Method of measuring at least one geometrico-physiognomic parameter for positioning a vision correcting eyeglass frame on the face of a wearer

1. A method of measuring at least one geometrico-physiognomic parameter (H, TETA) for positioning a vision-correcting eyeglass frame ( 10 ) on the face of a wearer for personalized calculation and/or mounting of corrective lenses associated with said frame, including a step of using an image-capture appliance ( 1 ) to capture a digital image substantially in front view of the wearer's face wearing at least the frame ( 10 ), and a step of calculating the geometrico-physiognomic parameter (H, TETA) on the basis of processing the captured image, the method being characterized in that the calculation of the geometrico-physiognomic parameter (H, TETA) includes identifying, in the image, the image of a predetermined remarkable point (RC) that is directly or indirectly associated with the wearer's face or with the frame, and it takes into consideration a magnitude representative of the absolute vertical angle of observation (GAMMA) formed between firstly an observation line (DO) connecting the pupil ( 7 ) of the image-capture appliance ( 1 ) to the remarkable point (RC), and secondly its projection onto a horizontal plane (PF).

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the image-capture appliance ( 1 ) is a hand-held appliance held by an operator during image capture.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein, in order to measure the absolute vertical angle of observation (GAMMA), a tilt angle (ALPHA) is measured as formed between the optical axis (AO) of the image-capture appliance ( 1 ) and its projection on the horizontal plane (PF).

4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the measurement of the tilt angle (ALPHA) is provided by a tilt meter fitted to the image-capture appliance and adapted to deliver a signal representative of the value taken by the tilt angle (ALPHA) at the moment of image capture.

5. A method according to claim 3 , wherein, prior to image capture, an artificial horizon device ( 40 ) is fitted to the wearer's head (TP), the device including a horizon-reference element ( 41 ) that is movable in rotation about an axis ( 42 ) perpendicular to the sagittal plane (PSAG) and that is adapted to conserve a constant position relative to the horizontal plane (PF), said horizon-reference element having a known geometrical characteristic, and wherein after image capture, the image of said horizon-reference element ( 41 ) is identified in the captured image, a geometrical characteristic (Ev) of the image corresponding to the known geometrical characteristic of said horizon-reference element is measured, and the tilt angle (ALPHA) is calculated as a function of the measured geometrical characteristic of the captured image and of the known geometrical characteristic of the horizon-reference element.

6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the calculation of the tilt angle (ALPHA) is also a function of a reference relative observation angle (OMEGA) formed between firstly an observation line (DOB) passing through a point of the horizon-reference element ( 41 ) and the pupil ( 7 ) of the image-capture appliance ( 1 ), and secondly the optical axis (AO) of the image-capture appliance ( 1 ), said relative observation angle (BETA) being deduced from the measurement of the off-center shift of the image in the captured image of the horizon-reference element ( 41 ) relative to an image center associated with the optical axis (AO) of the image-capture appliance ( 1 ).

7. A method according to claim 3 , wherein, in order to measure the absolute vertical observation angle (GAMMA), the tilt angle (ALPHA) is combined with a relative observation angle (BETA) formed between the observation line (DO) and the optical axis (AO) of the image-capture appliance ( 1 ), said relative observation angle (BETA) being deduced from measuring the off-center shift in the captured image of the image of the remarkable point (RC) of the eye relative to an image center associated with the optical axis of the image-capture appliance ( 1 ).

8. A method according to claim 3 , wherein, in order to measure the absolute vertical observation angle (GAMMA), arrangements are made such that while capturing the image, the image-capture appliance ( 1 ) is oriented so that the remarkable point (RC) is centered on a centering mark of the viewfinder system of the image-capture appliance ( 1 ), the absolute vertical observation angle (GAMMA) then being equal to the tilt angle (ALPHA).

9. A method according to claim 1 , wherein, in order to measure the absolute vertical observation angle (GAMMA), an altitude of the image-capture appliance ( 1 ) is measured, at least relative to the wearer's head.

10. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the geometrico-physiognomic parameter includes the height (H) of a remarkable point (PU) of the eye relative to the frame and/or the pantoscopic angle of inclination (TETA) formed by the general plane of the frame or of the lens (PM) relative to the vertical.

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein a pantoscopic position-identification element ( 30 , 33 , 36 , 38 ) is placed on the frame, which element possesses at least one known geometrical characteristic and is placed in such a manner that the front-view image captured by means of the image-capture appliance ( 1 ) incorporate an image of the pantoscopic position-identification element ( 30 , 33 , 36 , 38 ), and wherein, the image of the position-identification element ( 30 , 33 , 36 , 38 ) being processed to measure therefrom a geometrical characteristic depending on the known geometrical characteristic, the calculation of the geometrico-physiognomic parameter is a function of the measured geometrical characteristic and of the known geometrical characteristic of the position-identification element.

12. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the geometrico-physiognomic parameter (H, TETA) is calculated taking account of a scale factor that, in the image-capture configuration, gives the proportionality ratio between a real dimension of a geometrical element for which an image is captured and the number of pixels in the image of said element in the direction of the dimension under consideration.