Visual aid with three-dimensional image acquisition

US8503713B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• IMI Intelligent Medical Implants AG · CH

Inventors

• Patrick Ziemeck · Hermsdorf, DE
• Marcus Dapper · Bonn, DE
• Christian Kopka · Bonn, DE
• Ralf Hornig · Bonn, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 18, 2007
• Grant date: Aug 6, 2013
• Expiry date: Sep 13, 2029

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B2027/014
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The task of providing a device which makes it possible for the natural visual faculty of a partially vision-impaired person to be restored or supported as realistically as possible by means of a visual aid or visual prosthesis is achieved with the visual aid according to the invention in that, beyond the pure acquisition of a two-dimensional image, additional information is included in the image processing. For this purpose, a visual aid system is proposed which, during the reproduction of the processed image, visualizes additional information regarding the spatial position and/or specific attributes of objects in the acquired image which is associated with objects in the acquired image. The present invention thus affords the advantage that a three-dimensional image of the current environment of the user can be acquired owing to the fact that the image visualized to the user by the visual aid system according to the invention comprises additional information, for example, about the relative distance of the objects contained in the image and a depth-selective representation of the acquired image can thus be achieved.