Temporal vision modification

• US 7,334,894 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2004
• Issued: 02/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr., Hillis, W. Daniel, Jung, Edward K. Y., Hyde, Roderick A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sugarman; Scott J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greece; James R
• Application Number:
  US11/004,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20060119793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 351/205, 351/200, 351/222, 351/246, 351/211, 351/208, 351/228, 351/159, 349/13, 359/227
• US Class Current: 351/205
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/083 Electrooptic lenses

Abstract

Various embodiments of methods and systems for improving and enhancing vision are disclosed. Adjustable lenses or optical systems may be used to provide adaptive vision modification. In some embodiments, vision modification may be responsive to the current state of the user'"'"'s visual system. Certain embodiments provide correction of the subject'"'"'s near and far vision. Other embodiments provide enhancement of vision beyond the physiological ranges of focal length or magnification.

Claims

1. A method of providing adaptive vision modification, comprising the steps of:

a) detecting a time-varying image coming from or formed by an eye of a subject;

b) determining at least one image quality attribute for at least one finite areal fraction of said detected image within at least one spectral waveband of finite width;

c) adjusting a lens system in response to the at least one value of said at least one image quality attribute; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) to provide ongoing vision modification adapted to the current state of at least one time-varying optical characteristic of the eye optics of said subject.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining said at least one image quality attribute comprises determining a sharpness within at least one finite areal fraction of said detected image within at least one spectral waveband of finite width.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining a sharpness of an areal fraction of said detected image within the at least one spectral waveband includes determining a spatial frequency content of said areal fraction of said image within said spectral waveband.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting a lens system in response to said sharpness of said detected image includes:

a) determining an adjustment direction in response to the determined spatial frequency content; and

b) adjusting the lens system in the determined adjustment direction.

5. The method of claim 4 further including:

a) determining a change in the sharpness caused by adjusting the lens system in the determined adjustment direction; and

b) if the change in sharpness corresponds to a reduction in sharpness, reversing the adjustment direction.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein determining a change in the sharpness caused by adjusting the lens in the determined adjustment direction includes identifying a change in the spatial frequency content of the detected image.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the identified change in spatial frequency content is a change in peak spatial frequency.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein determining a sharpness of said detected image includes determining a peak spatial frequency.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting said time-varying image comprises detecting an image from at least one finite areal fraction of the retina of an eye of said subject.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting said time-varying image comprises detecting an image projected upon or reflected from at least a portion of a fovea of a retina of an eye of said subject.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein determining an image quality attribute of said time-varying image includes determining a spatial frequency content of said image projected upon or reflected from said at least a portion of a fovea of a retina of an eye.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising performing an image pre-processing step on said detected image prior to determining said image quality attribute.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said image pre-processing step comprises at least one of filtering, noise reduction, offset adjustment, contrast enhancement, spatial ‘

cropping’

, spectral selectivity, scaling, and selection of at least a portion of said detected image for further analysis.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining said image quality attribute comprises detecting or selecting a feature of said detected image.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said feature comprises at least one edge.

16. The method of claim 1, comprising a further step of determining a transfer function for the current state of said eye optics, wherein said step of adjusting a lens system comprises modifying a transfer function of said lens system such that the transfer function of a combination of said lens system and said eye optics comprises a desired transformation of a visual input to said eye.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein steps a) through c) are repeated at a rate at least as great as an expected intrinsic accommodation rate of said eye of said subject.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein steps a) through c) are repeated at a rate at least as great as the visual pigment reversal rate of the highest reversal rate visual pigment found in the retina of said eye of said subject.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein steps a) through c) are repeated at a frequency selected from least about once every 3 seconds, at least about once per second, and at least about three times per second.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein steps a) through c) are repeated with an update rate selected from between about ⅓

Hz and about 10 Hz, between about 1 Hz and about 10 Hz, and between about 1 Hz and about 3 Hz.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting said lens system comprises adjusting at least one of a spherical focus of at least a portion of said lens system over at least one spectral waveband, a cylindrical focus of at least a portion of said lens over at least one spectral waveband, or a higher order focus of said lens system over at least one spectral waveband.

19. A method of providing adaptive vision modification, comprising the steps of:

a) detecting a time-varying image coming from or formed by an eye of a subject;

b) determining at least one image quality attribute for at least one finite areal fraction of said detected image within at least one spectral waveband of finite width; and

c) adjusting a lens system in response to the at least one value of said at least one image quality attribute; and

d) repeating steps a) through c) to provide ongoing vision modification adapted to the current state of at least one time-varying characteristic of the eye optics of said subject;

wherein determining said at least one image quality attribute comprises determining a sharpness within at least one finite areal fraction of said detected image within at least one spectral waveband of finite width;

wherein determining a sharpness of an areal fraction of said detected image within the at least one spectral waveband includes determining a spatial frequency content of said areal fraction of said image within said spectral waveband; and

wherein detecting said time-varying image includes generating a data set representative of said time-varying image.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein generating a data set representative of said time-varying image includes generating a data set representative of at least one feature of said time-varying image.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein determining an image quality attribute of said image includes functionally transforming at least a portion of said data set.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the functional transformation is a Fourier transformation.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein determining an image quality attribute of said image further includes identifying a selected subset of Fourier components resulting or derived from said Fourier transformation.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein determining said image quality attribute includes identifying a maximum value among one or more of the Fourier components in the subset of Fourier components.

25. A method of providing adaptive vision modification, comprising the steps of:

a) detecting a time-varying image coming from or formed by an eye of a subject;

b) comparing said detected image to at least one reference image;

c) determining at least one image quality attribute for at least one finite areal fraction of said detected image within at least one spectral waveband of finite width; and

d) adjusting a lens system in response to the at least one value of said at least one image quality attribute; and

e) repeating steps a) through d) to provide ongoing vision modification adapted to the current state of at least one time-varying optical characteristic of the eye optics of said subject.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein comparing said detected image to at least one reference image includes comparing at least one feature or attribute of said detected image to at least one feature or attribute of at least one reference image.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein comparing said detected image to at least one reference image comprises first determining said at least one image quality attribute, and then comparing said at least one image quality attribute with an image quality feature or attribute of said at least one reference image.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said at least one reference image is a previous instance of said time-varying image.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein said time-varying image is detected from a first location of said eye of said subject, and wherein said reference image is detected from a second location.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said first location comprises one of at least a portion of the retina of said eye and at least a portion of the back surface of the lens of said eye.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said first location comprises at least a portion of the fovea of the retina of the eye.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein said second location is external to the eye of said subject.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein said second location is within the eye of said subject.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein said second location comprises one of at least a portion of the cornea and at least a portion of the front of the lens of the eye.