connection between said signal-creating means and said stimulator, said system further comprising a rangefinder having an output reflecting the distance from said individual to said object, said output appropriately modifying said phosphene-producing signals in accordance with said distance to indicate object distances to the user.

5. The artificial vision system of claim 4, in which said modification of said phosphene-producing signals comprises essentially varying the amplitude of those signals at a rate corresponding to said distance.

6. An artificial vision system comprising means for creating electrical signals corresponding to a visual image of an object, an implantable brain stimulator for producing phosphenes to the brain of a visually impaired individual, and an electrical connection between said signal creating means and said stimulator which comprises a variable signal amplifier active on said signals and under the control of the individual, thereby to controllably vary the degree of signal amplification and produce phosphenes creating a “

zoom”

effect.