SKIN OBSERVATION SYSTEM

Abstract

A skin observation system includes a helmet to be placed over the head of a user, a mirror disposed within the helmet in a direct line of sight of the user wearing the helmet, at least one lighting device disposed within the helmet for illuminating the face of the user, a shield disposed within the helmet for shielding the eyes of the user from light emitted by the at least one lighting device, and a filter disposed within the helmet for filtering components of the light emitted by the at least one lighting device. The lighting device is preferably a plurality of laser diodes and the filter is preferably a UV filter. The mirror preferably has a concave surface facing the user.

Claims

1. A skin observation system, comprising: a helmet to be placed over the head of a user; a mirror disposed within said helmet in a direct line of sight of the user wearing said helmet; at least one lighting device disposed within said helmet for illuminating the face of the user; a shield disposed within said helmet for shielding the eyes of the user from light emitted by said at least one lighting device; and a filter disposed within said helmet for filtering components of the light emitted by said at least one lighting device.

2. The skin observation system according to claim 1, wherein said mirror has a concave surface facing the face of the user.

3. The skin observation system according to claim 2, wherein said mirror is adjustable in position toward and away from the face of the user.

4. The skin observation system according to claim 1, wherein said at least one lighting device is at least one laser diode.

5. The skin observation system according to claim 4, wherein said at least one laser diode includes a plurality of laser diodes disposed along at least one row.

6. The skin observation system according to claim 5, wherein said plurality of laser diodes are disposed along two rows, one of said rows is disposed below and another of said rows is disposed above said mirror.

7. The skin observation system according to claim 1, which further comprises at least one camera mounted within said helmet for recording images on said mirror.

8. The skin observation system according to claim 1, which further comprises a keypad or buttons mounted on an outer surface of said helmet for controlling said at least one lighting device.

9. The skin observation system according to claim 7, which further comprises a keypad or buttons mounted on an outer surface of said helmet for controlling said at least one lighting device and said at least one camera.

10. The skin observation system according to claim 1, which further comprises a transmitter disposed on said helmet, and a remote control device communicating with said transmitter for controlling said at least one lighting device.

11. The skin observation system according to claim 7, which further comprises a transmitter disposed on said helmet, and a remote control device communicating with said transmitter for controlling said at least one lighting device and said at least one camera.

12. The skin observation system according to claim 11, wherein said remote control device is a smart phone running an application for receiving, displaying and storing the images on said mirror.

13. The skin observation system according to claim 1, which further comprises a stand on which said helmet is mounted, said stand including at least one joint for adjusting a position of said helmet for the user.

14. The skin observation system according to claim 13, wherein said stand includes at least one telescoping arm connected to said at least one joint for additional adjustment of the position of said helmet for the user.

15. The skin observation system according to claim 13, wherein said filter is an ultraviolet light filter.

16. The skin observation system according to claim 13, wherein said ultraviolet light filter has a concave surface facing the face of the user, one end attached to an inner surface of said helmet, and a free end extending below the line of sight of the user wearing said helmet.

17. The skin observation system according to claim 1, which further comprises a lining extending entirely over an inner surface of the helmet for absorbing light and preventing reflections of light.

18. The skin observation system according to claim 1, which further comprises a ventilator disposed on said helmet for cooling an inner area of said helmet during operation.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING:

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, side-elevational view of the skin observation system according to the invention being employed by a user to observe the user's skin condition;

[0020] FIG. 2 is a top-plan view of the skin observation system being employed by the user;

[0021] FIG. 3 is a front-elevational view of the skin observation system being employed by the user; and

[0022] FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C are respective top-plan, side-elevational and front-elevational views of a stand on which the helmet of the invention is disposed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen a helmet 1 which is placed on the head of a user. The helmet 1 is illustrated in the figures as being transparent so as to show the elements contained therein but in practice the helmet is opaque so that light cannot pass through the helmet. The purpose of the helmet is to act as a frame for an electro-optical system disposed inside the helmet and to ensure that the environment inside the helmet is completely dark.

[0024] A concave mirror 2 is placed inside the helmet 1 in a direct line of sight of the user wearing the helmet. The mirror is concave for three reasons: to focus the eyes of the user over a very short distance which is dictated by the size of the helmet, to make the images in the mirror appear larger than they actually are (similar to a makeup mirror), and to make the vision field narrower, so that the user will not see reflections and flashes of light, thus allowing images seen by the user to have greater contrast.

[0025] Laser diodes 3 emit laser beams which are directed toward the user's face. The laser diodes provide a narrow spectral strip, they do not use a focusing lens but they do use a light spreading filter. Therefore, the laser diodes are without the ability to focus. The laser diodes raise the signal-to-noise ratio and allow the user's own eyes to see the true condition of the skin through simple filters. The laser light emitted by the laser diodes cannot reach the eyes of the user due to the fixed position of the laser diodes in the device. The laser diodes are disposed along two lines, an upper line and a lower line, so they will illuminate the entire relevant part of the face without shadows such as from the nose, for example. Only the lower line 8 of the laser diodes 3 is shown in FIG. 2.

[0026] An inner eye shield 4 prevents flashes of light from reaching the eyes of the user. A filter 5 blocks UV radiation from reaching the eyes.

[0027] FIG. 2 shows the mirror 2 and the filter 5 from above. FIG. 2 also shows the laser diodes 3 disposed along a lower row 8. It can be seen that the filter 5 also filters all of the light emitted by the lower row 8 of laser diodes 3 before reaching the eyes.

[0028] FIG. 3 indicates that an area 9 is illuminated by the laser diodes 3, whereas an area 10 is not illuminated by the laser diodes 3 because it is screened by the filter 5, although glasses may also be used for filtering. FIG. 3 also shows that the helmet has a lining 11 extending entirely over the inner surface of the helmet. The lining is made from a material having a black color that absorbs the light and prevents reflections.

[0029] During the operation of the system, the user may mix the light emitted from the laser diodes 3 between blue light and white light, in order to give the user the option of seeing his or her face in the mirror in normal white light and then in a blue light for observation.

[0030] The laser diodes 3 and the ventilator may be provided with energy in various ways, by using a rechargeable battery, a non-rechargeable battery or USB cable from a computer, a wall outlet or another source.

[0031] The mirror 2 is mounted on adjustment screws 12 so that it may be moved closer to or farther from the face of the user.

[0032] The helmet 1 can be provided with a supporting stand 16 as shown in FIGS. 4A-4C, so that the stand and not the user carries the weight of the helmet. FIG. 4B shows that the helmet has been retracted upwardly around a joint 17, so that the user may sit under the helmet and bring it down over the user's head, as is done with a drier in a beauty salon. A handle 24 facilitates this movement. The stand 16 has a base 21 and two arms 18, 19 which pivot around a joint 20 for adjustment of the position of the helmet. One or both of the arms 18, 19 may be telescopic for additional adjustment. FIG. 4B also shows that a ventilator 23 may be provided in the helmet 1 to cool the inner area thereof while operating the system.

[0033] At least one camera 13 may also be provided in the helmet in order to take photographs of the image in the mirror. It is recommended that an operator of the system should be near the user at all times. The operator may operate the system by using a keypad 14 having buttons or buttons without a keypad on the helmet or on a remote control device, which may be a dedicated remote control or a smart phone 15 running an app as seen in FIG. 4C. The keypad 14 may be located anywhere on the helmet or the stand which is accessible from outside the helmet. The keypad 14 or buttons or app on the smart phone 15 can operate the lasers diodes 3 and the camera 13. The remote control or smart phone may receive, display and store the images shown on the mirror, such as for later comparison to other images of the user or to images of stored skin conditions. The photographs may be transmitted through a cable or wirelessly, such as by NFC, Bluetooth or WiFi from a transmitter 22. The pictures may also be saved on storage device, such as a thumb drive, and displayed on a computer screen or a television.

[0034] Safe operation of the system is ensured because the helmet will automatically be in the correct position when the user's head touches two points in the helmet. The user's forehead will touch the upper part of the helmet and the user's chin will touch the lower part of the helmet, ensuring correct positioning before the laser diodes are activated. In this way, it is not possible for the laser diodes to be activated before the head of the user is in the correct location and protected by the shield and filters.