Visual Prosthesis Ocular Parameter Feedback Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Visual prostheses struggle to provide a natural and adaptive visual experience for blind or partially blind individuals, as they do not effectively mimic the eye's natural functions, such as light intensity adjustment and eye movement, leading to suboptimal perception and user control.
Innovation Solution
A visual prosthesis apparatus that includes an image receiver, processor, and eye monitoring device, which monitors ocular parameters like pupil size, eyelid state, and eye gaze to adjust stimulation signals, mimicking natural eye functions and providing automatic brightness compensation, activation/deactivation, and eye motion compensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a visual prosthesis uses a fixed stimulation signal without adaptation, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability and naturalness of visual perception deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the system monitors ocular parameters (pupil size, eye movements) and uses this information to dynamically adjust stimulation signals. The processor receives signals from ocular parameter detectors and modifies the stimulation pattern accordingly, creating a closed-loop control system that adapts to the user's natural eye behavior.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the user's own ocular parameters as control inputs, allowing the visual prosthesis to self-adjust based on natural eye movements and pupil responses. This eliminates the need for external control devices and enables automatic adaptation to changing visual conditions.
2Ease of operation
If the visual prosthesis monitors and adapts to ocular parameters in real-time, then the naturalness of visual experience is improved, but the processing requirements and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-processes and stores characteristic patterns of ocular parameters and their corresponding stimulation adjustments. By preparing lookup tables and pre-computed adjustment patterns, the real-time processing burden is reduced while maintaining adaptive responsiveness to natural eye movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The processor is designed to handle multiple functions: detecting ocular parameters, interpreting their meaning, selecting appropriate stimulation patterns, and adjusting output signals. This multi-functional approach consolidates complexity into a single versatile component rather than requiring separate specialized modules.
3Ease of operation
If the apparatus uses eye gaze direction to control visual field scanning, then the ease of operation is improved, but the measurement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses coarse eye gaze detection to control the general direction of visual field scanning, accepting that precise foveal localization is not necessary for basic navigation. By using broader, less precise control zones, the system reduces measurement precision requirements while maintaining operational ease for everyday use.
Data Source
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AI summary
Visual prosthesis apparatus includes an image receiver, a processor coupled to the image receiver, a stimulation device coupled to the processor, and an eye monitoring device coupled to the processor. The image receiver receives a sequence of images and the processor produces a stimulation signal at least partially in accordance with the received images. The stimulation device receives the stimulation signal and stimulates visual neurons of a user accordingly to provide the user with a visual percept. The eye monitoring device monitors one or more ocular parameters at an eye region of the user, wherein one or more control functions are associated with the monitored ocular parameters. The processor controls the visual prosthesis apparatus in accordance with the monitored ocular parameters and the associated control functions. The one or more ocular parameters can include pupil size, state of closure of the user's eyelid and direction of eye gaze.