RU2161812C1 - Device for spatial orientation of blind people - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: medical engineering. SUBSTANCE: device makes it possible to create real picture of environment in blind person's brain. Device represents multicomponent photoelectric transducer, all elements of which are enclosed in case made of nonconducting material and provided with current leads passing from two conducting components through case outside. Device has hermetically sealed case. Two conducting components are made as plates transparent in visible light range and secured in case in parallel and coaxially with each other. Some surfaces of plates are coated with layers conducting and transparent in visible light rang and where current leads are secured. Membrane made of organic dye is attached in space between plates and in parallel to them. Cavity between one plate and membrane is filled with transparent iodine-based helium electrolyte, and cavity between membrane and other plate is filled with ultradispersed powder of titanium dioxide. Device may be positioned on spectacles rim. In this case, current leads are brought into bows of spectacles behind the ears. EFFECT: extended service life. 2 cl, 1 dwg

Description

 The invention is used in medical technology as a device for the spatial orientation of blind people.

 A device for the spatial orientation of blind people is described, described in patent RU 2097011, publ. 11/27/97. This known device includes a lens, a photomultiplier tube with a photocathode and a fluorescent screen, a transparent conductive film and a photoresistor. This device converts the picture of the surrounding space into a system of points, in each of which an electric current of different intensities affects the skin of the forehead of a person. From these impulses, a person mentally forms a picture of the surrounding space. However, this device does not allow for the qualitative spatial orientation of blind people, it is large in size and has a low service life.

 The technical result of the invention is to increase its service life and to ensure high-quality spatial orientation of blind people when creating in their brain a real picture of the world.

 The specified technical result is achieved due to the fact that the present invention is made in the form of a multilayer photo panel operating on the principle of natural photosynthesis. Light enters through a plate, which is transparent in the visible range, into a cavity filled with a gel-like hardening electrolyte based on iodine and through it onto a plant dye membrane. Under the influence of light, as a result of photosynthesis, the dye loses electrons that enter the titanium dioxide layer, which serves as an electron storage ring. To ensure the flow of electrons onto the inner walls of the plates, both from the side of the electrolyte and from the side of titanium dioxide, a layer of electrically conductive metal or metal oxide chemically neutral with respect to the electrolyte and titanium dioxide is applied.

 The proposed device for the spatial orientation of blind people is illustrated using graphic materials, where it is schematically depicted in the drawing.

 Transparent in the visible range of light (1) plates (4) with a transparent conductive layer (2) applied to one side are sealed tightly in a tubular body (8) of non-conductive material of any cross section, both in shape and size. In the housing (8), a membrane made of vegetable dye is fixed inside its cross section inside. The space between the plate (4) and the membrane (3) from the side of the incident light flux (1) is filled with a gel-like hardening electrolyte (5) based on iodine, which is also transparent in the visible range of light. The space between the membrane (3) and the plate (4) on the other side of the membrane is filled with ultrafine titanium dioxide powder (6). Current leads (7) are attached to the conductive layers (2).

 The device operates as follows. Luminous flux (1) enters through the plate (4), layer (2) and electrolyte (5) onto the membrane (3). As a result of photosynthesis, free electrons are formed on the membrane (3), which, due to the high electron affinity from the side of titanium dioxide (6), flow to the plate (4) and then through the current-conducting layer (2) and current output (7) through the load (8) and the electrolyte (5) returns to the membrane (3), having done work on the load (8). The load (8) is the optic nerve, the connection with the eye is broken due to abnormalities of the nerve, chiasm, tract or visual cortex. Moreover, the etiology and pathogenesis of diseases are not significant. It is only important to ensure current output to that part of the optic nerve that has not lost its ability to ionic conductivity on the part of the liquid media of the central and peripheral nervous system. As a result of the passage of the electrical signal of the corresponding parameters, the corresponding “light image” is formed in the brain.

 A single device mounted in a spectacle frame can serve as a light-dark indicator, while the external contacts of the current leads (7) are output to the earhooks of the glasses, and the conclusions from the optic nerve are output to the behind-the-ear zone, where they are closed to the device current leads.

 A mosaic-type device, also mounted in a spectacle frame, can create a more realistic picture of the world in the brain of a blind person and provide him with spatial orientation.

 As an example of implementation, a single device was made in which transparent panels are made of borosilicate glass, on one side of which is coated with tin oxide 350E thick by resistive vacuum spraying. On the other side of one of the glasses, also with a vacuum, but electron beam spraying, an antireflective broadband achromatic coating was applied to increase sensitivity to incident light. The body is made of polystyrene, NaJ is used as an electrolyte, and indigo-based non-woven material is used as a vegetable natural dye. The diameter of the device is 90 mm, the thickness is 2.5 mm. The current leads made of gold wire with a diameter of 0.01 mm were fixed by soldering to the tin oxide layer and through the pressure leads were brought to the outer surface of the casing. The assembly and sealing of the device took place in a sealed chamber with an inert atmosphere. The tests were carried out in a light-protected chamber with a sunlight simulator mounted in one of the walls, giving a uniform light spot with a diameter of 150 mm in the chamber at a distance of 200 mm from the light source. At an illumination of 300 lux, an electric current of the following parameters was recorded on the surface of the device: I = 70 MA, V = 830 MV. This means that in terms of the power of the incident light flux, the photoconversion efficiency is approximately 8%, i.e. 5 times higher than silicon solar cells. Naturally, when using organic materials, the service life of the proposed device is significantly lower than that of inorganic photoconverters.

Claims (2)

 1. A device for the spatial orientation of blind people, including a photovoltaic converter, consisting of a housing made of non-conductive material, housed in a housing of two electrically conductive elements with current leads passing through the housing to the outside, characterized in that it includes several similar photovoltaic converters mounted in a single clip moreover, in each of them the housing is sealed, two electrically conductive elements are made in the form of plates, at least one of which it is transparent in the visible light range fixed in parallel and coaxial to each other in the case, electrically conductive and transparent in the visible light range layers are attached to one of the surfaces of each plate, to which current leads are attached, in the space between the plates an organic dye membrane is fixed parallel to it, a cavity between a transparent plate and a membrane filled with a transparent gel electrolyte based on iodine, the cavity between the membrane and another plate is filled with an ultrafine titanium dioxide powder on the.  2. A device for the spatial orientation of blind people according to claim 1, characterized in that the clip is made with the possibility of placement on a spectacle frame, while the current leads are brought into the arches of glasses on the temples.