U.S. patent number RE39,162 [Application Number 09/287,436] was granted by the patent office on 2006-07-11 for illumination assembly for dental and medical applications.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Kerr Corporation. Invention is credited to Frederick N. Bushroe, Charles H. Caplan.
United States Patent |
RE39,162 |
Caplan , et al. |
July 11, 2006 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Illumination assembly for dental and medical applications
Abstract
A small, lightweight, high intensity illumination assembly for
use in dental and medical applications. The illumination assembly
includes attachment means for removable attachment to headgear such
as eyeglasses, face shields, or headbands, and lenses, loupes, and
binoculars associated with such headgear. The illumination assembly
is able to achieve extremely light weight by using only a single
optical element therein, e.g., an aspheric condensing lens, binary
optical element, or holographic optical means, and by piping
illumination to the optical element from a remote light source by
use of a flexible light guide, e.g., a fiberoptic bundle.
Inventors: |
Caplan; Charles H. (Tucson,
AZ), Bushroe; Frederick N. (Tucson, AZ) |
Assignee: |
Kerr Corporation (Orange,
CA)
|
Family
ID: |
23776052 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/287,436 |
Filed: |
April 7, 1999 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
Reissue of: |
08447357 |
May 23, 1995 |
05667291 |
Sep 16, 1997 |
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
362/105; 362/572;
362/573; 362/804 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F21V
21/084 (20130101); G02B 6/0008 (20130101); G02B
7/002 (20130101); G02B 25/004 (20130101); G02C
7/088 (20130101); G02C 11/04 (20130101); F21V
21/145 (20130101); G02C 2200/02 (20130101); Y10S
362/804 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F21V
21/084 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;362/261,554,555,558,570,572,573,575,105,106,804,574 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Heine Optotechnik Drawing 237 03 00. cited by other .
Heine Optotechnik Drawing 219 21 00. cited by other .
Heine Optotechnik Ophthalmic Diagnostic Instrument Publication.
cited by other .
Heine Binocular Loupes Publication. cited by other .
Heine "Magnification & Illumination" Publication. cited by
other .
Heine SL 300 FO Publication. cited by other .
Heine SL 300 Publication. cited by other .
Heine Optotechnik Publication Light Source. cited by other .
Welch Allyn "Examination Lights" Publication. cited by other .
Welch Allyn Drawing No. 488400. cited by other .
Welch Allyn Drawing 488403. cited by other .
Welch Allyn Drawing No. 488404. cited by other .
BFW "The High Beam" Publication (2 Pages). cited by other.
|
Primary Examiner: Husar; Stephen
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wood, Herron & Evans,
L.L.P.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An illumination assembly comprising: a. a light guide having an
output end and an input end, the input end being adapted for
connection to a remote illumination source; b. a housing having a
light guide opening and an illumination opening, the output end of
the light guide extending within the housing and being aligned to
illuminate the illumination opening; c. an aspheric lens mounted
within the illumination opening; and d. attachment means for
removably attaching the housing to headgear.
2. The illumination assembly of claim 1 wherein the light guide
comprises a fiberoptic bundle.
3. The illumination assembly of claim 1 wherein the light guide has
a diameter of less than 3 millimeters.
4. The illumination assembly of claim 1 wherein the housing
includes a housing base telescopically engaged to the housing,
wherein the output end of the light guide is attached to the
housing base to provide an adjustable relationship between the
output end an the aspheric lens.
5. The illumination assembly of claim 4 wherein the housing
includes a helical groove therein, and a key riding within the
helical groove.
6. The illumination assembly of claim 1 in combination with
eyeglasses, wherein the attachment means is removably attached to
the eyeglasses.
7. The illumination assembly of claim 1 in combination with
binocular telescopes, wherein the attachment means is removably
attached to the binocular telescopes.
8. The illumination assembly of claim 1 wherein the housing
includes an attachment bevel for filter attachment surrounding the
illumination opening.
9. The illumination assembly of claim 1 wherein the light guide
opening and the illumination opening are both generally circular
and are coaxial.
10. The illumination assembly of claim 1 wherein the attachment
means comprises a clip pivotally mounted to the housing.
11. The illumination assembly of claim 1 wherein the aspheric lens
has a diameter of less than 2 centimeters.
12. An illumination assembly comprising: a. a housing having a
light guide opening and an opposing illumination opening; b. a
housing base adjustably engaged to the housing, the housing base
being adapted to support a light guide to illuminate the
illumination opening; c. a positive lens mounted in the
illumination opening, the positive lens including an aspheric face
adjacent the housing base and an opposing generally planar face;
and d. attachment means, pivotably attached to the housing base,
for removably attaching the housing base to headgear.
13. The illumination assembly of claim 12 having a mass of less
than 10 grams.
14. The illumination assembly of claim 12 having a maximum
dimension of less than 2 inches.
15. The illumination assembly of claim 12 wherein the lens has a
diameter of less than 2 centimeters.
16. The illumination assembly of claim 12 in combination with a
light guide supported within the housing base.
17. The illumination assembly of claim 16 wherein the light guide
is a fiberoptic bundle.
18. The illumination assembly of claim 12 wherein the housing is
telescopically engaged to the housing base.
19. The illumination assembly of claim 18 including a key located
between and rotatably engaging the housing and housing base.
20. The illumination assembly of claim 12 wherein the housing
includes an attachment bevel surrounding the illumination opening,
the attachment bevel being adapted for attachment of a filter.
.Iadd.21. An illumination assembly for dental and medical
application comprising: a. a lightweight, flexible light guide
having an input end and an output end, the input end being adapted
for connection to a remote illumination source; b. a small,
lightweight housing having an input end having an interior surface
that defines a light guide opening and an output end having an
interior surface that defines an illumination opening, the output
end of the light guide extending within the light guide opening and
being aligned so that light therefrom illuminates the illumination
opening; c. only a single lens mounted within the interior surface
of the output end of the housing, said lens being an aspheric lens
thereby providing a light source of such weight and size that it
may be mounted to headgear so that an illumination beam therefrom
substantially corresponds to the user's line of sight; and d. means
for attaching the housing to the headgear..Iaddend.
.Iadd.22. The illumination assembly of claim 21 wherein the light
guide is a fiber optic bundle having a diameter less than about 3
millimeters..Iaddend.
.Iadd.23. The illumination assembly of claim 21 wherein the light
guide is a fiber optic bundle having a diameter less than about 2
millimeters..Iaddend.
.Iadd.24. The illumination assembly of claim 21 wherein the housing
includes a housing base telescopically engaged to the housing,
wherein the left guide is fiber optic bundle, wherein the output
end of the light guide is attached to the housing base, and wherein
means are provided for adjusting the distance between the output
end and the aspheric lens..Iaddend.
.Iadd.25. The illumination assembly of claim 23 wherein the housing
includes a helical groove therein, and a pin riding within the
helical groove..Iaddend.
.Iadd.26. An illumination assembly for dental and medical
applications comprising: a. a lightweight, flexible fiberoptic
bundle including several optical cables and having an input end and
an output end, the input end being adapted for connection to a
remote illumination source; b. a small, light weight housing
including an input end having an interior surface that defines a
light guide opening and an output end having an interior surface
that defines an illumination opening, the output end of the
fiberoptic bundle extending within the light guide opening and
being aligned so that light therefrom illuminates the illumination
opening; c. only a single lens mounted within the interior surface
of the output end of the housing, said lens being an aspheric
refractive lens, thereby providing a light source of such weight
and size that it may be mounted to head gear so that an
illumination beam therefrom substantially corresponds to the user's
line of sight; and d. means for attaching the housing to the
headgear..Iaddend.
.Iadd.27. The illumination assembly of claim 21 or 26 in
combination with an implement mountable on a user's head, wherein
the attaching means is removably attachable to the
implement..Iaddend.
.Iadd.28. The illumination assembly of claim 27 wherein the
implement mountable on the users head is eyeglasses..Iaddend.
.Iadd.29. The illumination assembly of claim 28 wherein a binocular
telescope is mounted on the eyeglasses and the attaching means is
removably attached to the binocular telescope as that the housing
is substantially coaxial with the line of sight of the
telescope..Iaddend.
.Iadd.30. The illumination assembly of claim 21 or 26 wherein the
attachment means comprises a clip for removably attaching the
housing to the headgear substantially coaxial with the user's line
of sight..Iaddend.
.Iadd.31. The illumination assembly of claim 29 wherein the clip is
pivotally mounted to the housing..Iaddend.
.Iadd.32. The illumination assembly of claim 21 or 26 wherein the
aspheric lens has a diameter of less than 2
centimeters..Iaddend.
.Iadd.33. The illumination assembly of claim 21 or 26 wherein said
illumination assembly without the light guide and mounting means
has a weight of less than about 10 grams..Iaddend.
.Iadd.34. The illumination assembly of claim 21 or 26 wherein said
lens include an aspheric face and an opposing planar face, the lens
being mounted such that said aspheric face faces
inwardly..Iaddend.
.Iadd.35. An illumination assembly comprising: a. a light guide
having an output end and an input end, the input end being adapted
for connection to a remote illumination source; b. a housing having
a light guide opening and an illumination opening, the output end
of the light guide extending within the housing and being aligned
illuminate the illumination opening; c. only a single optical
element, the single optical element being a single aspheric lens
mounted within the housing; and d. attachment means for removably
attaching the housing to headgear..Iaddend.
.Iadd.36. The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the light
guide comprises one or more fiberoptic cables..Iaddend.
.Iadd.37. The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the light
guide comprises a liquid-filled light guide..Iaddend.
.Iadd.38. The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the light
guide has a diameter of about 3 millimeters or less..Iaddend.
.Iadd.39. The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the housing
includes a housing base coupled to the housing, wherein the output
end of the light guide is coupled to the housing base..Iaddend.
.Iadd.40. The illumination assembly of claim 39 wherein the output
end of the light guide is attached to the housing base to provide
an adjustable relationship between the output end and the aspheric
lens..Iaddend.
.Iadd.41. The illumination assembly of claim 39 wherein the housing
includes a housing base telescopically engaged to the
housing..Iaddend.
.Iadd.42. The illumination assembly of claim 39 wherein the housing
includes a helical groove therein, and a pin riding within the
helical groove..Iaddend.
.Iadd.43. The illumination assembly of claim 35 in combination with
an implement mounted on a users head, wherein the attachment means
is removably attached to the implement mounted on a users
head..Iaddend.
.Iadd.44. The illumination assembly of claim 43 wherein the
implement mounted on the users head is eyeglasses..Iaddend.
.Iadd.45. The illumination assembly of claim 44 wherein the
implement mounted on the users head is a binocular
telescope..Iaddend.
.Iadd.46. The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the housing
includes an exterior attachment bevel for filter attachment
surrounding the illumination opening..Iaddend.
.Iadd.47. The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the housing
includes an interior attachment bevel..Iaddend.
.Iadd.48. The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the light
guide opening and the illumination opening are both generally
circular and are coaxial..Iaddend.
.Iadd.49. The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the
attachment means comprises a clip for removably attaching the
housing to headgear..Iaddend.
.Iadd.50. The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the
attachment means comprises a bracket for removably attaching the
housing to headgear..Iaddend.
.Iadd.51. The illumination assembly of claim 49 wherein the clip is
pivotally mounted to the housing..Iaddend.
.Iadd.52. The illumination assembly of claim 35 wherein the
aspheric lens has a diameter of less than 2 centimeters..Iaddend.
Description
.Iadd.The present application is a reissue application of U.S. Pat.
No. 5,667,291..Iaddend.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to the field of head-mounted
illumination devices for medical and dental use, and specifically
to the field of small, lightweight, high-intensity illumination
assemblies for medical and dental use which are mounted on the
user's head to provide coaxial illumination.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Personnel who work in medical and dental fields frequently have a
need to illuminate a portion of a patient or workpiece as they
operate on the patient or workpiece. At the same time, they require
the free use of their hands. Both of these needs are met by
illumination assemblies known to the art which are mounted on the
user's head or headgear and which illuminate the patient or
workpiece. An example of such an apparatus can be found in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,341,513 to Klein et al., which describes a headband
whereupon a lamp is mounted.
However, there are certain characteristics which are desirable in
head-mounted illumination assemblies and which the devices of the
prior art fail to either partially or entirely include.
First, the illumination beam supplied by the illumination assembly
should correspond as closely as possible to the user's line of
vision, i.e., the illumination assembly should illuminate the
patient or workpiece from a point as close to the user's eyes as
possible (preferably from immediately between the eyes). Otherwise,
the user's hands, arms, or other objects may obstruct the light
path and cast shadows upon the patient or workpiece and increase
the difficulty in viewing the patient or workpiece. Also, dentists
and medical personnel often have a need to look into very small
holes, such as holes drilled into teeth, and the interior of such
holes generally cannot be viewed without direct illumination along
the axis of the hole. If the illumination source is mounted near
the user's eyes and emits a beam of illumination which is parallel
to and very nearly coaxial with the user's line of sight, the
chances for the creation of shadows is minimized. Additionally,
such a mounting position ensures that the user will automatically
illuminate any area that the user views provided the user's head is
directed toward that area.
Second, the illumination assembly should be safe and comfortable to
wear. Some prior an devices include light sources mounted on a
user's head or headgear, such as those of U.S. Pat. No. 3,350,552
to Lawrence and U.S. Pat. No. 5,341,513 to Klein et al, which
respectively illustrate lamps mounted to eyeglasses and a headband.
These devices have proven to be disadvantageous in that they can
create a great deal of heat at a point close to the user's head,
especially if high-intensity lightbulbs are used. These devices can
therefore be intensely uncomfortable to wear because they cause hot
air to rise into the user's face when the user looks down, they
cause perspiration from the user's forehead to drip into the user's
eyes (and onto the patient or workpiece), and they can even cause
burns to the user or patient when they grow hot enough. Because the
prior art illumination assemblies which mount a light source
directly to the user's head are so uncomfortable, many devices
instead use a light guide to transmit light from a remotely-located
light source. Examples of such devices are illustrated in U.S. Pat.
No. 3,285,242 to Wallace, U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,910 to Price, U.S.
Pat. Nos. 3,951,139 and 4,104,709 to Kloots, U.S. Pat. No.
4,797,736 to Kloots et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,357 to Cooley et
al.
Third, the illumination assembly should be capable of use on
different parts of the user's head, and should also be capable of
being adjustably positioned to illuminate different desired areas.
Many of the prior an illumination assemblies are not very versatile
because they are permanently mounted within already existing
headgear, such as the illumination devices of Cooley et al. and
Price, which show eyeglasses with illumination elements at opposing
sides of the eyeglass frames adjacent the support legs. These
devices can neither be used without the associated headgear nor
repositioned to illuminate different areas of the patient or
workpiece. Additionally, if an illumination assembly is permanently
affixed to headgear such as eyeglasses, headbands, face shields,
etc., it is often difficult to use a second type of headgear in
conjunction with the first type of headgear and the illumination
assembly. For example, a face shield can either scatter or entirely
obstruct the light emitted from the devices of Price and Cooley et
al.
Fourth, since the illumination assembly may become contaminated
with particles from the patient or workpiece or fluids splashing
therefrom, the illumination assembly should be easy to clean.
Fifth, the illumination assembly should produce an illuminated spot
of high and uniform intensity. A small, bright spot is extremely
important to most medical and dental applications, such as when the
interior of a cavity must be viewed (e.g., the interior of a hole
drilled within a tooth). In that case, full illumination of the
cavity is desired with minimum illumination of the surrounding area
outside the cavity. Ideally, the spot size should also be variable
in order to allow the user to tailor the spot size to fit the area
to be illuminated. U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,709 to Kloots describes an
illumination device which provides a continuously variable spot
size, as does U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,242 to Wallace.
Sixth, the weight of the illumination assembly should be small
enough that the headgear does not dig into the user's head and so
that the user is virtually unaware of its presence on the user's
head. The prior art illumination assemblies tend to be quite heavy
due to their use of several optical elements (lenses, prisms,
mirrors, etc.) and means for mounting these optical elements within
the illumination assembly. The several optical elements are
required in order to produce a properly sized, well-defined,
uniform spot, especially in the illumination assemblies which allow
for a variable spot size (e.g., the aforementioned patent to
Wallace and U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,709 to Kloots). Because the optical
elements must generally be made of heavy, high-grade refractive
glass to decrease their size and increase their optical quality,
the optical elements comprise a substantial percentage of the
illumination assembly's overall weight. Due to the weight of the
glass, the addition of even a single additional optical element
tends to dramatically increase the weight of an illumination
assembly. Additionally, while the art is beginning to develop
plastic lenses of high optical quality and lighter weight than
glass lenses, these lenses are not preferred for use at exposed
portions of the illumination assembly because they are more easily
scratched, scuffed, or otherwise damaged during cleaning.
The weight of the illumination assembly can also create greater
problems than discomfort. It can make a substantial difference in
its operability and safety of use, since a heavy illumination
assembly can cause headgear to shift or even fall off the head. For
example, if the prior art illumination assemblies were attached to
lenses, loupes, or telescopic binoculars used in association with
eyeglasses, such as "ORASCOPTIC DIMENSION-3" telescopic binoculars
(Orascoptic Research, Inc. of Madison, Wis.), they would cause the
binoculars to relocate downward rather than staying focused at the
height the user desires. This can be disastrous where the user's
hands are performing an important medical procedure since the user
may be forced to interrupt the procedure to readjust the
binoculars, or else simply proceed and perform the procedure with
impaired vision. As another example, when the prior art
illumination assemblies are mounted to eyeglasses, they tend to
pull the eyeglasses off of the user's head if he or she looks
downward. Obviously, the user would prefer not to have the
illumination assembly and its associated headgear fall upon or
within the operating area on the patient or workpiece.
Seventh, the illumination assembly should be as small as possible
to increase its case of use and to prevent interference with the
user's binocular or peripheral vision. Many of the prior art
illumination assemblies have a large and awkward size, either due
to their incorporation of internal illumination sources directly
within the assembly or due to the requirements of the optics within
the assembly. This is especially true of the aforementioned
illumination assemblies which provide variable spot size. Also,
large illumination assemblies interfere with the user's binocular
vision when mounted coaxially between the user's eyes.
The prior art illumination assemblies are also difficult to use
when mounted coaxially, or when mounted to headgear in general, due
to their use of bulky and heavy electrical or light guide cords.
These cords can bind and inhibit repositioning of illumination
assemblies due to the stiffness of the cords, and they can also
interfere with the user's binocular or peripheral vision. Thick and
heavy cords are also uncomfortable to wear when draped over or
about the user's head, and they contribute to a feeling that the
user is bound or "leashed" to the power supply or remote
illumination source. While the prior art illustrates smaller,
lighter cords for supplying power or illumination to illumination
assemblies, the smaller and lighter cords have the drawback that
they cannot bear as much power or illumination to the illumination
assemblies. Thus, if the user wishes to obtain the advantages of a
smaller cord, he or she is generally forced to settle for less
illumination.
In summary, the prior art does not include an illumination assembly
which provides a sufficiently small and intense variable spot size
while at the same time providing a versatile illumination assembly
which is small and lightweight enough that it can be attached to
various forms of headgear. In particular, the prior art does not
include an illumination assembly as described above suitable for
attachment to and use with eyeglasses, headbands, or face shields
in accompaniment with lenses, loupes, or binoculars associated with
the eyeglasses, headbands, or face shields.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The illumination assembly of the present invention overcomes the
disadvantages of the prior art by providing an illumination
assembly comprising a light guide having an output end and an input
end, the input end being adapted for connection to a remote
illumination source, a housing having a light guide opening and an
illumination opening, the output end of the light guide extending
within the housing and being aligned to illuminate the illumination
opening, a single optical element within the housing, the optical
element being mounted within the illumination opening, and
attachment means for removably attaching the housing to
headgear.
Additionally, the illumination assembly of the present invention
overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an
illumination assembly comprising a light guide having an output end
and an input end, the input end being adapted for connection to a
remote illumination source, a housing having a light guide opening
and an illumination opening, the output end of the light guide
extending within the housing and being aligned to illuminate the
illumination opening, a positive lens mounted in the illumination
opening, the positive lens having a curved face adjacent the output
end and an opposing generally planar face, and attachment means for
removably attaching the housing to headgear.
Further, the illumination assembly of the present invention
overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an
illumination assembly comprising a housing having an interior
surface bounded by a light guide opening and an illumination
opening, a housing base telescopically and rotatably engaged to the
interior surface of the housing, the housing base being adapted to
support a light guide to illuminate the illumination opening, a
positive lens mounted in the illumination opening, the positive
lens including an aspheric face adjacent the housing base and an
opposing generally planar face, and attachment means, pivotably
attached to the housing base, for removably attaching the housing
base to headgear.
The illumination assembly uses a remote illumination source and
transmits the illumination to the illumination assembly by use of a
lightweight flexible light guide, such as a fiberoptic bundle, and
therefore avoids heating the user's head or excessively weighting
the user's head. The housing of the illumination assembly may be
adjusted to alter the distance between the light guide and the
optical element and thereby provide a variable size illuminated
spot of high and uniform intensity.
The illumination assembly utilizes a single optical element in
place of the multiple optical elements found in the prior art. The
optical element for use within the illumination assembly is
contemplated to be an positive focal length refractive lens, more
particularly an aspheric condensing lens having a planar face and
an aspheric face wherein the aspheric face is directed toward the
light guide. This lens has been found to work admirably well in
place of multiple optical elements.
Versatile attachment means for removably attaching the illumination
assembly to the user's headgear (e.g., face shields, headbands, and
eyeglasses, and associated lenses, loupes, and binoculars) allow
the illumination assembly to be quickly fit to a wide variety of
different types of headgear. The attachment means allows mounting
of the illumination assembly in a position between the eyes of the
user to provide coaxial in-line shadowless illumination of the
operating site, and to automatically illuminate the area the user
is viewing.
The illumination assembly is small, having a maximum dimension of
approximately 1.8 inches without the attachment means and light
guide, or approximately 1.6 inches when the housing is
telescopically reduced to minimum length. By using only a single
glass optical element within the housing and by remotely locating
the illumination source, the weight of the illumination assembly is
substantially reduced when compared to the illumination assemblies
of the prior art. The weight is further reduced because there is no
need for the heavy ceramic potting or reflective means that are
required when the illumination source is located within the
illumination assembly, and because a light guide having a small
diameter is used. The weight of the illumination assembly without
the attachment means and light guide is only approximately 8-10
grams when a plastic housing is used.
Due to its low weight, the illumination assembly is ideal for use
with headgear such as face shields, headbands, and eyeglasses, and
associated devices such as lenses, loupes, and binoculars, since it
will not cause the headgear or associated devices to shift or fall
from the user's head. Additionally, the illumination assembly is
small enough in both diameter and length that it does not interfere
with the user's binocular vision when mounted coaxially; it is
virtually invisible to the user when mounted between the eyes. The
light guide is small enough that it is unseen and virtually unfelt
by the user, and its weight and stiffness will not cause the
illumination assembly to inadvertently readjust or reposition
against the user's wishes. Despite the small size of the light
guide, its use does not decrease the illumination of the
illumination assembly due to the high efficiency of the remainder
of the assembly.
Further advantages, features, and objects of the invention will be
apparent from the following detailed description of the invention
in conjunction with the associated drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the illumination assembly of the
present invention shown mounted on a pair of telescopic binoculars
affixed to a pair of eyeglasses.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the illumination assembly
of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the illumination assembly
of FIG. 1 situated in an alternate position.
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the illumination assembly shown
without the attachment means.
FIG. 5 is a side elevated view of the illumination assembly shown
without the attachment means.
FIG. 6 is a rear elevated view of the illumination assembly shown
without the attachment means.
FIG. 7 is a side elevated view of the housing of the illumination
assembly.
FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of the housing of the
illumination assembly taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 3.
FIG. 9 is a side elevated view of the housing base of the
illumination assembly.
FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the housing base of the illumination
assembly.
FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of the housing base of the
illumination assembly taken along lines 11--11 of FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a side elevated view of the preferred attachment means
of the illumination assembly.
FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the preferred attachment means of the
illumination assembly.
FIG. 14 is a rear elevated view of the preferred attachment means
of the illumination assembly.
FIG. 15 is a front elevated view of the retainer ring of the
illumination assembly.
FIG. 16 is a side cross-sectional view of the retainer ring of the
illumination assembly taken along line 16--16 of FIG. 15.
FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the pin of the illumination
assembly.
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an alternative attachment means
for the illumination assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the drawings, wherein the same or similar features are
designated throughout with the same reference numeral, the
illumination assembly of the present invention is shown at 20 in
FIGS. 1-3. The illumination assembly 20 has five main components: a
housing 22 which contains an optical element 24, a housing base 26
engaged to the housing 22 and wherein a light guide 28 enters, and
a clip 30 which provides attachment means for removably attaching
the housing base 26 to the user's head or headgear. Throughout this
specification, when reference is made to attachment of the
illumination assembly 20 to the user's head to headgear, this is
understood to include attachment to implements mounted on the
user's head such as eyeglasses and goggles, face shields and masks,
and headbands and helmets, as well as similar implements. It is
further understood to include attachment to accessory implements
such as lenses, loupes, and binoculars mounted on the
aforementioned implements. Each of the components of the
illumination assembly 20 will be discussed in turn.
FIGS. 4-8, and particularly FIGS. 7-8, best illustrate the housing
22. The housing 22 has a rear cylindrical portion 32 and a forward
frustoconical portion 34. The forward frustoconical portion 34
includes an interior surface 36 having a rim 38 which defines an
illumination opening 39. An interior bevel 40 is included on the
interior surface 36 near the rim 38 so that the optical element 24
may be received therein and affixed in snap-fit relation, by
staking or adhesives, or by other affixment means known to the art.
The forward frustoconical portion 34 additionally includes an
exterior attachment bevel 46 whereupon filters may be attached in
snap-fit fashion if desired. Other modes of filter attachment, such
as threaded attachment, may be used by configuring the exterior
attachment bevel 46 accordingly.
The rear cylindrical portion 32 of the housing 22 has a rear end
48, a circumferential engagement slot 50 located near the rear end
48, and a pin slot 52 on its interior surface 54. The purposes of
these features will be described shortly. The pin slot 52 is
preferably formed by drilling an entry hole 56 on the exterior
surface 58 of the rear cylindrical portion 32 and extending the
drill until it emerges on the interior surface 54, and further
extending the drill so it exits through an exit hole 60 back to the
exterior surface 58.
In the preferred embodiment of the illumination assembly 20, the
maximum diameter of the forward frustoconical portion 34 is
approximately 0.78 inches and the diameter of the rear cylindrical
portion 32 is approximately 0.47 inches. This small diameter is
especially helpful in avoiding interference with the user's
binocular vision. The distance between the rear cylindrical portion
32 and the interior bevel 40 is approximately 0.47 inches. The
housing 22 has an overall length of approximately 1.26 inches. The
housing 22 is made of "VALOX" or "NORYL" (General Electric, Inc.,
New York, N.Y.), though other plastic, metal, or ceramic substances
could be used.
The optical element 24, which is shown best in FIGS. 4 and 5, is
preferably a refractive lens having a positive focal length, i.e.,
a positive lens. Such a lens collects illumination from within the
housing 22 and projects it to an area in front of the housing 22.
While a plano-convex lens could be used for the optical element 24,
superior results (i.e., better spot size and intensity with a
smaller and lighter lens) have been found to occur with the use of
an aspherical lens having a curved surface 42 and an opposing
planar surface 44. The preferred optical element 24 is the No.
17.1025 aspheric condensing lens manufactured by Rolyn Optics
Company of Covina, Calif., which has an 18 mm diameter, a center
thickness of 7.4 mm, an edge thickness of 3.3 mm, a focal length of
15 mm, a back focal length of 10.1 mm, and is made of B-270
glass.
The optical element 24 is mounted within the interior bevel 40 with
its curved surface 42 adjacent the interior surface 36 of the
forward frustoconical portion 34 of the housing 22, and with the
planar surface 44 facing outward to provide a flat surface for
cleaning purposes. Some prior art illumination assemblies have the
disadvantage that they use an exposed curved lens surface, and
matter can splash from the operating surface onto the lens surface
and collect either on the face of the lens or in the corners where
the lens is joined to the housing. The matter would then dry and
firmly adhere to the lens surface, especially in those illumination
assemblies wherein the lens surface was subject to heating from the
illumination source. The matter would become extremely difficult to
clean off without scrubbing, and scrubbing sometimes causes
scratches in the lens and gradual degradation of the illumination
quality. The exposed planar surface 44 does not provide a concave
lens surface wherein matter can adhere, nor does it provide the
tight corner between the optical element 24 and the housing 22 that
a convex lens surface provides.
The housing base 26 is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 9-11. The
housing base 26 has two main portions, a plug portion 62 and a clip
portion 64, with a light guide channel 66 running through both
portions. The plug portion 62 includes a head 68, a neck 70, and a
body 72, and is adapted to fit closely within the rear cylindrical
portion 32 of the housing 22. As best shown by FIG. 11, the light
guide channel 66 includes a light guide opening 73 in the body 72
wherein the light guide 28 enters, and tapered and threaded
portions 74 and 76 near the head 68 adapted to receive a threaded
end terminator on the light guide 28. The body 72 contains a
helical groove 78, the purpose of which will be explained
shortly.
The clip portion 64 of the housing base 26 is adapted to be
fastened to attachment means so that the housing base 26 and the
associated housing 22 may be affixed to the user's headgear. Thus,
the clip portion 64 is substantially flattened and includes a pin
aperture 80, and is therefore ideally suited for insertion within
and attachment to a clevis, as will be discussed below.
In the preferred embodiment of the illumination assembly 20, the
housing base 26 has an overall length of approximately 1 inch, of
which the clip portion 64 occupies approximately 0.34 inches. The
housing base 26 is made of "VALOX" or "NORYL", though other
plastic, metal, or ceramic substances could be used.
The light guide 28 has an input end (not shown) for connection to a
remote light source, and also an output end 81 which bears a
threaded end terminator known to the art, e.g., a 6-32 screw thread
end terminator. The light guide 28 may be any type of light guide
known to the art, such as singular or bundled plastic or glass
fiberoptic cables or liquid-filled light guides. The preferred
embodiment of the illumination assembly 20 utilizes a bundle of
several glass fiberoptic cables with a total optical transmission
diameter of 2 mm and a numerical aperture greater than or equal to
0.5. Exemplary fiberoptic cable is manufactured by Dolan-Jenner
Industries, Inc. of Lawrence, Mass., and also by Fiberoptic
Systems, Inc. of Simi Valley, Calif. Exemplary liquid-filled light
guides are made by Electro-Lite Corp. of Danbury, Conn. and Oriel
Corp. of Stratford, Conn. Regardless of how many fibers are chosen
for the fiberoptic bundle or what the optical transmission diameter
of the light guide 28 is to be, the use of multiple fibers is
recommended because it reduces the potential for breakage of the
light guide 28 as compared to the prior art single-fiber
illumination assemblies. A 2 mm or smaller light guide is preferred
because larger light guides are heavy, clumsy, and difficult to
affix to certain headgear (e.g., to glasses) and to drape about the
user's head, and they further tend to be so heavy and stiff that
they interfere with fine positioning of the illumination assembly
20 or cause the illumination assembly 20 to inadvertently
reposition during use.
The illumination assembly 20 is shown in assembled form in FIGS.
4-6 without the attachment means. Apart from the housing 22,
optical element 24, housing base 26, and light guide 28, three
additional components are recommended for inclusion within this
portion of the illumination assembly 20. The first component is a
retainer ring 82. The retainer ring 82 is a frustoconical ring
having a front rim 84, a rear rim 86, and an interior surface 88.
The retainer ring 82 includes a lip 90 protruding radially inward
from the interior surface 88 at the front rim 86. The retainer ring
82 is preferably made of a flexible resilient material which can be
slightly deformed without breaking, and which will generally tend
to revert to its original shape after deformation. In the preferred
embodiment of the invention, the retainer ring 82 is made out of
"VALOX" or "NORYL". The second component is a pin 92, which is a
small rod-like member which is preferably made of metal, such as
stainless steel. The third component is an O-ring 93 made of
silicone rubber or a similar flexible high-friction substance, and
which is adapted to fit within the neck 70 of the housing base
26.
To assemble the portion of the illumination assembly 20 illustrated
in FIGS. 4-6, the optical element 24 is inserted within the
interior bevel 40 and affixed therein by staking the rim 38 (as
shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 by means of heat, ultrasound, or other
means. Alternatively, the optical element 24 may simply be glued
into the interior bevel 40 my use of adhesives known to the art.
The light guide 28 is inserted within the light guide channel 66 of
the housing base 26, and its end terminator is attached to the head
68 of the housing base 26 within the light guide channel 66. As
noted earlier and as shown in FIGS. 4-5 and 9-11, the tapered
portion 74 and threaded portion 76 of the light guide channel 66
are adapted to receive a threaded end terminator. The O-ring 93 is
slipped over the plug portion 62 of the housing base 26 until it
rests within the neck 70. The retainer ring 82 is slipped over the
plug portion 62 of the housing base 26 with the rear rim 86 first.
The housing 22 is then slipped over the plug portion 62 of the
housing base 26 so that the plug portion 62 rests within the rear
cylindrical portion 32 of the housing 22. The helical groove 78 in
the plug portion 62 of the housing base 26 is aligned with the pin
slot 52 on the interior surface 54 of the rear cylindrical portion
32. The pin 92 is inserted within the entry hole 56 to engage both
the pin slot 52 and helical groove 78. When the pin 92 is fully
inserted within the pin slot 52, it extends from the entry hole 56
to the exit hole 60 without protruding from the exterior surface 58
of the rear cylindrical portion 32. The retainer ring 82 is then
slid forward on the rear cylindrical portion 32 of the housing 22
until the lip 90 engages the engagement slot 50. When this is done,
the interior surface 88 of the retainer ring 82 holds the pin 92
within the pin slot 52 and prevents it from falling out of the
entry or exit holes 56 and 60.
When the housing 22, housing base 26, retainer ring 82 and pin 92
are assembled in the arrangement described above and as shown in
FIGS. 4-6, the housing 22 may be rotationally telescoped in
relation to the housing base 26 due to the action of the pin 92
within the helical groove 78. As can be seen in FIGS. 4 and 5, this
telescopic adjustment alters the distance between the optical
element 24 and the terminal end of the light guide 28, and
therefore provides for adjustment of the spot size. The O-ring 93
provides frictional means for preventing unwanted telescopic
rotation of the housing 22, and it also prevents moisture from
entering the housing 22.
Attachment means for removably attaching the illumination assembly
20 to headgear may then be mounted to the clip portion 64 of the
housing base 26 to form the completed illumination assembly 20.
FIGS. 1-3 and 12-14 illustrate the preferred attachment means, a
clip 30. The clip 30 is divided into a clip clevis 96 and a clip
leg portion 98. The clip clevis 96 includes a clevis slot 100
adapted to receive the clip portion 64 of the housing base 26
therein. The clip clevis 96 further includes a pivot aperture 102
wherein a fastener may be inserted to pivotally affix the clip
clevis 96 to the clip portion 64. The clip leg portion 98 includes
a first leg 104 and a second leg 106 which are spaced to
accommodate some part of headgear therebetween to retain the clip
30 on the headgear. In the clip 30, each of the legs 104 and 106 is
furcated by the inclusion of respective peg slots 108 and 110, the
purpose of which will be described below. The clip 30 may be made
of suitable metal, plastic or ceramic materials, and the preferred
embodiment of the clip 30 is made of "VALOX" or "NORYL".
The construction of illumination assembly 20 is completed by
inserting the plug portion 62 of the housing base 26 within the
clevis slot 100 of the clip 30. A fastener (preferably a screw) is
inserted through the pivot aperture 102 to pivotably affix the two
parts together. When fully assembled, the housing 22 and optical
element 24 can move in two degrees of freedom: they can rotate
upward and downward about the clip clevis 96, and they can move
forward and backward by rotationally telescoping the housing 22
about the plug portion 62 of the housing base 26.
FIGS. 1-3 illustrate the use of the clip 30 to mount the
illumination assembly 20 to a binocular telescope and eyeglass
system 300 known to the art, a brief description of which is now
provided. The binocular telescope and eyeglass system 300 includes
eyeglasses 302 and binocular telescope 304. An exemplary binocular
telescope 304 is the "ORASCOPTIC DIMENSION-3" binocular telescope
(Orascoptic Research, Inc., Madison, Wis.), and the description set
forth herein will be made with reference to that binocular
telescope, though it is understood that the illumination assembly
20 is not limited to either this binocular telescope or even this
type of headgear in general. The binocular telescope 304 is
attached to the eyeglasses 302 by use of a pivot member 306. The
pivot member 306 is attached to a bridge 308 which an includes a
bridge adjustment knob 310 for adjusting the extension of arms 312
and thus the interpupillary distance of loupes 314.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first leg 104 and second leg 106 of
the clip 30 may be slipped over the bridge 308 with the peg slot
108 accommodating the bridge adjustment knob 310 therein.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3, the illumination assembly 20 may
be inverted so that the peg slot 110 accommodates the bridge
adjustment knob 310 therein and the housing 22 rests between the
loupes 314 to provide direct on-line coaxial illumination.
Preferably, the area on the first leg 104 immediately adjacent the
peg slot 108 and the area of the second leg 106 immediately
adjacent the peg slot 110 each bear a beveled surface 112 to assist
in easy insertion of the bridge adjustment knob 310 within either
peg slot 108 or 110. The light guide 28 may be directed up to the
nosebridge of the eyeglasses 302 and directed about the user's head
as desired, for example, by taping or clipping the light guide 28
to a rim 316 of the eyeglasses 302. Unlike the illumination devices
of the prior art, the illumination assembly 20 is light and small
enough that it will not cause the binocular telescopes 300 to tip
downward about the pivot member 306, nor will it interfere with the
use's binocular vision when coaxially mounted. Additionally, the
use of the 2 mm fiberoptic bundle for the light guide 28 provides
exceptionally high illumination intensity, but it still allows for
easy mounting of the illumination assembly 20 onto binocular
telescopes 300 or similar headgear without interfering with the
user's vision, comfort, or ease of using the illumination assembly
20.
The attachment means described above may be replaced by any type of
clip, buckle, latch, bracket, hook, loop, fastener, carriage, or
similar attachment structure of means known to the art, also
including adhesive and magnetic means. An example of an alternative
embodiment of the attachment means is illustrated by a clip 200
illustrated in FIG. 18. The clip has a first member 202 having a
jaw 204 and a handle 206, and a second member 208 with a jaw 210
and a handle 212. The jaws 204 and 210 are biased into a normally
closed position by a spring 214. The jaws 204 and 210 are furcated
so that they each include a peg slot 216 for receiving the bridge
adjustment knob 310 therein. Additionally, the jaws 204 and 210
each include a pair of spaced ridges, a forward ridge 218 and a
rear ridge 220. The second member 208 includes a clip clevis 222
which defines a clevis slot 224 wherein the clip portion 64 of the
housing base 26 may rest. The clip clevis 222 further includes a
pivot aperture 226 wherein a fastener may be inserted to affix the
clip portion 64 to the clip clevis 222.
By pressing together the handles 206 and 212, the jaws 204 and 210
open so that the jaws may encompass and grasp either the bridge 300
of binocular telescope 302 or the nose bridge 310 of eyeglasses
304, in which case the nose bridge 310 may rest between the forward
ridges 218 and the rear ridges 220. Alternatively, the clip 200
could be attached to other parts of the binocular telescope 302 or
eyeglasses 304 instead, such as to the arms 312 of the binocular
telescope 302 of the rim 316 of the eyeglasses 304. Because the
clip 200 has spring-biased jaws 204 and 210 which may be adapted to
grasp virtually any object, the clip 200 may be affixed not only to
the binocular telescope 304 or eyeglasses 302, but also to
headbands, face shields, or similar headgear. It is understood that
a particular type of attachment means may be rapidly removed from
the clip portion 64 of the housing base 26 and replaced with
attachment means with different sizes and strengths suitable for
attachment to different types of headgear.
The illumination assembly 20 is provided with illumination from a
remote light source known to the art (not shown). An example of
such a remote light source is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,234,910 to
Price. The light source used in the preferred embodiment of the
illumination assembly 20 is the "FIBER-LITE" model 180 light source
manufactured by Dolan-Jenner Industries, Inc. of Lawrence, Mass.,
with a 150 watt EJA lamp used within. Other suitable light sources
are the "FIBER-LITE" model 170-D by Dolan-Jenner Industries, Inc.
or the model I-150 fiberoptic illumination light source made by
Cuda Products Co. of Jacksonville, Fla. The light source preferably
has a "breakaway" safety release at the attachment terminal where
the light guide 28 is attached to the light source so that if the
light guide 28 is given a sudden jerk, the terminal will release
the light guide 28 rather than causing it to break. The remote
light source also preferably has such features as a rheostat or
similar device for selectively adjusting the illumination intensity
to maximize bulb life, 110 and 220 volt operation capability, and a
quiet cooling fan mechanism.
Because the light source is located remotely from the illumination
assembly 20 and the illumination is piped in via the light guide
28, negligible heat is transferred to the user and/or patient or
workpiece. If the illumination assembly 20 should transmit an
undesired amount of infrared or ultraviolet radiation to the
illumination assembly 20, the user may attach a filter to the
exterior attachment bevel 46 of the housing 22 to filter out these
radiation components. This step is helpful where light-cured
materials are being worked with at the patient or workpiece, such
as the light-cured composites used in dentistry. Alternatively (or
additionally), the user could introduce a filter or dichroic mirror
within the remote light source so that only the desired radiation
components of illumination enter the light guide 28. This is
helpful where plastic fiber(s) is used in the light guide 28 since
plastic fiber can generally withstand less heat.
The preferred embodiment of the illumination assembly 20 as
described above has a spot 13/4 inches in diameter with an
intensity of approximately 30,000 lux, and the housing 22 may be
telescoped to provide a spot of 23/4 inches diameter and
approximately 24,000 lux. Both of these readings are obtained where
the optical element 24 is located approximately 12 inches from the
illuminated object. Since the illumination assembly 20 is actually
located between 3-4 inches from the user's eyes when it is affixed
to telescope binoculars 304 as shown in FIGS. 1-3, the user
actually achieves a spot size of 13/4-23/4 inches in diameter when
the user's head is positioned approximately 15-16 inches from the
patient or workpiece. This spot size is well-suited for medical use
and ideal for dentistry, as it provides full illumination of an
oral cavity. There is negligible scattered light or stray light
outside of the illuminated spot, and the illumination within the
spot is only slightly center-weighted with minimal blurring at the
spot edges. The spot is automatically directed to wherever the user
is looking, so the user does not need to adjust an overhead light
while operating.
Due to its small size, the illumination assembly 20 does not strike
or interfere with the user's forehead when the binocular telescopes
302 are flipped about the telescope pivot 308 into a position
parallel to the user's forehead. Since the illumination assembly 20
weighs only 8-10 grams versus 35-40 grams for similar illumination
assemblies on the market, the user is for all practical purposes
unable to notice the presence of the illumination assembly 20 on
the user's head on account of its weight.
Owing to the small size and light weight of the illumination
assembly 20 and its use of the clip 30, the illumination assembly
20 is far more versatile than the prior art illumination
assemblies. It can easily be removed and reattached to different
parts of headgear if the user finds it desirable to do so. For
example, if the user wishes to wear a transparent face shield or
safety goggles over a pair of eyeglasses, the illumination assembly
20 can be detached from the eyeglasses and remounted on the face
shield or safety goggles.
It is understood that the illumination assembly 20 is not limited
to the particular arrangement of parts and/or construction
described above, but embraces such modified forms thereof that come
within the scope of the following claims. For example, it is
understood that a unitary housing could be used in place of the
housing 22 and the housing base 26. It is also understood that
different telescoping or telescopically rotating fastening
arrangements between the housing 22 and the housing base 26 which
do not use the retainer ring 82 and pin 92 arrangement are
possible. For example, the housing 22 may simply act as a sleeve
and telescopically slide over the housing base 26. Alternatively,
internal threading may be included within the rear cylindrical
portion 32 of the housing 22 and complimentary exterior threading
may be included on the plug portion 62 of the housing base 26.
However, the arrangement described previously is preferred because
it prevents the housing 22 from possibly detaching or unscrewing
from the plug portion 62 of the housing base 26 and falling onto
the patient or workpiece.
Additionally, while the optical element 24 is generally
contemplated to be a glass or plastic refractive lens, it need not
necessarily be such a lens. The optical element 24 could instead be
any other type of optical element with positive properties.
Examples of such optical elements are binary optic means or a
holographic optical element, which function on the basis of
diffraction rather than refraction. Another possibility is a
gradient index optical element wherein the index of refraction of
the element varies linearly or radially about the optical axis to
provide the desired optical characteristics.
Further, it is understood that in the claims, means plus function
clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as
performing their recited function, and also both structural
equivalents and equivalent structures. As an example, though a nail
and a screw may not be structural equivalents insofar as a nail
employs a cylindrical surface to secure parts together whereas a
screw employs a helical surface, in the context of fastening parts,
a nail and a screw are equivalent structures.
* * * * *