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A prosthesis for visually handicapped persons provides for collection and concentration of available light to thereby assist the visually handicapped with seeing under conditions of reduced or diffuse lighting. The prosthesis has a pair of spaced tubular housing members each of which contains an imaging lens in the portion remote from the user's eye and a concentrating lens in spaced relationship from the imaging lens and closer to the user's eye than the imaging lens. The concentrating lens may be generally pear-shaped and have an entrance pupil of greater diameter than the exit pupil. The convex entrance surface may have a radius of curvature of about 1.8 to 2.2 times the radius of curvature of the convex exit surface. The intermediate lens surface may be generally parabolic in configuration. The concentrating lens is preferably substantially symmetrical about its longitudinal axis. The portion of the concentrating lens surrounded by the generally parabolic surface preferably has...

Inventor: Jerome J. Wolken
Current U.S. Classification: 359/653; 359/619; 359/664; 359/728
International Classification: G02B 1708; G02B 300

View patent at USPTO
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Citations

Cited PatentFiling dateIssue dateOriginal AssigneeTitle
US1716308Feb 14, 19271929 OF ROCHESTER
US3368078Oct 2, 1964Feb 6, 1968RADIANT ENERGY SENSITIVE DEVICE
US3535015Aug 22, 1967Oct 20, 1970DUAL-CAFACITY OPTICAL SYSTEMS
US3592525Jul 1, 1971ILLUMINATING HEADPIECE FOR SPECTACLES INCLUDING SECONDARY MAGNIFYING LENSES
US4114592Aug 16, 1976Sep 19, 1978The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of EnergyCylindrical radiant energy direction device with refractive medium
US4222371Oct 4, 1977Sep 16, 1980Solar energy collector
US4240692Dec 17, 1975Dec 23, 1980The University of ChicagoEnergy transmission
US4445766Mar 22, 1982May 1, 1984Orinox Co., Ltd.Binoculars with a detachable small camera

Referenced by

Citing PatentFiling dateIssue dateOriginal AssigneeTitle
US5706142Dec 11, 1995Jan 6, 1998Method of mounting lenses in illuminated signs, etc.
US5923481Nov 27, 1996Jul 13, 1999The Regents of the University of CaliforniaMicrolens frames for laser diode arrays
US5971551Jul 7, 1995Oct 26, 1999ARCH Development CorporationNonimaging optical concentrators and illuminators

Claims

1. A solar collector comprising

a solar collector panel,
a plurality of concentrating lens disposed adjacent said panel in relative spaced relationship with respect to each other,
said concentrating lens being generally pear-shaped,
said concentrating lenses having a generally convex entry end and a generally convex exit end,
said entry end radius of curvature of said concentrating lenses being about 1.5 to 4.0 times the radius of curvature of said exit end surface, and
said exit end surfaces facing said solar collector panel.

2. The solar collector of claim 1 including

said lenses being arranged in a series of generally parallel rows.

3. The solar collector of claim 1 including

said concentrating lenses having lateral connecting surfaces connecting said entry end surface with said exit end surface, and
said lateral surface being substantially parabolic.

4. The solar collector of claim 3 including

said concentrating lens being substantially symmetrical about its longitudinal axis.

5. The solar collector of claim 4 including

said lenses each having graded indices of refraction.

6. The solar collector of claim 4 including

the axial extent of the portion of said lenses surrounded by said parabolic surface being about 45 to 55 percent of the total axial extent of said concentrating lens.

Drawings