Optical: systems and elements – Glare or unwanted light reduction – Barrel end or lens mount shade
Utility Patent
1999-12-23
2001-01-02
Nguyen, Thong (Department: 2872)
Optical: systems and elements
Glare or unwanted light reduction
Barrel end or lens mount shade
C359S601000, C359S608000, C351S057000, C351S158000
Utility Patent
active
06168278
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to protective goggles for laser, which is to be put on by a person for protecting his eyes from a laser beam, and also to a laser treatment apparatus with the goggles.
2. Description of Related Art
In a medical field, for example, when treatment is conducted on an affected part of a patient, which is an object to be irradiated with a treatment laser beam emitted from a laser treatment apparatus, an operator and his assistant(s) and others put on protective goggles for protecting the eyes from the treatment laser beam. Usually, this type of protective goggles is provided with a filter disposed in the front of part corresponding to the eyes of the operator, the filter having the property of blocking a wavelength of the treatment laser beam, but transmitting a visible light beam.
In plastic surgery and the like, a treatment laser beam having a wavelength in a visible region is generally used. The filter itself is therefore colored by coating or the like. The filter which blocks the visible treatment laser beam, however, would also reduce the transmittance of light having a wavelength near the wavelength of the treatment laser beam. As a result, the filter of the protective goggles prevents the operator who wears the goggles from looking clearly the condition of the affected part, as compared with the case in which the operator does not wear the goggles. If an aiming light has the wavelength near that of the treatment laser beam, the operator also could not clearly look the aiming light through the filter. In this case, accordingly, the operator or assistant has to put on the protective goggles prior to the irradiation of treatment laser beams, and take off the goggles every time to observe the affected part or perform aiming. Such the frequent putting-on or taking-off actions are very burdensome and may reduce operative efficiency. In particular, the operator generally uses both hands for holding a laser emitting element such as a hand piece and the like and retaining the position of the affected part. Handling of the protective goggles is then extremely troublesome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances and has an object to overcome the above problems and to provide protective goggles which are excellent in handling, needing no hands of a wearer (e.g., operator) who wears the goggles, and a laser treatment apparatus provided with the protective goggles.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the purpose of the invention, there is provided protective goggles to be put on by a wearer for protecting the eyes of the wearer from a laser beam emitted from a laser apparatus, the goggles including blocking means for selectively blocking the laser beam, insertion means for inserting or removing the blocking means in or from a front of the eyes of the wearer who wears the goggles, and control means for controlling motions of the insertion means in time for emission of the laser beam from the laser apparatus.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser apparatus for irradiating an object with a laser beam, including a laser source which emits the laser beam, emission control means for controlling laser emission, protective goggles for laser to be put on by a wearer for protecting the eyes from the laser beam, and the protective goggles including, blocking means for selectively blocking the laser beam, and insertion means for inserting or removing the blocking means in or from the front of the eyes of the wearer who wears the goggles, insertion control means for controlling motions of the insertion means in time for emission of the laser beam.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is provided protective goggles for laser to be put on for protecting eyes of a wearer from a laser beam emitted from a laser apparatus, the goggles including a goggle frame having a support part to be securely supported on a head of the wearer, a filter attached to the goggle frame so as to be inserted or removed in or from the front of the eyes of the wearer for selectively blocking the laser beam, a filter moving mechanism provided in the goggle frame, and a control unit connected to the filter moving mechanism for controlling it based on a laser emission command signal.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser apparatus for irradiating an object with a laser beam, including a main unit, a laser source disposed in the main unit, a laser emission control unit disposed in the main unit, protective goggles for laser to be put on by wearer for protecting eyes of the wearer from the laser beam, a filter provided in the protective goggles for selectively blocking the laser beam, a filter moving mechanism provided in the protective goggles, and a filter insertion control unit connected to the filter moving mechanism for controlling the filter moving mechanism based on a laser emission command signal.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4511225 (1985-04-01), Lipson
patent: 5276539 (1994-01-01), Humphrey
patent: 5299053 (1994-03-01), Kleinburg et al.
patent: 5349392 (1994-09-01), Buffet
patent: 6-45677 (1994-02-01), None
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Nguyen Thong
Nidek Co. Ltd.
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