Headset mounted apparatus mounting a visor with interchangeable filter sets

• US 7,710,569 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2007
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Remicalm LLC
• Original Assignee: Remicalm LLC
• Inventors: Zuluaga, Andres Felipe
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley, Jr.; Gregory J
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALLI, IYABO
• Application Number:
  US11/895,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20080252893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 356/432, 356/442, 356/445, 600/310, 600/473, 600/476, 600/562
• US Class Current: 356/445
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/373 using light, e.g. by using optical scanners
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/502 Headgear, e.g. helmet, spectacles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: F21W 2131/20 Lighting for medical use
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/10 Light-emitting diodes [LED]

Abstract

A portable apparatus having a source, a detector and a filtering element placed a known distance from the source and/or the detector. One embodiment of the apparatus is a headlamp having an illumination source, a camera, and two eye pieces. The headlamp has an adjustable headband for positioning the headlamp on the head of the user and a protective cover for interacting with the camera, eye pieces, and/or illumination source. The protective cover preferably includes multiple sets of filtering elements such that motion about or along an axis changes the filtering elements interacting with the camera, eye pieces, and/or the illumination source.

Claims

1. A portable examination apparatus comprising:

a head mountable frame;

an illumination source mounted on the frame, the illumination source configured to illuminate a tissue with radiation;

a detector mounted on the frame, the detector configured to collect radiation emanating from the tissue illuminated with the illumination source; and

a selectably operable visor having a visor screen embedding an illumination filter and a detector filter, wherein movement of the visor screen concurrently moves the illumination filter and the detector filter between an aligned position and a non-aligned position, wherein the aligned position aligns the illumination filter and the detection filter with the illumination source and the detector respectively and the non-aligned position moves the illumination filter and the detection filter out of alignment with the illumination source and the detector respectively.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the head mounted frame is adjustable.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the illumination source is a LED.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detector is a camera.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an adjustment mechanism for focusing the radiation pattern generated by the illumination source.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising two eye pieces mounted on the frame.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a field of view of the two eye pieces and the detector is substantially similar.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a distance between the eye pieces is adjustable.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the visor screen further embeds an eye piece filter for each eye piece in a fixed position relative to the illumination filter and the detector filter.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the visor screen embeds multiple sets of filtering elements, wherein each set of filtering elements includes the illumination filter, the detector filter, and two eye piece filters and wherein whenever the visor screen is moved between the aligned position and the non-aligned position all of the filtering elements within each set of filtering elements are concurrently either aligned or non-aligned with the illumination source, the detector, and the two eye pieces.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each set of filtering elements is embedded into a first surface of the visor screen.

12. A medical examination apparatus comprising:

a head mountable frame;

an illumination source mounted on the frame, the illumination source configured to illuminate a tissue with radiation;

a detector mounted on the frame, the detector configured to collect radiation emanating from the tissue illuminated with the illumination source;

two eye pieces mounted on the frame, the eye pieces configured to visualize the radiation emanating from the tissue illuminated with the illumination source;

a selectably operable visor having a visor screen embedding multiple sets of filtering elements, each set of filtering elements includes an illumination filter, a detector filter, and two eye piece filters in a fixed relationship to each other, wherein the visor screen is selectably movable to any one of a multitude of positions and wherein movement of the visor screen from one position to another position concurrently moves all of the filtering elements of each set of filtering elements and maintains the fixed relationship of the filtering elements within each set of filtering elements.

13. The examination apparatus of claim 12, wherein the illumination source includes a first light source and a second light source and wherein the visor screen includes a first signal embedded in the visor screen in a fixed relationship to a first set of filtering elements such that when the visor screen is in a first position the first signal enables the first light source and wherein the visor screen includes a second signal embedded in the visor screen in a fixed relationship to a second set of filtering elements such that when the visor screen is in a second position the second signal enables the second light source.

14. The examination apparatus of claim 12, wherein the illumination source includes multiple LEDs and wherein the visor screen fixedly embeds a signal associated with each set of filtering elements such that when a selected set of filtering elements is positioned to align the illumination filter of the selected set with a predetermined LED the embedded signal associated with the set of filtering elements including the aligned illumination filter activates the predetermined LED.

15. The examination apparatus of claim 12, wherein the illumination source includes a predetermined operating condition for each set of filtering elements embedded in the visor screen and wherein the visor screen further includes a signal associated with each set of filtering elements fixedly embedded in the visor screen such that when one set of filtering elements is selected and positioned to align the illumination filter of that set of filtering elements with the illumination source, the signal associated with the selected set of filtering elements activates the predetermined operating condition of the illumination source for the selected set of filtering elements.

16. The examination apparatus of claim 12, wherein the detector includes a first configuration and a second configuration and wherein the visor screen includes a first signal embedded in the visor screen in a fixed relationship to a first set of filtering elements such that when the visor screen is in a first position the first signal enables the first configuration of the detector and wherein the visor screen includes a second signal embedded in the visor screen in a fixed relationship to a second set of filtering elements such that when the visor screen is in the second position the second signal enables the second configuration of the detector.

17. The examination apparatus of claim 12, including a first detector and a second detector and wherein the visor screen includes a first signal embedded in the visor screen in a fixed relationship to a first set of filtering elements such that when the visor screen is in a first position the first signal enables the first detector and wherein the visor screen includes a second signal embedded in the visor screen in a fixed relationship to a second set of filtering elements such that when the visor screen is in a second position the second signal enables the second detector.

18. The examination apparatus of claim 12, wherein the detector is a camera having a predetermined configuration for each set of filtering elements and wherein the visor screen includes a specific signal embedded in the visor screen associated with each set of filtering elements such that when a selected set of filtering elements is positioned to align the detector filter of the selected set of filtering elements with the camera the signal associated with the selected set of filtering elements activates the predetermined configuration of the camera for the selected set of filtering elements.

19. A portable medical examination apparatus comprising:

(a) a head mountable frame;

(b) an illumination source mounted on the frame, the illumination source configured to illuminate a tissue with radiation;

(c) a detector mounted on the frame, the detector configured to collect radiation emanating from the tissue illuminated with the illumination source;

(d) a pair of eye pieces mounted on the frame, the eye pieces configured to visualize the radiation emanating from the tissue illuminated with the illumination source;

(e) a visor screen rotatable between an operable orientation and a non-operable orientation;

(f) a first and a second set of filtering elements embedded in the visor screen, wherein each set of filtering elements includes an illumination filter, a detection filter and two eye piece filters in a fixed relationship to each other; and

(g) a mechanism for reciprocating the visor screen between a first position and a second position, wherein when the visor screen is moved between the first position and the second position all of the filtering elements of the first and second set of filtering elements are simultaneous moved maintaining the fixed relationship of the filters within the first and second filtering set of filtering elements,

wherein when the visor screen is in the operable orientation and in the first position the illumination filter of the first set of filtering elements is aligned with the illumination source such that the radiation generated by the illumination source passes through the illumination filter of the first set of filtering elements before illuminating the tissue, the detection filter of the first set of filtering elements is aligned with the detector such that the radiation emanating from the tissue passes through the detection filter of the first set of filtering elements before being collected by the detector, and the pair of eye piece filters of the first set of filtering elements is aligned with the pair of eye pieces such that the radiation emanating from the tissue passes through the pair of eye piece filters of the first set of filtering elements before passing to the eye pieces, and

wherein when the visor screen is in the operable orientation and is moved to the second position the illumination filter of the second set of filtering elements is aligned with the illumination source such that the radiation generated by the illumination source passes through the illumination filter of the second set of filtering elements before illuminating the tissue, the detection filter of the second set of filtering elements is aligned with the detector such that the radiation emanating from the tissue passes through the detection filter of the second set of filtering elements before being collected by the detector, and the pair of eye piece filters of the second set of filtering elements is aligned with the pair of eye pieces such that the radiation emanating from the tissue passes through the pair of eye piece filters of the second set of filtering elements before passing through to the eye pieces.

20. The examination apparatus of claim 19, wherein the visor screen further embeds a first signal associated with the first set of filtering elements and a second signal associated with the second set of filtering elements, wherein the first signal enables a first configuration for the detector and the second signal enables a second configuration for the detector.

21. The examination apparatus of claim 19, wherein the illumination source includes a first light source and a second light source and wherein the visor screen embeds a first signal associated with the first set of filtering elements such that when the visor screen is in the first position the first signal enables the first light source and wherein the visor screen embeds a second signal associated with the second set of filtering elements such that when the visor screen is in the second position the second signal enables the second light source.

22. The examination apparatus of claim 19, wherein the mechanism for reciprocating the visor screen between the first and second position includes rotation of the visor to designated locations about a pivot shaft mounted on the frame.

23. The examination apparatus of claim 22, wherein the illumination source includes a first and a second LED and wherein rotation of the visor to a first designated location about the pivot shaft activates the first LED and rotation of the visor to a second designated location about the pivot shaft activates the second LED.

24. The examination apparatus of claim 22, wherein rotation of the visor to a first designated location about the pivot shaft activates a first operating condition of the illumination source and rotation of the visor to a second designated location about the pivot shaft activates a second operating condition of the illumination source.

25. The examination apparatus of claim 22, wherein rotation of the visor to a first designated location about the pivot shaft activates a first detector configuration and rotation of the visor to a second designated location about the pivot shaft activates a second detector configuration.