Abstract:
A surgical headlight that includes a small housing containing an LED white light source and light transmission elements including a fiber optic rod and lenses. The headlight housing is attached to a device worn by a surgeon. The LED provides a high intensity, light weight light source that can be varied in intensity through the power supply. Using the present invention, a very high intense illumination source of white light is achieved in a small housing for illuminating a surgical area.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   This invention relates to a surgical headlight that provides illumination to a surgeon”s area of work and, specifically, to an improved surgical headlight that has improved illumination mounted in the headlight device itself in the form of a LED illuminator. 
   2. Description of Related Art 
   The use of surgical headlights is well known to provide illumination to a surgical area in which the headlight is mounted on the surgeon”s head. Because of the head mounting, it is desirable to have a very light weight unit for the comfort of the surgeon while, at the same time, it is imperative that high light intensity be provided for the illumination of the surgical area being worked on. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,257 issued to Kloots, et al. on Oct. 7, 1986 shows a head mounting illuminating apparatus that includes video and audio transmittal component. This patent uses a fiber optic cable to provide light to an illumination lens. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,190 issued to Kloots on May 7, 1985 describes a surgical head lamp that is removably mounted to a head band that uses a remote light source transmitted by a fiber cable. With the advent of fiber optics, it is common to supply light via a fiber optic cable to a module which houses an illumination lens that allows the light passing through the lens that forms a beam to illuminate the surgeon”s entire work area. 
   U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,420 issued to Van Der Bel on Nov. 17, 1992 shows a headlight system that utilizes light from the fiber optic conduit that is directed into a housing along a horizontal axis. 
   Although many of the headlights shown in the prior art operate sufficiently to illuminate the surgical work area, it is desirable to provide a light source of high intensity while, at the same time, having a comfortable light weight headlight housing for the comfort of the surgeon. Furthermore, it is desirable to have a light source exhibiting a long life, energy efficiency, durability, low maintenance cost and compact size. 
   The present invention accomplishes the above by using a high intensity, small, powerful LED (light emitting diode) as the light source which can be mounted directly in a light housing mounted on the head of the surgeon. 
   SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
   A surgical headlight for providing illumination of high intensity to the surgical work area that is mounted directly on the head band of the surgeon comprising a light housing that includes an LED light source, an optics transmission system and a variable directory light focus system all connected in the housing. The LED light source is connected by a cable to a power supply that supplies electrical power to the LED light source through a variable power controller. A power on/off switch is also connected to the light source and the power supply for varying the intensity of the light source. The cable that connects the power supply to the light housing can be plugged into and out of the power source and the light housing. 
   The LED light source is mounted inside and near one end of the light housing (proximal end) and includes an electrical, detachable coupling from the power source supply cable. Adjacent the LED is a fiber optic rod that abuts the LED light emanating surface, forming a direct light channel from the LED light source. The end of the fiber optic rod that emits light is in optical communication with a pair of collimating lenses that are back to back in a channel to collimate the light beam received from the fiber optic rod. The distal end of the headlight housing includes a mirror that is in optical communication with the collimating lenses and a movable light housing section that allows the entire end portion of the headlight housing that emits light to be manually moved up, down and sideways by a joy stick. A final lens optically spreads the light out that is transmitted to the surgical area. 
   The LED light source is a white color light temperature 5500 Kelvin daylight lumens 60–80. 
   The system uses a detachable push/pull locking cable assembly that provides electrical power 12 volt DC supplying a thousand milliamps to the electrical contacts of the LED. The power cable assembly can be detached by push/pull couplings at each end, one end being attached to the power source box that provides the electrical current to the LED and the other end to the optical headlight housing. 
   The LED is mounted on a circuit board and a heat sink and is soldered in two places to the circuit board. The detachable cable has a pair of contacts that fit directly into the headlight housing and connect directly to the LED soldered leads. 
   The initial AC electrical power source can include a power cord that connects to hospital or doctor office outlet approved 100–250 volt AC 50–60 Hz power. The LED is powered by low voltage DC. The current amplitude can be varied to vary the intensity of the LED emissions. The low voltage DC power is generated in a small circuit box having a step down transformer. Current is varied with a rheostat. The DC power supply for providing electrical power to the LED is a small supply box that includes a cable coupling receptacle plug for the LED cable and an on/off switch that may include a variable intensity control for changing the amount of light radiated by the LED by changing the current and voltage to the light. The power supply box includes control circuits that convert AC electrical power to a DC 12 volt 1000 milliamps supply that can be varied through ae rheostat type variable intensity control that is connected to the electrical cable with the power box. 
   Because of its small size, the LED light source is mounted within the light housing that is attached to a band or cap on the surgeon”s head. The use of high efficiency optical transmission lenses, a fiber optic cable, and a compact high intensity light source of white light is available to the surgeon. 
   It is an object of this invention to provide a light weight high intensity light such as an LED as the light source for a surgeon”s headlight in which the housing and the light source are mounted on the surgeon”s head. 
   Another object of this invention is to provide a high intensity LED light source that is mounted directly in the light housing and that is attached by or detachable power cable to a variable power supply for varying the intensity of the light which is mounted on a headlight arrangement for a surgeon for illuminating a surgical area. 
   In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  shows a side elevational view of the light housing used in the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  shows a side elevational view in cross section of the light housing for the headlight used in the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of the power source box used in the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  shows a side elevational view of the light housing and a schematic diagram of the power source circuit mounted in the power supply box in the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  shows a side elevational view partially in cross section of the LED light source used in the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring now to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , a headlight housing  12  is shown that is connected to a power source cable  14  by a push/pull coupler plug  14   a . The housing  12  also has a joy stick  16  attached thereto in the front of the headlight housing that allows the surgeon to manually adjust the direction of light emanating from opening  18  in the headlight housing  12 . Inside an angled housing section  20  is a mirror  40  for directing the light from LED  26  through the opening  18 . An annular housing connector  22  connects the angled section housing  20  to the power source cable  14 , preferably through attachment to a barrel section  22   a . A connector ring  24  connected to the housing  12  is pivotally attachable through aperture  24   a  to a head band or cap (not shown) worn by the surgeon. The connector ring  24  and aperture  24   a  also allows the assembly  12  to be manually pivoted vertically. The housing section  12   a  is light proof and has the light source (LED) mounted therein. 
   In  FIG. 2 , an LED  26  in housing section  12   a  is soldered to electrodes on circuit board  30  which has a pair of electrical connectors  28  that electrically connect to the detachable power source cable  14  that itself is attached to a DC power source not shown in  FIG. 2 . The top of the LED  26  is physically abutted next to a fiber optic rod  32  so that a large portion of the light illuminated and radiated from the LED  26  is transmitted directly through the proximal end of fiber optic rod  32 . Said fiber optic rod  32  is preferably comprised of a bundle or bundles of a plurality of fiber optic strands. The hemispherical concave shape of the proximal end of the fiber optic rod  32  that covers the surface of LED  26  is preferred so that each fiber optic strand can transmit the maximum amount of light from LED  26  to the distal opening  18 . The housing  12  also includes a pair of collimating optical lenses  34  and  36  which are in direct optical communication with the distal end and output of fiber optic rod  32 . Lens  34  is in direct physical contact with the distal end and output of said fiber optic rod  32 , which abuts against said lens  34  as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . The lenses  34  and  36  also have an optical channel  38  having output so that the light once, collimated by the lenses  34  and  36 , is then received into the optical channel  38  and directed towards a mirror  40 . The light is reflected from mirror  40  through an output lens  42  and then out of the housing  12  through opening  18 . 
   The electrical power that is supplied to the LED light  26  is preferred to be a 12 volt DC 1000 milliamps that is variable with a rheostat to change the intensity output of the LED. The LED is preferred to provide white light at temperature 5500 degrees Kelvin and is 60–80 lumens in intensity that can be varied by varying the power source. However, other LED light sources known in the art are also contemplated. 
     FIG. 3  shows a power supply box  44  that includes the circuitry necessary to receive AC current between 90264 Vac at 47–63 Hz and transform the AC voltage into 12 volt DC 1000 milliamps. The power supply box  44  for the power source includes a receptacle  46  for the detachable power cable  14  and preferably includes a variable current intensity control and power on/off switch  48 . Rotating switch  48  can vary the DC current to the LED to vary light intensity. 
   Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the DC power source is shown schematically in a box  44  that includes a rheostat  54  and a circuit card  50  that receives power from a transformer  52  and a conventional power outlet having AC power. Switch  48  can be turned on and off and also rotated to vary the intensity of current received through power source cable  14  to the light housing  12  and, specifically, to LED  26  shown in  FIG. 2 . An AC power entry module  56  has a three prong receptacle  58  that receives a plug (not shown) that connects to a conventional 100–250 VAC electrical supply. Element  60  represents ground. High AC voltage is transferred to input  52   a  in transformer  52 . The lower DC voltage is sent to circuit board  50  and rheostat  54  from output  52   b . Conductors  51  connected to circuit board  50  supply DC power to the light housing  12  through plug  46  and power cable  14 . 
   Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the LED  26  is shown mounted on a circuit board  30  and heat sink  31 . The LED electrodes  26   a  are soldered at  28   a  to the electrical wiring connectors  28  which connect to the power source cable  14 . 
   In operation, the on/off switch  48  is turned on to provide power to the LED in the headlight housing  12 . The headlight housing  12  is attached through connector ring  24  to a head band or hat worn by the surgeon. Once the LED is illuminated, the surgeon can vary the illumination intensity from LED  26 . Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the light caused by illuminating LED  26  is transmitted through the fiber optic rod  32  through the lenses  34  and  36  reflected off mirror  40  and directed through output lens  42 . The intensity can be varied. By using such a light weight but high intensity light source, the LED can be mounted in the headlight directly for use for illuminating the surgical area. 
   The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.