Lenses, cameras and smart glasses

Abstract

The present invention discloses a lens, a camera, and smart glasses. The lens comprises a lens body and a protective mask, wherein the protective mask is disposed at the light inlet of the lens body; the protective mask comprises a color-changing material layer, and the color-changing material layer is configured to adjust the amount of light entering the light inlet in accordance with the ambient light intensity. By disposing the protective mask with the color-changing material layer at the light inlet of the lens body, the present invention reduces the transmittance of the protective mask when the ambient light intensity is high, thereby reducing the amount of light entering the light inlet and preventing overexposure of the captured image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of image processing technology, and in particular to a lens, a camera and smart glasses. Background Art

[0002] Overexposure (overexposure) refers to the phenomenon that the brightness of the picture is too high and the photo appears white due to reasons such as excessive light intensity, too large aperture, and too slow shutter speed.

[0003] The current solution to overexposure is generally to edit the image later, but the effect is not ideal.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a processing solution that can prevent the captured image from being overexposed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a lens, a camera, and smart glasses to solve the problem of overexposure of images captured by the camera when the light intensity is high.

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention is achieved as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a lens, comprising: a lens body and a protective mask, wherein:

[0008] The protective shield is arranged at the light inlet of the lens body;

[0009] The protective mask includes a color-changing material layer, and the color-changing material layer is used to adjust the amount of light entering the light inlet according to the ambient light intensity.

[0010] Optionally, the color-changing material layer is provided on a surface of the protective mask body of the protective mask adjacent to the lens body.

[0011] Optionally, the color-changing material layer is provided on a surface of the protective mask body of the protective mask away from the lens body.

[0012] Optionally, the color-changing material layer is arranged inside the protective mask body of the protective mask.

[0013] Optionally, the color-changing material layer is made of any one of a photochromic material, a photopolarizing material, an electrochromic material and an electropolarizing material.

[0014] Optionally, the protective cover is any one of protective glass and protective goggles.

[0015] Optionally, the lens further comprises: a polarizing element;

[0016] The polarizing element is arranged at the light inlet of the lens body;

[0017] The polarizing element is used to absorb part of the ambient light entering the light inlet.

[0018] Optionally, the polarizing element is arranged between the protective mask and the lens body.

[0019] Optionally, the protective mask is arranged between the polarizing element and the lens body.

[0020] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a camera comprising the above-mentioned lens.

[0021] In a third aspect, the present invention provides a pair of smart glasses, wherein the lenses of the smart glasses are provided with the above-mentioned lens.

[0022] Optionally, the lens is mounted on a lens or a bracket of the smart glasses.

[0023] Optionally, a color-changing material layer is provided on the lens, and the color-changing material layer is used to adjust the amount of light entering the smart glasses according to the ambient light intensity.

[0024] The embodiments of the present invention adopt at least one of the above technical solutions to achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0025] By setting a protective mask with a color-changing material layer at the light inlet of the lens, the transmittance of the protective mask can be reduced when the ambient light intensity is high, thereby reducing the amount of light entering the light inlet and avoiding overexposure of the captured image. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0027] Figure 1a is a structural schematic diagram of a lens provided by the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 1b is a structural schematic diagram of a lens provided by a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 1c is a structural schematic diagram of a lens provided by a third embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a lens provided by a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3a is a structural schematic diagram of a lens provided by a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 3b is a structural schematic diagram of a lens provided by a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 4a The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of smart glasses provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 4b This is a schematic structural diagram of smart glasses provided by another embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Among them, Figures 1a-4b The following reference numerals are included:

[0036] Lens body - 1001, 1002, 1003, 2001, 3001, 3002; protective goggles - 1011, 1012, 1013; protective glass - 2011, 3011, 3012; color-changing material layer - 1021, 1022, 1023, 2021, 3021, 3022; polarizing element - 3031, 3032; camera / lens - 4021, 4022; smart glasses - 4011, 4012; color-changing material layer - 403. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of the present invention without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] The following describes in detail various embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0039] like Figure 1a FIG. 1 shows a lens provided by a first embodiment of the present invention, comprising a lens body 1001 and a protective mask 1011, wherein:

[0040] The protective shield 1011 is provided at the light inlet of the lens body 1001;

[0041] The protective mask 1011 includes a color-changing material layer 1021 , and the color-changing material layer 1021 is used to adjust the amount of light entering the light inlet according to the ambient light intensity.

[0042] Among them, the lens body 1001 refers to the optical component used by movie cameras and projectors to generate images; the protective mask 1011 is used to prevent the lens body 1001 from being damaged by external factors, or to prevent splashing objects from splashing onto the lens body 1001 and damaging it; the material of the color-changing material layer 1021 can be a type of material that can change color. When the ambient light intensity is high, the color of the color-changing material layer 1021 deepens, thereby reducing the transmittance; when the ambient light intensity is low, the color of the color-changing material layer 1021 becomes lighter, thereby increasing the transmittance; the ambient light intensity refers to the light intensity of the ambient light.

[0043] Furthermore, this embodiment defines the location of the color-changing material layer on the protective mask body of the protective mask, which can be specifically exemplified as follows:

[0044] Example 1: See Figure 1a The color-changing material layer 1021 is disposed on a surface of the protective mask body of the protective mask 1011 adjacent to the lens body 1001 .

[0045] Example 2: See Figure 1b The color-changing material layer 1022 is disposed on a surface of the protective mask body of the protective mask 1012 away from the lens body 1002 .

[0046] Example 3: See Figure 1c The color-changing material layer 1023 is disposed inside the protective mask body of the protective mask 1013 .

[0047] That is, the color-changing material can be deposited on the surface of the protective mask in the form of a coating, or can be present inside the protective mask. Based on this, the location of the color-changing material on the protective mask can be more flexible and diverse.

[0048] Furthermore, this embodiment limits the material of the color-changing material layer 1021; specifically, examples thereof include:

[0049] The material of the color-changing material layer is any one of a photochromic material, a photopolarizing material, an electrochromic material and an electropolarizing material.

[0050] It should be noted that the photochromic material may refer to a type of material that can change color after being excited by a light source. Photochromic materials can be divided into organic photochromic compounds and inorganic photochromic compounds. This substance will produce a series of reversible chemical reactions after light interaction. The products of these chemical reactions can absorb ambient light, so that when the ambient light is strong, it has a higher absorption rate for the ambient light, thereby reducing the transmittance of the ambient light. When the ambient light is weak, it has a lower absorption rate for the ambient light, thereby increasing the transmittance of the ambient light, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the amount of light entering the light inlet according to the ambient light intensity.

[0051] Photopolarizing materials are materials that, when stimulated by a light source, cause the polarization state of light to change. Once the light source is removed, the material returns to its pre-stimulation state. By manipulating the polarization state, the amount of light entering the light inlet can be adjusted. These materials are sensitive to light intensity. When ambient light is strong, the polarization changes significantly, resulting in low transmittance. When ambient light is weak, the transmittance is high, thus adjusting the amount of light entering the light inlet to suit the ambient light intensity.

[0052] The electrochromic material may refer to a type of material that can change color under the action of an external electric field, such as an electrolyte gel material. When the light intensity of the ambient light is detected, the system will send an electrical signal (current signal or voltage signal) corresponding to the light intensity of the ambient light to the electrochromic material. The electrochromic material adjusts the absorption rate of the ambient light based on the size of the electrical signal, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the amount of light entering the light inlet to adapt to the ambient light intensity.

[0053] The electro-polarizing material refers to a type of material that can cause the polarization state of light to change after being stimulated by an electrical signal. When the stimulation of the electrical signal is removed, the material can return to the state before the stimulation. By regulating the polarization state of the light, the amount of light entering the light inlet can be adjusted. This type of material is sensitive to the degree of stimulation of the electrical signal, such as the voltage value and the current value. When the ambient light is strong, the size of the electrical signal changes, the polarization changes significantly, and the transmittance to the ambient light is low; when the ambient light is weak, the transmittance to the ambient light is high, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the amount of light entering the light inlet according to the ambient light intensity. Furthermore, this embodiment also provides the types of protective masks, which can be specifically exemplified as follows:

[0054] Example 1: See Figures 1a to 1c The protective shield may be a protective goggles, and the protective goggles may be lenses made of resin material.

[0055] Example 2: See Figure 2The protective shield may also be a protective glass, and the protective glass may refer to a lens made of glass material.

[0056] Based on this, protective goggles or protective glass can be flexibly selected as the protective shield to protect the lens body.

[0057] In addition, to further improve the lens's ability to adjust the amount of light entering based on the ambient light intensity, see Figure 3a , the lens further includes: a polarizing element 3031;

[0058] The polarizing element 3031 is disposed at the light inlet of the lens body;

[0059] The polarization element 3031 is used to absorb part of the ambient light entering the light inlet.

[0060] Among them, the polarization element can be an element that can obtain polarized light from ambient light (natural light), and the polarization element can be a polarizer (abbreviated as polarizer), a wave plate or a polarization splitter, etc.; when the ambient light intensity is large, glare may be caused. Glare is generally incident light at a large angle and is polarized light. Assuming that the glare is polarized light in a first polarization state (i.e., polarized light in a first polarization direction), a polarization splitter that can reflect polarized light in the first polarization state and transmit polarized light in a second polarization state can be set at the light inlet to reflect the polarized light in the first polarization state, thereby reducing the amount of light entering the light inlet.

[0061] Based on this, when the ambient light intensity is high, on the one hand, the amount of light entering the lens light inlet can be reduced by a protective mask with color-changing material; on the other hand, a polarizing element can be used to absorb part of the ambient light, thereby reducing the amount of light entering the lens light inlet; thereby more reliably preventing the captured image from being overexposed.

[0062] Furthermore, this embodiment defines the positional relationship between the polarizing element, the protective mask, and the lens body; specifically, it can be exemplified as follows:

[0063] Example 1: The protective mask 3011 is disposed between the polarizing element 3031 and the lens body 3001 .

[0064] Among them, see Figure 3a The protective mask 3011 is a protective glass, and the color-changing material layer 3021 is arranged on the surface of the protective glass body of the protective glass 3011 adjacent to the lens body 3001; the protective glass 3011 is arranged between the polarizing element 3031 and the lens body 3001.

[0065] Example 2: The polarizing element 3032 is disposed between the protective mask 3012 and the lens body 3002 .

[0066] Among them, see Figure 3b The protective mask 3012 is a protective glass, and the color-changing material layer 3022 is arranged on the surface of the protective glass body of the protective glass 3012 adjacent to the lens body 3002; the polarizing element 3032 is arranged between the protective glass 3012 and the lens body 3002.

[0067] Based on this, the position settings of the polarizing element and the protective mask can be made more flexible and diverse.

[0068] Based on the above embodiment, by providing a protective mask with a color-changing material layer at the light inlet of the lens body, when the ambient light intensity is high, the material properties of the color-changing material layer, such as photochromism, photopolarization, electrochromism, or electropolarization, can be utilized to reduce the transmittance of the protective mask, thereby reducing the amount of light entering the light inlet and preventing overexposure of the image captured by the camera.

[0069] In another feasible embodiment, a camera is further provided, wherein the camera includes the lens in any of the above embodiments.

[0070] like Figure 4a As shown, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a pair of smart glasses 4011, wherein the lenses of the smart glasses are provided with a lens as described in any one of the above items or the camera as described above.

[0071] Smart glasses can be a general term for wearable eyewear devices that have an independent operating system, like smartphones, and can perform various functions through software installation. Smart glasses can also be augmented reality (AR) glasses or virtual reality (VR) glasses. These AR or VR glasses can be equipped with two cameras: a SLAM camera for simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) and an environment capture camera for capturing the natural environment. For ease of description, the following example uses a lens as an example.

[0072] Optionally, the lens is mounted on a lens or bracket of the smart glasses. Specifically:

[0073] Taking the former as an example, see Figure 4a or Figure 4bThe lens can be installed in a corner of the lens to avoid excessively affecting the user's field of view. For example, the lens can be installed on the bracket between the two lenses or on the temples of the smart glasses. The specific installation location depends on user needs and product requirements and is not limited here. In addition, to meet the needs of different users, the lens can be designed to be detachable, allowing the user to adjust the installation position of the lens on the smart glasses.

[0074] Optional, such as Figure 4b As shown, the lens is provided with a color-changing material layer 403, which is used to adjust the amount of light entering the smart glasses according to the ambient light intensity, or to adjust the light transmittance of the lens according to the ambient light intensity. Preferably, the color-changing material layer 403 can cover the entire lens.

[0075] Among them, the material of the color-changing material layer 403 can refer to a type of material that can change its transmittance. When the ambient light intensity is high, the transmittance of the color-changing material layer decreases; when the ambient light intensity is low, the transmittance of the lens of the color-changing material layer increases; the color-changing material layer 403 can be divided into a photochromic layer, a photopolarizing layer, an electrochromic layer and an electropolarizing layer according to the material.

[0076] Based on this, by setting a color-changing material layer on the lenses of smart glasses, when the ambient light intensity is high, the material properties of the color-changing material layer, such as photochromism, photopolarization, electrochromism, or electropolarization, can be used to reduce the transmittance of the protective mask, thereby reducing the amount of light entering the lenses, thereby preventing the problem of excessive brightness of the image observed by the human eye, causing eye fatigue or damage.

[0077] Optionally, a polarizing element is provided on the lens, and the polarizing element is used to absorb part of the ambient light entering the lens.

[0078] Based on this, when the ambient light intensity is high, on the one hand, the color-changing material layer can be used to reduce the amount of light entering the lens; on the other hand, the polarizing element can absorb part of the ambient light, thereby reducing the amount of light entering the lens; thereby more reliably preventing the problem of eye fatigue or damage caused by the excessive brightness of the picture observed by the human eye.

[0079] Furthermore, this embodiment defines the arrangement positions of the polarizing element and the color-changing material layer; specifically, the positions may be as follows:

[0080] Example 1: A polarizing element is disposed between the color-changing material layer and the lens.

[0081] Example 2: A color-changing material layer is disposed between the polarizing element and the lens.

[0082] Based on this, the position settings of the polarizing element and the color-changing material layer can be made more flexible and diverse.

[0083] Based on the above embodiments, by arranging any of the above-described lenses / cameras on the lenses of smart glasses for real-time positioning and mapping, or capturing the natural environment, it is possible to prevent overexposure in the captured image (i.e., the boundaries between the various components of the image are clear). This makes positioning and mapping more accurate, and the captured natural environment more realistic.

[0084] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

[0085] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by means of software plus the necessary general hardware platform, and of course can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better embodiment. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk), and includes a number of instructions for enabling a terminal (which can be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment of the present invention.

[0086] The embodiments of the present invention are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present invention, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention and the claims, all of which are protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A lens, characterized in that: The lens is mounted on the lens or bracket of the smart glasses, and the lens includes: a lens body and a protective shield, wherein: The protective shield is provided at the light inlet of the lens body, and is used to protect the lens body, which is an optical component used to capture images and generate images; The protective mask includes a color-changing material layer, the color-changing material layer is used to adjust the amount of light entering the light inlet according to the ambient light intensity, and the color-changing material layer is provided on the surface of the protective mask; The lens further comprises: a polarizing element; The polarizing element is arranged at the light inlet of the lens body; The polarizing element is used to absorb part of the ambient light entering the light inlet; The protective mask is a lens of the smart glasses, and the polarizing element is arranged on the lens.

2. The lens according to claim 1, wherein: The color-changing material layer is arranged on a surface of the protection mask body of the protection mask adjacent to the lens body.

3. The lens according to claim 1, wherein: The color-changing material layer is arranged on a surface of the protective mask body of the protective mask away from the lens body.

4. The lens according to claim 1, wherein: The material of the color-changing material layer is any one of a photochromic material, a photopolarizing material, an electrochromic material and an electropolarizing material.

5. The lens according to claim 1, wherein: The protective shield is any one of protective glass and protective goggles.

6. The lens according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The polarizing element is arranged between the protective mask and the lens body.

7. The lens according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The protective shield is arranged between the polarizing element and the lens body.

8. A camera, characterized in that: include: The lens according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A pair of smart glasses, characterized in that: The smart glasses are provided with the lens according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. The smart glasses according to claim 9, wherein: A color-changing material layer is provided on the lenses of the smart glasses, and the color-changing material layer is used to adjust the amount of light entering the smart glasses according to the ambient light intensity.

Images