Method and device for reducing actual glare and perceived glare

Abstract

To provide a method, a system, and a composition for reducing actual glare and perceived glare when an object is viewed through a partially transparent medium or from a partially transparent medium.SOLUTION: A device is provided through or from which an object is viewed. The device comprises a semi-transparent material, and an optical absorber disposed in the semi-transparent material and having greater absorption for optical wavelengths between approximately 380 nm and approximately 450 nm than for optical wavelengths between approximately 500 nm and 700 nm. A first ratio of the actual glare intensity and / or the perceived glare intensity to the primary image intensity, which is integrated over all visible wavelengths, for an object viewed in transmission through the device or reflection from the device, is less than a second ratio of the actual glare intensity and / or the perceived glare intensity to the primary image intensity for the object viewed in transmission through the device or reflection from the device when the optical absorber is not disposed in the semi-transparent material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 293,458, filed March 5, 2019, which issued as U.S. Patent No. 10,545,264, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 675,764, filed November 6, 2019. This application also claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 293,458, filed March 5, 2019, which issued as U.S. Patent No. 10,545,264, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This disclosure relates generally to reducing absolute glare and the glare perceived by an observer looking through a partially transparent device. [Background technology]

[0003] Optical glare is common when viewing objects through partially transparent media such as windows, eyeglass lenses, windshields, goggles, and video monitors. Glare reduces the ability to resolve details in the field of view and can be distracting or even incapacitating. With reference to Figure 1, the primary image is formed from a series of light rays that propagate through a partially transparent device, through the observer's pupil, and onto the retina. If the light rays hit the device at normal incidence, there is no refraction, but a portion of the incident light is reflected at each air / device interface according to Fresnel's equations. For example, if the device is made of glass (n glass Approximately 1.5) of the plate, n air If it is approximately 1.0, 4% is reflected from the first interface, 3.84% (=0.04 x 0.96) is reflected at the second interface, and 92.16% of the incident light rays are transmitted. The intensity of the light rays is reduced by almost 8%, but the trajectory of the light rays' propagation through the optical elements of the eye is unchanged, and therefore the image strikes the retina with the same spatial distribution as if the partially transparent device were not present. There is no glare.

[0004] This situation changes dramatically if the light is incident at any angle other than 90°. Referring to Figure 1, a light emitter (101) emits light rays (102) that strike a device (103) that has a different refractive index than the surrounding medium. Some of these rays (104) propagate towards a partially transparent medium (105). Other rays (106) are reflected towards an observer (107) who perceives the reflection of the object. Some rays (108) are refracted and propagate towards an observer (109) who sees a transmitted image.

[0005] An established method of reducing or eliminating reflected and transmitted glare images is to treat the surface of a partially transparent medium to reduce or eliminate reflection. A problem with these anti-reflective coatings is that their effectiveness varies with the angle of incidence, polarization, and wavelength of light. Another problem with anti-reflective coatings is that they are mechanically fragile or brittle, so that if they crack or peel off, they can no longer contribute to glare reduction. Yet another problem with these coatings is that they require expensive capital equipment for precisely controlled deposition of very thin films. Another problem with anti-reflective coatings is that deposition on large substrates such as automobile windshields or architectural glass is impractical. For these and other reasons, improved methods for reducing the intensity of glare images, whether transmitted or reflected, are desirable.

[0006] Another problem with the prior art is that it does not take into account the psychophysics of human perception. It is widely known that the perception of light intensity varies with wavelength and mean visual illuminance (described as photopic (light-field) sensitivity, scotopic (night-vision) sensitivity and mesopic (mesopic) sensitivity), but the perception of glare is different, as described, for example, in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics (Fekete et al., 2010, Vol. 30, pp. 182-187).

[0007] Yet another problem with the prior art is that the wide dynamic range and non-linearities of the human visual system are not explicitly or adequately incorporated into the design of glare reduction methods and devices. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present disclosure provides methods, systems, and compositions that reduce actual and perceived glare when objects are viewed through or from a partially transparent medium. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] Some embodiments relate to a device through or from which an object is viewed, the device comprising a translucent material and a light absorber disposed within the translucent material that exhibits greater absorption for light wavelengths between about 380 nm and about 450 nm than for light wavelengths between about 500 nm and 700 nm, wherein a first ratio of actual and / or perceived glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device, integrated over all visible wavelengths, is less than a second ratio of actual and / or perceived glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device if the light absorber is not disposed within the translucent material.

[0010] In certain embodiments, the transparency of the translucent material passes through the translucent material and terminates on a reflective opaque object or region adjacent to the translucent material that is partially reflective, partially opaque, or partially reflective and partially opaque.

[0011] Some embodiments relate to a method of manufacturing a device through or from which an object is viewed, the method comprising forming a translucent material containing a light absorber, wherein the light absorber disposed within the translucent material exhibits greater absorption for light wavelengths between about 380 nm and about 450 nm than for light wavelengths between about 500 nm and 700 nm, and a first ratio of actual and / or perceived glare intensity to primary image intensity of an object viewed through or reflected from the device, integrated over all visible wavelengths, is less than a second ratio of actual and / or perceived glare intensity to primary image intensity of an object viewed through or reflected from the device when the light absorber is not disposed within the translucent material.

[0012] In certain embodiments of the method, the transparency of the translucent material passes through the translucent material and terminates on a reflective opaque object or region adjacent to the translucent material, the reflective opaque object or region being partially reflective, partially opaque, or partially reflective and partially opaque.

[0013] The foregoing and other aspects, implementations, operation, functionality, features, and embodiments of the teachings of the present disclosure may be more fully understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a light emitter, an object, a partially transparent element, and an observer of a transmitted image and a reflected image. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates the production of reflected and transmitted glare images from a single incident light ray striking a flat slab of transparent material oriented at 63° from the normal. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a logic diagram for reduction of actual and perceived glare. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4 is a plot of the intensity of the primary glare ray (401) and the continuous glare ray (403) in transmission for the geometry shown in FIG. 2 (63° tilt, 410 nm and 510 nm). [Figure 4B] FIG. 4 is a plot of the intensity of the primary glare ray (402) and the continuous glare ray (404) in reflection for the geometry shown in FIG. 2 (63° tilt, 410 nm and 510 nm). [Figure 5A] FIG. 1 illustrates the wavelength dependence of internal transmittance of an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 5B] FIG. 3 shows the logarithm of the transmitted primary light intensity (501) and glare light intensity (503) at 550 nm without internal absorption for the geometry shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 5C] FIG. 5B shows the logarithm of the primary beam intensity (502) and the glare beam intensity (504) at 410 nm with 20% internal transmission per pass using an absorber with the transmission spectrum shown in FIG. 5A. [Figure 6A] FIG. 6 is a plot of the intensity of the primary ray (601) and the glare ray (603) reflected from the front surface without internal absorption at 550 nm. [Figure 6B] A plot of the intensity of the primary (602) and glare (604) rays reflected from the front surface with 20% transmission per pass at 410 nm. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows the wavelength-dependent refractive index of Schott BK7 glass (701) and polyvinyl butyral (702). [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows a light source (801), the primary transmitted light rays (802) and reflected light rays (803), and the light rays that produce transmitted glare (804) and reflected glare (805) in a laminated windshield. [Figure 9] 9 is an enlarged view of FIG. 8 showing glare ray (901) generated by Fresnel reflection at one or more boundaries between a glass layer and a polyvinyl butyral layer, and showing the first transmitted ray (P) and the first through eighth glare transmitted rays (G1 through G8). [Figure 10A] FIG. 10 shows the primary transmitted light intensity (1001) and glare intensity (1003) at 550 nm when the inner polyvinyl butyral layer has 100% internal light transmission at 550 nm. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10 shows the primary transmitted light intensity (1002) and glare intensity (1004) at 410 nm when the inner polyvinyl butyral layer has an internal light transmission of 20% at 410 nm. [Figure 11A] FIG. 11 shows the primary reflected light intensity (1101) and glare intensity (1103) at 550 nm when the inner polyvinyl butyral layer has 100% internal light transmission at 550 nm. [Figure 11B] FIG. 11 shows the primary reflected light intensity (1102) and glare intensity (1104) at 410 nm when the inner polyvinyl butyral layer has an internal light transmission of 20% at 410 nm. [Figure 12A] FIG. 12 shows the wavelength-dependent sensitivity of the human eye under photopic illuminance conditions viewed at a 2° image field (1201) and a 10° image field (1202) under scotopic field illuminance (1203). [Figure 12B] FIG. 12 shows human glare sensitivity offset by 5° vertically and 0° horizontally from central fixation (1204) and by 10° horizontally (1205) according to Fekete et al. [Figure 13] A diagram showing the wavelength-dependent ratio of glare to luminosity at two angles under photopic (1301, 1302) and scotopic (1303, 1304) field illuminance levels. [Figure 14] 1A-1D are cross-sectional and isometric views of an optical model of a spectacle lens and the orientation of the spectacle lens in front of a human eye. [Figure 15A] 15 is a graph of retinal primary ray intensity and glare intensity for green light (1501) and blue light (1504) for an ophthalmic lens having a refractive power of +0.00D. [Figure 15B] 15 is a graph of retinal primary ray intensity and glare intensity for green light (1502) and blue light (1505) for an ophthalmic lens having a refractive power of +1.00D. [Figure 15C]15 is a graph of retinal primary ray intensity and glare intensity for green light (1503) and blue light (1506) for an ophthalmic lens having a -1.00D refractive power. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a plot of the logarithm of the beam intensity of the primary beam intensity and the first six glare beams through BK7 at nine selected wavelengths (380 nm, 390 nm, 400 nm, 410 nm, 420 nm, 430 nm, 440 nm, 450 nm, and 550 nm). [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a plot of the internal transmission spectrum of glass with an exemplary organic dye added to the windshield. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 shows the transmitted primary and glare beam intensities under the same conditions as FIG. 16, using a glass with internal absorption as shown in FIG. 17. [Figure 19] FIG. 13 plots the attenuation of the transmitted primary and glare beams with and without the presence of an additional absorber. [Figure 20] This shows the same ratios as FIG. 19, except that the glare rays are seen as a reflection from the outside of the windshield, as shown by rays (106) and the observer (107) in FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 shows the actual total glare at a wavelength in the absence of an absorber (2101) and in the presence of an absorber (2102), as well as the perceived glare (2103). [Figure 22] FIG. 13 plots the intensity of the primary ray (P) and glare rays (G1-G6) for a laminated windshield at 55° from normal as a function of y-displacement from the position of the primary beam when no windshield is present (y=0). [Figure 23] This is a diagram showing an overlay of the primary (ray 0) intensity and 16 glare (rays 1 to 17) intensities at each of nine wavelengths (390 nm, 405 nm, 420 nm, 435 nm, 450 nm, 465 nm, 480 nm, 495 nm, and 510 nm). [Figure 24A]A series of internal transmission functions (2401) are plotted for ten linearly increasing concentrations (1 to 10) of a dye absorber. [Figure 24B] FIG. 2 shows luminous transmittance under photopic (2402) and scotopic (2403) viewing conditions. [Figure 25A] FIG. 24B shows the primary (P) and glare (G1-G16) intensities for a wavelength of 390 nm overlaid with zero concentration of dye (highest circle) and each of the 10 dye concentrations described in FIG. 24A. [Figure 25B] FIG. 24B shows the primary (P) and glare (G1-G16) intensities for a wavelength of 405 nm overlaid with zero concentration of dye (highest circle) and each of the 10 dye concentrations described in FIG. 24A. [Figure 25C] FIG. 24B shows the primary (P) and glare (G1-G16) intensities for a wavelength of 420 nm superimposed on zero concentration of dye (highest circle) and each of the 10 dye concentrations described in FIG. 24A. [Figure 25D] FIG. 24B shows the primary (P) and glare (G1-G16) intensities for a wavelength of 435 nm overlaid with zero concentration of dye (highest circle) and each of the 10 dye concentrations described in FIG. 24A. [Figure 26A] FIG. 24B shows the primary (P) and glare (G1-G16) intensities for a wavelength of 450 nm superimposed on zero concentration of dye (highest circle) and each of the 10 dye concentrations described in FIG. 24A. [Figure 26B] FIG. 24B shows the primary (P) and glare (G1-G16) intensities for a wavelength of 465 nm overlaid with zero concentration of dye (highest circle) and each of the 10 dye concentrations described in FIG. 24A. [Figure 26C] FIG. 24B shows the primary (P) and glare (G1-G16) intensities for a wavelength of 480 nm superimposed on zero concentration of dye (highest circle) and each of the 10 dye concentrations described in FIG. 24A. [Figure 26D]FIG. 24B shows the primary (P) and glare (G1-G16) intensities for a wavelength of 495 nm overlaid with zero concentration of dye (highest circle) and each of the 10 dye concentrations described in FIG. 24A. [Figure 27A] This is a plot of the normalized contribution of actual glare (2701) at each wavelength and pigment concentration. [Figure 27B] This is a plot of the normalized contribution of each wavelength and pigment concentration to perceived glare (2702). [Figure 27C] A diagram showing the reduction in actual glare (2704) and perceived glare (2705) integrated over wavelength. [Figure 28] FIG. 18 shows histograms of color shifts in L*a*b* space of the Munsell palette of 1269 color tiles for the primary image (solid black line) and the first glare image (solid grey dotted line) when viewed through the absorber whose transmission spectrum is shown in FIG. [Figure 29] FIG. 13 shows ray tracing and intensity of reflection from a mirror through a partially transparent layer, where the transmission spectrum is also shown. [Diagram 30] FIG. 13 shows a second example of glare reduction from an angled mirror at two wavelengths, one of which is partially transmitted. [Diagram 31] FIG. 31 shows the intensities of the primary beam (P) and the glare beams (G1-G14) from FIG. 30 with successively increasing dye concentrations in the partially transmitting layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Exemplary embodiments incorporate one or more materials that absorb one or more wavelengths of light into a fully or partially transparent medium to reduce actual and / or perceived glare when an object is viewed through the fully or partially transparent medium. The selection of these materials and their wavelength-dependent transmission characteristics may be based on one or a combination of the following characteristics: the wavelength and polarization of light illuminating the field of view, the reflectance spectrum of objects in the field of view, and the geometry and orientation of the transparent object through which at least one of the objects is viewed. Psychophysical or perceived glare may further incorporate the wavelength and angular sensitivity of the human visual system.

[0016] As used herein, the term "glare" refers to rays of light that are reflected one or more times in a partially transparent device.

[0017] As used herein, the term "real glare" refers to glare that is characterized by a path and intensity that is quantitatively independent of human visual psychophysical factors.

[0018] As used herein, the term "perceived glare" refers to glare that propagates through the observer's pupil and onto the retina at spatial coordinates different from those of the primary image, and specifically incorporates its ability to obstruct or obscure the viewing of the primary image as a function of wavelength and angular displacement.

[0019] Referring now to FIG. 2 as an example of a system for generating glare, each primary ray (201) is refracted at the front surface (202) and the back surface (203), resulting in a displacement of the primary image. However, a portion of the primary rays is reflected at each interface, and the trajectories of these reflected rays are substantially different from the trajectories of the primary rays. One of these rays (205) is reflected from the front surface (202) to generate the primary reflected image. Another of these rays (206) undergo a combination of reflection and refraction that propagates in a direction that is not parallel to the primary rays, which results in glare in the reflected image. Yet another set of these rays (204) undergo a combination of reflection and refraction, resulting in rays that are parallel to the primary rays and displaced from the primary rays, which generate transmitted glare. In the following, it will be described that the intensity and trajectories of the transmitted rays (201, 204) are recorded at the detector plane (207), while the intensity and trajectories of the reflected rays (205, 206) are measured at the detector plane (208). The magnitude of the glare image displacement depends on the object's angle of incidence, shape, and the geometric relationship of the front and back surfaces, as described in classical optics. When the front and back surfaces are parallel, the displacement of successive glare images increases monotonically with both the angle of incidence and the object thickness. These displacements are different when the surfaces are not parallel or when the object has internal refractive power, as seen in lenses, but in general, the spatial extent of the glare increases with the object thickness and the angle at which the primary image rays strike the object.

[0020] Solving Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism is accomplished by computational methods established in the art of optical physics. In some embodiments, the software program OpticStudio (Zemax, Inc., www.zemax.com) can be used to evaluate the trajectories and intensities of the primary and glare images. The solution of Maxwell's equations depends on the shape and refractive index profile of the partially transparent device through which the object is viewed, the wavelength and polarization of the incident light, and the geometrical relationships between the light emitter, the object, the partially transparent medium, and the observer. While an approach using Maxwell's equations may be used, in other embodiments, simplified or approximate ray propagation solutions may be used. For example, equations for Fresnel reflection and Snell refraction may be used along with equations describing the exponential decay of the intensity of a light beam passing through a lossy material. The present invention is not limited to explicitly solving Maxwell's equations in full vector form.

[0021] One example of a method for reducing actual and / or perceived glare can be understood with reference to FIG. 3. The first step in the design process is to characterize the light emitter (301), the reflectance functions of the elements in the field of view (302), and their geometric relationship to the observer (303). These factors generate a light source whose variation with wavelength (λ) and angle (θ) is designated as S(λ,θ) (304). The trajectories and intensities of these rays through a partially transparent object (306) are then calculated (307) by solving Maxwell's equations or approximate and / or simplified versions thereof for the propagation of electromagnetic radiation using standard ray tracing methods. These rays include a primary image (308) and a set of glare images (309), the comparison of which (310) defines the relative spatial and intensity contribution of the glare to the primary image. If the actual and / or perceived glare is greater than the desired target, an absorbing material, coating, or layer with known wavelength- and polarization-dependent absorption and refraction properties, either in total intensity or spatial distribution properties, is incorporated (311) into the partially transparent object (306). A logic loop, shown in solid lines, is then repeated to generate a new actual glare image (310) that is compared to the glare target. The loop is repeated (311) while varying the wavelength-dependent absorption properties of the absorber according to standard methods of numerical optimization, such that, in some implementations, the intensity of the glare can be minimized or the spatial distribution of the glare can be minimized or optimized for the change in absorber. In some implementations, the optimization may include reducing the actual and / or perceived glare intensity while reducing the intensity of the primary image (integrated over all visible wavelengths) by less than or equal to a target value. In some implementations, the target value for the reduction in the intensity of the primary image may be 5% to 15%, inclusive of these end values. For example, a 5% reduction in the intensity of the primary image means that 95% of the intensity of the primary image can pass through the semi-transparent object and be received by the observer. In some implementations, the target value for the reduction in the intensity of the primary image can be between 10% and 20%, inclusive of these end values.In some implementations, the target value for the reduction in the intensity of the primary image may be between 20% and 30%, inclusive of these end values. In some implementations, the target value for the reduction in the intensity of the primary image may be between 30% and 50%, inclusive of these end values. According to some embodiments, the target value for the spatial distribution or smear of the glare image is 5% or less of the image size. In some cases, the target value for the spatial distribution or smear of the glare image is 10% or less of the image size.

[0022] According to some embodiments, the optimization process described above may be repeated with various scene illuminants (301), field reflectance values ​​(302), and optical configurations (303). The optimization may be further performed according to additional constraints as may be imposed by the intended application, such as the constraints on primary image intensity shown in the example process. As additional examples of constraints, the rake angle of an automobile windshield may be constrained by the need to minimize aerodynamic drag, which indirectly constrains the available optical geometries (303), the selected illuminants (301) may be limited to indoor fluorescent lighting from a particular lamp, or the environment within an industrial facility may limit the value of field reflectance (302).

[0023] In another embodiment, optimization may also be performed for an opaque object with a partially transparent coating, as illustrated in FIG. 29. Light propagates along the z-axis and impinges on a partially transparent, 2.5 mm thick layer of polyvinyl butyral (2901) that sits on an opaque reflective substrate (2902). The light may be reflected off the front surface of the coating, or may be multiply reflected, before impinging on the detector plane (2903). The polyvinyl butyral (2901) has no internal absorption without the dye (2904) and has a transmittance that varies with dye concentration and wavelength, as illustrated in the transmission spectra (2905-2907).

[0024] The intensity of the reflected primary and glare signals at 550 nm (where there is no internal absorption (100% internal transmission)) are displayed in a logarithmic plot (2908). The same signal at 410 nm (where 75% of the light is absorbed) is plotted at (2907) as shown with the dye loading at (2907). The main difference in the case of purely reflected glare is that since the first ray reflects before propagating through the dyed material, the intensity of this reflection is the same at both wavelengths, as shown by the arrows (2909). Both the number and intensity of successive glare rays are attenuated. At the angle of the coated mirror in Figure 29, the first glare image at 550 nm is actually brighter than the primary reflected image, but is reduced by about a factor of 100 at 410 nm, and the second glare image is similarly reduced by about a factor of 10. 4 As a result of the absorbers dispersed in the partially transmitting layer of polyvinyl butyral, there are seven glare rays at 550 nm and only two at 410 nm.

[0025] The quantitative effect of a partially transmitting layer applied to an opaque object is calculated in the same manner as described above for actual glare. An example of the effect of the optical geometry as shown for the observer (107 in FIG. 1) of reflected glare can be seen with reference to FIG. 30, where the angle between the incident beam and the observer is increased from 60° to 126°. Light at 550 nm produces a primary reflected image with an intensity profile (3001) and 14 observable glare images (3002), while as a result of multi-pass absorption, only a primary image with reduced intensity (3004) and two glare images (3003) at 410 nm are detected. Plots of primary and glare image intensities for transparent (3101) and successively increasing dye concentrations (3102-3105) show the dramatic changes resulting from the incorporation of a partially transmitting coating into an opaque reflective object.

[0026] Thus, in certain embodiments, a device is disclosed through or from which an object is viewed, the device comprising a translucent material, the transparency passing through the translucent material and terminating on a reflective opaque object or region located adjacent to the translucent material. As used herein, the term "adjacent" can refer to layers or regions of material that are directly adjacent (i.e., in direct physical contact with) one another, or layers that may be separated by one or more intervening layers.

[0027] In certain embodiments, an opaque object or region of a material partially or totally reflects light incident on its surface. In certain embodiments, an opaque object or region of a material partially reflects light incident on its surface. In certain embodiments, an opaque object or region of a material reflects about 1%, about 5%, about 10%, about 15%, about 20%, about 25%, about 30%, about 35%, about 40%, about 45%, about 50%, about 55%, about 60%, about 65%, about 70%, about 75%, about 80%, about 85%, about 90%, about 95%, about 96%, about 97%, about 98%, or about 99% of the light incident on its surface. In certain embodiments, an opaque object or region of a material reflects approximately 1%-10%, 1%-20%, 1%-30%, 1%-40%, 1%-50%, 1%-60%, 1%-70%, 1%-80%, 1%-90%, or 1%-99% of the light incident on its surface. In certain embodiments, an opaque object or region of a material is totally reflective of the light incident on its surface. In certain embodiments, an opaque object or region of a material reflects greater than 99% of the light incident on its surface. In certain embodiments, an opaque object or region of a material reflects all of the light incident on its surface. In certain embodiments, an opaque object or region of a material reflects substantially all of the light incident on its surface.

[0028] In certain embodiments, the device further comprises a light absorber disposed within the translucent material that exhibits greater absorption for light wavelengths between about 380 nm and about 450 nm than for light wavelengths between about 500 nm and 700 nm, wherein a first ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of an object viewed through or reflected from the device, integrated over all visible wavelengths, is less than a second ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of an object viewed through or reflected from the device if the light absorber is not disposed within the translucent material.

[0029] Prior art methods of reducing reflected glare use matte finishes that scatter incident light rays outside the viewer's field of view (107). The method of the present invention is an improvement because even these scattered rays are attenuated by multi-pass absorption, eliminating or significantly reducing the problematic glare light.

[0030] Another aspect of the exemplary embodiment explicitly incorporates the wavelength and angle dependent sensitivities of the human visual system to optimize the ratio of the perceived image (312). Still referring to FIG. 3, the image source S(λ, θ) (304) determines the field illuminance (313), which indicates whether wavelength and angle dependent photopic, scotopic or mesopic sensitivity functions should be used for the primary and glare images. These sensitivities are applied to the corresponding primary and glare images (308 and 309) to generate the intensity and contrast values ​​(312) of the perceived image. If the perceived glare is greater than the target value (313), an absorber (311) is introduced as described above and the calculations shown by the dashed lines are repeated, varying the absorber properties such that the perceived glare (313) is minimized or optimized.

[0031] In some implementations, subtle constraints to the optimization process can be added optionally based on changes to the perceived color of the primary image (308). The color distribution of the primary image (308) and the glare image (309) can be calculated by standard methods such as CIE L*a*b* uniform color space calculations. The color difference between the primary image and the glare image is quantified by the shift in the L*a*b* coordinates of each pixel in the primary image compared to the glare image. This allows for an assessment of whether these shifts are visually perceptible by a human observer, and if so, can produce a useful contrast between the primary image and the glare image.

[0032] These and other aspects of the described embodiments can be understood by considering the non-limiting examples included below. One example relates to glare reduction on a vehicle windshield. For example, automobile windshields are typically inclined from the vertical to reduce aerodynamic drag on the vehicle, and the angle subtended by a high vertical windshield, for example on a tractor trailer, means that the angle subtended by the driver's field of view is also at an angle other than 90° degrees. An example of a passenger vehicle windshield geometry is shown in FIG. 2, where an eye-level ray strikes a windshield that is inclined at 63°. The image perceived by the observer consists of a collection of these rays that propagate through the windshield at slightly different angles and from there through the pupil onto the retina. Below, we trace the fate of one such ray of two light wavelengths, green (550 nm) and blue (410 nm).

[0033] Referring to Figure 2, randomly polarized incident light rays (201) strike the windshield and are refracted (202) and reflected (205) to form primary transmission and reflection images of the light source, respectively. Some of these rays are reflected and refracted at the interface between the air and the windshield to produce a series of transmitted glare images (204) and reflected glare images (206). The relative intensities of the primary transmission image (201) and the glare transmission image (204) are shown in Figure 4A and summarized in Table 1. Table 1: Intensity of the primary ray (401) and glare ray (403) corresponding to the transmission in FIG. 4A [Table 1]

[0034] The transmission of the primary image is virtually identical at green and blue wavelengths, but the transmitted glare is slightly greater at the blue wavelengths, as indicated by the ratio of blue to green intensity. This is because the refractive index of the Schott BK7 glass modeled in the calculations (Figure 7, 701) is slightly higher at 430 nm (1.528) than at 550 nm (1.518). Similar patterns are observed for the primary reflected image (205) and the glare reflected image (206) and are summarized in Table 2. Table 2: Intensity of the primary ray (402) and the glare ray (404) corresponding to the reflection in FIG. 4B [Table 2]

[0035] As will be described in more detail below, glare is perceived more sensitively at 410 nm than at 550 nm. One non-limiting example of a device, according to some embodiments, is a windshield with a uniform distribution of an absorbing material having the transmission spectrum (505) shown in Figure 5A. The effect of this additive on the blue glare signal is highly nonlinear, as can be seen in Figures 5B, 5C, 6A and 6B, and in Table 3 below, but has no effect on the green light. Table 3: Intensity of transmission and reflection by absorbers at 430 nm (Figure 5B, Figure 5C, Figure 6A, and Figure 6B). [Table 3]

[0036] As expected, the insertion of the absorber reduces the amount of blue light by 78% in the blue primary image and does not affect the primary reflected image since these rays never strike the absorbing material. The intensity of the green glare signal does not change. However, the blue glare is reduced in spatial extent from 21 mm to 12 mm in transmission (FIGS. 5B and 5C, 503 and 504) and from 62 mm to 24 mm in reflection (FIGS. 6A and 6B, 603 and 604). These displacements of the glare signal are well resolved by the angular resolution of the eye of 0.02°; for example, if the windshield is set 1 meter from the observer's pupil, each millimeter of displacement corresponds to an angular offset of about 0.06°, and thus the transmitted glare is reduced to 1 / 27 of the resolution limit of the eye. The intensity of the glare is also dramatically reduced, as can be seen in the blue / green ratios in Table 3. In this exemplary embodiment, the blue glare signal beyond the 4th plane is 1 / 10 of the primary signal. 10 and therefore is not perceptible based on the dynamic range of the human visual system. Image quality and resolution are degraded by real and / or perceived glare because, despite the lower intensity of glare, it reduces the intensity and color contrast that forms the basis of object recognition.

[0037] An important aspect of this embodiment is the selective absorption of light that contributes to the perception of glare while maintaining luminous transmittance (defined in the art as the ratio of transmitted light to incident light). The perception of glare depends in part on the product of a luminosity function selected based on the scene illuminant, the reflectance of objects in the field of view, and the overall scene illumination from bright (photopic), intermediate (mesopic), or dim (scotopic) light sources. These field luminance values ​​correspond approximately to daylight, twilight, and nighttime, respectively. More quantitatively, photopic luminosity is approximately 3 candelas per square meter (cd / m 2 ) is appropriate, and mesopic luminosity is approximately 3 cd / m 2 to about 0.01 cd / m 2 The scotopic sensitivity is approximately 0.01 cd / m 212A, the photopic sensitivity for a 2° visual field (1201), the photopic sensitivity for a 10° visual field (1202), and the scotopic sensitivity (1203) are quite different from the glare sensitivity at 5° vertical and 0° horizontal displacement (1204) or 5° vertical and 10° horizontal displacement (1205) from central fixation (FIG. 12B). According to some embodiments, the angle and wavelength dependence is quantified under photopic illumination by the following formula:

number

[0038] That is, the impact of the perceived image and its glare counterpart varies significantly with wavelength and angle of incidence. This variation is captured by comparing the sensitivity ratio to glare G(λ,θ) with the sensitivity ratio to visual field V(λ,θ). Figure 13 shows four exemplary sensitivity ratios. Under photopic conditions (>3cd / cm 2The ratio of glare images perceived within 5° of central fixation to primary images perceived within 2° of central fixation (1302) indicates that wavelengths below about 530 nm contribute more to glare than to visual perception. This effect is more pronounced for images at 10° from central fixation (1301), but less when viewing conditions are scotopic (1303, 1304). The wavelength and angle dependence of perceived glare under mesopic conditions follows the same logic, complicated by the interaction of three (or four) retinal cones, rods, and embedded photoreceptors, whose properties and mosaic on the retina underlie the wavelength and angle dependence of visual perception.

[0039] Absorbing media that capture all of the incident light obviously do not produce glare, but they also do not produce images; these media are opaque. One aspect of an embodiment of the present invention is that the absorbing materials, such as dyes, dopants, etc., are selected to disproportionately absorb wavelengths of light that are disproportionately perceived as glare.

[0040] In certain embodiments, the absorbing medium reduces the actual or perceived transmitted or reflected glare intensity to 1 / 10 of the intensity of the primary image. 10 In certain embodiments, the absorbing medium reduces the actual or perceived glare intensity transmitted or reflected to less than 1 / 10, 1 / 10, or 1 / 2 times that of the primary image. 2 , 1 / 10 3 , 1 / 10 4 , 1 / 10 5 , 1 / 10 6 , 1 / 10 7 , 1 / 10 8 , 1 / 10 9 , or 1 / 10 10 In certain embodiments, an absorbing medium that captures all of the incident light produces no transmitted glare.

[0041] As discussed above, opaque objects can produce actual reflective glare, and therefore materials that disproportionately absorb wavelengths of light that are disproportionately perceived as glare can be incorporated into partially transparent coatings that can be applied to the surfaces of opaque objects. That is, the methods of the present disclosure can be equally applied to reducing perceived reflective glare on at least partially transmissive and / or reflective opaque objects.

[0042] The glare sensitivity function G(λ,θ) and the visual perception sensitivity function V(λ,θ) vary with the angle of incidence at the eye, since different regions of the retina have different wavelength-dependent sensitivities. This effect is discussed in the literature on glare perception, for example by Bullough (Journal of Modern Optics, vol. 56(13), pp. 1518-1522 (2009) and Fekete et al. (Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics, vol. 26, pp. 313-317 (2006) and vol. 30, pp. 182-187 (2010)), and in the literature on glare perception, for example by G. Wyszecki and W.S. Tiles (Journal of Modern Optics, vol. 56(13), pp. 1518-1522 (2009)). Color Science: Concepts and Methods, Quantitative Data and Formulae (Wiley: NY, 1982), the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0043] An example of a design method for an embodiment of the present disclosure first considers the illumination and spectral reflectance or emission characteristics for a field of view S(λ,θ). These generate a primary image that is subsequently viewed through a partially transparent device. An example of a field of view may be a dark street with no street lights and an oncoming vehicle with LED headlights. In some cases, according to some embodiments, a single field of view scenario may be used, and the single scenario may be used to design to optimize absorber composition, concentration, and spectral absorption characteristics. In other embodiments, a statistical representation of the varying field of view may be used to optimize absorber composition, concentration, and spectral characteristics to improve visibility of the primary image against perceived glare. The statistical representation may consider additional different conditions, such as other types of headlights (incandescent, halogen lamps, etc.), the presence of street lights, turning the viewer's head to different angles to reduce glare, following vehicles visible in one or more rearview mirrors, etc.

[0044] In some cases, the ratio of visibility of the primary image to actual or perceived glare is maximized. For example, in a nighttime scenario, an automobile windshield in some implementations evaluates the perceived glare image profile and intensity from a scene illuminated by headlights and streetlights, and the primary image perceived by scotopic or mesopic vision. The spectral content of light-emitting diodes, high-intensity discharge lamps, sodium lamps, and quartz halogen lamps illuminating the nighttime scene is multiplied by the reflectance distribution of representative objects to obtain S(λ,θ), and then the relative contributions to vision and glare are calculated by integrating the product with the appropriate G(λ,θ) and V(λ,θ) to estimate the total energy contributed to perceived glare and image formation, respectively.

[0045] Another example of this embodiment compares the primary and glare images produced by daylight illumination in terms of photopic sensitivity. In mathematical terms, let G(λ,θ) and V(λ,θ) be the glare and emmetropic sensitivity functions, respectively, and let S(λ,θ) be the scene illuminant shaped by the entrance pupil and geometrically propagated to the retina. The ratio of perceived glare intensity to perceived image intensity for each scene is given by:

number

[0046] One aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure is that the introduction of an absorber modifies Equation 1 by introducing a wavelength-dependent transfer function T(λ, θ) into the numerator and denominator of the integrand.

number

[0047] A direct consequence of the exemplary embodiment is that the internal absorber reduces the amount of energy presented as actual and / or perceived glare more quickly than the amount of energy presented to the observer as the primary image. That is, the addition of an absorber reduces the ratio of glare intensity to image intensity, since the ratio T(λ,θ) is always less than or equal to 1:

number

[0048] The reduction of actual and / or perceived glare due to nonlinear absorption can be explained according to the logic shown in FIG. 3 in a non-limiting example based on the windshield geometry shown in FIG. 2. A horizontal ray is refracted and reflected from a slab of glass oriented at 63° from the vertical. Using optical modeling software such as Zemax Optic Studio® or CodeV®, Maxwell's equations for the propagation of horizontal rays of discrete wavelengths through this Schott BK7 glass slab are solved. FIG. 16 shows the common logarithm of the primary and glare rays at nine wavelengths with no internal absorption. The intensity of the primary and glare rays shows minimal variation with wavelength, as expected based on the optical dispersion of the glass (FIG. 7, 701) and the resulting shift in interface reflectance. The introduction of an absorbing composition such as an organic dye or metal dopant absorbs light from 380 nm to 450 nm, but the glass remains transparent beyond this wavelength, as shown in FIG. 17. Solving Maxwell's equations for this new case gives the logarithmic intensities of the primary and glare rays shown in Figure 18. As expected, the primary rays that pass through the glass once are attenuated at shorter wavelengths. This can also be seen in Table 4, where light with wavelengths shorter than 450 nm is attenuated in the same pattern as the internal transmission characteristics of the dye in Figure 17. However, the pattern of glare intensity is substantially different, with increasing attenuation as the refractive index of the glare beam increases from G1 to G6. This is also shown in Figure 19, where the reduction in intensity of the transmitted primary and glare beams is summarized. For example, the primary beam is attenuated by 41% by the absorber, while the glare rays G1 to G4 are reduced by 7%, 1.2%, 0.2%, and 0.035%, while G5 and G6 are reduced by 1 / 10 of the intensity of the primary beam. 10With reference to FIG. 20, a similar trend is seen for reflected glare, where the fraction of glare attenuated by the absorber increases with distance from the primary beam. Another way to view the reduction in actual and / or perceived glare is to recognize that intensity contrast is important for resolving objects in the presence of glare. FIG. 21 shows that the sum of the actual glare intensity divided by the primary beam intensity (2101) is substantially reduced by nonlinear absorption of the glare components, and that this ratio for perceived glare (2103) is further reduced. Table 4: Intensity ratios observed for light reflected from and transmitted through a windshield in the presence and absence of an absorber. [Table 4]

[0049] Similar calculations of light reflected from a windshield as geometrically shown in (FIGS. 1, 106, 107) further show nonlinear attenuation of the glare beam with the addition of absorbing elements in the windshield, as summarized in FIG. 20 and Table 4. These actual and / or perceived glare calculations can be repeated for a range of geometric, lighting, and viewing conditions associated with the use of transparent objects to minimize actual and / or perceived glare with respect to these constraints and auxiliary constraints such as thresholds for color shift, luminous transmittance, material properties, etc.

[0050] That is, actual and / or perceived glare is attenuated nonlinearly by the incorporation of absorbing media into a partially transparent object. The quantitative reduction in the intensity and spatial extent of actual and / or perceived glare varies with the illumination geometry, the field of view, and the orientation and shape of the transparent object.

[0051] When the primary image rays traverse the windshield, the absorption of selected wavelengths results in color shifts of objects in the field of view. These color shifts are quantified by shifts in the L*a*b* uniform color space representation defined by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE, http: / / www.cie.co.at). The visible color space has been empirically characterized, for example, using a collection of 1269 color tiles (whose reflectance spectra are known) from the Munsell © Color System (http: / / www.munsell.com). The L*a*b* coordinates of these color tiles in daylight (D65) in the presence and absence of the absorber of the exemplary embodiment are calculated. With reference to FIG. 28, histograms of these color shifts are shown for the primary image (solid black line with white fill) and the first glare image (dotted line with gray fill). The average color shift of the primary image is 3.1 JND (just noticeable difference) with a standard deviation of 0.94, while the first glare image shifts by 7.5+ / -2.3 JND. Glare reduction constrained by color distortion is an important aspect of this embodiment. The exemplary device and method of this embodiment seeks to reduce glare while keeping the average color distortion of the primary image below about 20 JND, preferably below 10 JND. In some implementations, the average color distortion of the primary image is 1 JND to 10 JND, and the average color distortion of the first glare image shifts at least 3 JND more than the shift of the average color distortion of the primary image. In some implementations, the average color distortion of the primary image is 1 JND to 5 JND, and the average color distortion of the first glare image shifts at least 3 JND more than the shift of the average color distortion of the primary image. While the Munsell color spectrum provides a convenient broad reference, other references appropriate for particular applications, such as airplane cockpits, LED traffic lights, museum lighting of artworks, etc., can be used to characterize color distortion. A second aspect of the exemplary embodiment selects a filter transmission profile to enhance color separation of the primary and glare images. In the example of FIG. 28, the color shift from the primary image to the first glare image is 4.4+ / -1.3 JND.According to some embodiments, a color shift between the primary and glare images of greater than about 4 JND, preferably greater than about 10 JND, calculated using a Munsell color tile may be preferred.

[0052] Another aspect of the exemplary embodiment is that the difference between the eye's sensitivity to glare G(λ,θ) and to emmetropic images V(λ,θ) results in disproportionately greater perceived glare reduction at wavelength and angle when their ratio G(λ,θ) / V(λ,θ) is greater than 1. This ratio G(λ,θ) / V(λ,θ) is a property of the human visual system and how it perceives light. The function S(λ,θ) is a property of the visual environment, including illuminants and reflective objects in the field of view, and the exemplary embodiment prescribes absorbing materials to control T(λ,θ), thereby reducing actual glare (Equation 3) and perceived glare (Equation 2).

[0053] Another embodiment selectively incorporates absorbers into dissimilar materials embedded in a transparent device. Further optical complications arise from refractive index variations within the laminate structure. A non-limiting example of this is a shatter-resistant automobile windshield having a thin layer of polyvinyl butyral sandwiched between two glass panes, shown diagrammatically in FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 7, the refractive indices of the polymer layer and the Schott BK7 glass layer and their dispersion (variation with wavelength) are different, meaning that reflection and refraction occur at their interfaces. There is a single transmitted (802) and reflected (803) primary image, but the glare rays are more numerous than would be obtained if the refractive index of the device were uniform. Referring to FIG. 9, the internally reflected and refracted rays (901) follow many paths through the device, with the transmitted primary ray (P) and the first 8 of the 16 glare rays (G1-G8) displayed. Figures 10A, 10B, 11A and 11B show the primary and glare ray intensity distributions for transmitted and reflected green light (not absorbed) and blue light (80% absorbed in one pass through the absorber-added polymer layer shown in Figure 5A). With further reference to Table 5, the spatial extent of transmitted glare is reduced from 21 mm (1003) to 9 mm (1004) and the spatial extent of reflected glare is reduced from 62 mm (1103) to 26 mm (1104). With further reference to Table 5, the intensity of reflected and transmitted blue glare is substantially and non-linearly reduced. Table 5: Reflection and transmission intensities for the laminate structures shown in Figures 8 and 9 [Table 5] Perceived glare

[0054] Starting from the actual glare reduction calculated in Example 1 above, the impact of glare on visual perception can be further quantified by incorporating human sensitivity to primary and glare rays as a function of wavelength and angle. Figure 13 shows the ratio of glare to luminosity under scotopic and photopic light levels for cones with 5° and 10° angular displacements, based on measurements by Bullough (J.Modern Optics, vol. 56(13), p. 1518 (2009). Making the ratio of light in the primary image prominent relative to the perceived glare means that this contrast is accentuated by a factor equal to the sensitivity ratio at each wavelength and angle. Examples of reduction in glare perceived under photopic illumination and 10° viewing angle are shown for each glare ray in Table 6, and for the ratio of glare beam intensity to primary beam intensity in Figure 21 (Figure 21, 2103). Table 6: Ratio of perceived intensity with and without absorbers in 10° visual field and photopic conditions [Table 6]

[0055] That is, the devices and methods described herein select an absorbing material dispersed within a partially transparent object that reduces the actual and perceived intensity of glare to a greater extent than it reduces the intensity of the primary image.Embodiments of the invention may be applied to situations in which light is viewed through a fully or partially transparent object, whether the absorbing material is uniformly or non-uniformly distributed within the object. 55° inclined laminate

[0056] A further example of the method described herein follows the logic outlined in Figure 3. Consider a scenario under daylight (D65) illumination (301) with a broadband field reflectance (302) that averages out to be gray, (i.e., dR / dλ is approximately 0). The optical geometry (303) is shown as a laminated windshield as shown in Figure 8, but oriented at 55° from the normal instead of 63°. The field illuminance (313) is photopic, and therefore G(λ,θ) and V(λ,θ) for the calculation of perceived glare are selected accordingly. A baseline ray tracing calculation (307) yields the results shown in Figure 22. Unpolarized light at 510 nm is 10 10 22, the primary ray (P) crosses the source at an offset of -7.5 mm as a result of refraction, and 16 glare beams appear above the primary beam for a total length of 22 mm. Five of these, G5, G9, G12, G15, and G16 (approximately -4 mm, +1 mm, +5 mm, +10 mm, and +14 mm), are the result of reflections from the air / glass interface only, while the remaining 11 glare rays also involve reflections from the interface between the glass and the polyvinyl butyral laminate layer. Figure 23 shows the calculated intensities for each of nine wavelengths from 390 nm to 510 nm in 15 nm increments. These values ​​overlap each other for all nine wavelengths in the primary ray (P) and the glare rays (G1 to G16) on the semi-logarithmic scale of Figure 23.

[0057] Having established the baseline glare intensity and spatial profile, we then calculate the actual glare when an absorbing dye is introduced into the polyvinyl butyral layer. The internal transmittance of the layer at 10 linearly increasing concentrations of commercially available Crystalyn™ DLS440A dye (2401) is shown in Figure 24A. The luminous transmittance under photopic (2402) and scotopic (2403) conditions as a function of dye concentration is shown in Figure 24B.

[0058] Ray tracing calculations at each wavelength and dye concentration yield intensity plots for the primary ray (ray 0) and 16 glare rays (rays 2-17). These are summarized in Figures 25A-D and 26A-D. The intensity of the primary rays gradually decreases with increasing dye concentration. However, the magnitude of the decrease is much greater for the glare rays than for the primary rays, as is evident from the larger range of intensity values ​​superimposed on these log plots. For example, at 420 nm, the primary ray (P) and rays G3 and G5 are decreased by a factor of 8, while rays G1, G3, and G5 are decreased by a factor of about 400, and the intensity of rays G9 and G12 is decreased by a factor of about 25,000.

[0059] Actual glare is also spatially suppressed, with rays further away from the primary beam passing through the absorbing layer multiple times. When there is little or no absorption, as in the 495 nm case in Figure 26D, the circles overlap one another, i.e., the ray intensity does not depend on dye concentration. From 390 nm to 465 nm, where absorption occurs, most glare ray intensity is attenuated much more rapidly with dye concentration than the primary beam.

[0060] The above description shows how glare is reduced nonlinearly by pigments added to the interior of a partially transparent windshield, whether uniformly or as an internal layer. Additional constraints on the performance of the windshield, such as a photopic luminous transmittance greater than 90% measured at normal incidence, may also be incorporated into the methods of the present disclosure. This transmittance as a function of pigment concentration is shown in FIG. 24A (2402), and embodiments of the present disclosure prescribe DLS440A pigments at a concentration of 3 units for optimal glare reduction, subject to this auxiliary constraint. A pigment concentration of 1 unit produces the top trace of FIG. 24A. The tradeoff between glare reduction and luminous transmittance reduction is quantitatively revealed according to exemplary embodiments. This procedure can be repeated using pure or mixed absorbers and concentrations to quantitatively compare between options for reducing glare using absorbing materials.

[0061] Optimization based on perceived glare rather than actual glare proceeds through the same sequence of steps outlined above, except that angle- and wavelength-dependent luminosity and glare sensitivity are used to weight the relationship between primary intensity and glare intensity. Referring to FIG. 3, for this 55° windshield example, we define the field illuminance as photopic (313) and use the corresponding luminosity and glare sensitivity shown in FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B for comparison (312). FIG. 27A and FIG. 27B show the wavelength-dependent reduction in glare intensity as a function of dye concentration for actual glare (2701) and perceived glare (2702) calculated according to the method of the present disclosure. Integrating and normalizing the wavelength-dependent intensity at each dye concentration shows the reduction in actual glare (2704) and perceived glare (2705) with increasing dye concentration. Due to the reduced sensitivity to glare at the shortest wavelengths, the perceived glare value without the pigment is less than the actual glare, but decreases more slowly with increasing pigment concentration: the marginal benefit of tripling the pigment concentration is that the perceived glare (about 10%) is about half as intense as the actual glare (about 20%).

[0062] Some embodiments relate to the reduction of glare in architectural glass. The basic photophysics of multi-pass absorption by dispersed or stacked pigments is the same as in the previous embodiment, so the primary and glare images in transmission and reflection are calculated, respectively, and compared with and without absorption at wavelengths where the glare is perceived to be stronger than the corresponding images. One aspect of glare in architectural glass is the reduction of image contrast due to glare from bright sources such as transmitted sunlight or reflected indoor lights. Nonlinear absorption by the glare rays results in different color shifts for the primary and glare rays. Thus, the selection of absorbers can be made such that the perceived color of the glare rays is shifted from the color of the primary light source. For example, a notch filter that blocks 35% of the primary light from 545 nanometers to 555 nanometers shifts normal daylight white by 4.5 "just noticeable difference" in the standard L*a*b* color space. The first glare ray passes through the same thickness three times, resulting in an attenuation of 53% at these wavelengths, so that the white point is now shifted by a minimally noticeable difference of 9.4. The color coordinates for this example are outlined in Table 7. In architectural glass, this affects both the color of the object perceived through the glass and the color of the light that passes through the glass to illuminate the interior space. By applying standard colorimetric tools, absorbers can be selected that systematically shift the hue, saturation, and intensity of the glare rays from that of the primary image, resulting in a psychophysical visual stimulus that is not part of the primary image.

[0063] The same method of quantitative optimization for glare with constraints on color shift can also be applied to specular glare by application of a partially transparent layer. Table 7: Chromatic coordinate shifts of D65 light in glare viewed in transmission and reflection [Table 7]

[0064] Some embodiments relate to reducing glare perceived in ophthalmic lenses, sun lenses, or goggles. With reference to FIG. 14, the optical configuration of the human eye is shown in a cross-sectional oblique view (1401) and an isometric perspective view (1402). A spectacle lens (1403) with a base curve of 8 diopters is oriented with a vertex distance of 12 mm and a pantoscopic tilt of 10° (typical values ​​for ophthalmic lenses). A representative light ray (1404) impinges on the lens (1403) parallel to the z-axis and offset from the center of the lens by 0.5 mm, passing through the cornea (1405), aqueous humor, pupil (1406), intraocular lens (1407), vitreous humor, and from there impinges on the retina (1408). The lens (1403) is constructed of a material that is transparent at 550 nm, and according to some embodiments, an absorber is added to produce 63% transmission (37% absorption) at 430 nm. Figures 15A-15C show the intensity of the primary and first glare images on the retina for green light (1501, 1502, 1503) and blue light (1504, 1505, 1506) for lenses with correction powers of 0.00D, +1.00D, and -1.00D, respectively. Although the spatial location of the glare images shifts as a result of the corrective lens, the disproportionate reduction of glare light at 430 nm is evident from the figures and quantified in Table 8, where the ratio of actual glare photons to image photons is 44%, 45%, and 33% smaller for the 430 nm wavelength with the absorber material incorporated. Referring to FIG. 13, the ratio of G(430 nm / V(430 nm) is 9, so the absorbing material reduces the perceived glare at 430 nm by a factor of 20 for the +0.00D and +1.00D glasses, and by a factor of 27 for the −1.00D lens. Table 8: Retinal intensities of the primary and first glare images for three spectacle lenses with a base curve of 8D, a vertex distance of 12 mm, and an anterior tilt angle of 10°. [Table 8]

[0065] The function V(λ, θ) in Equation 1 and Equation 2 is the field illuminance, calculated for the field of view blocked by the pupil according to established methods of physical optics.

number

[0066] An exemplary device incorporates an absorbing material or layer in a partially transparent device to reduce the ratio of the intensity of the perceived glare to the intensity of the perceived primary image. The primary image may be viewed through or reflected from the object. This is accomplished by selecting an absorbing material or layer that preferentially and nonlinearly extinguishes wavelengths of light that are perceived more strongly as glare than as a primary image.

[0067] In the visual field, there are light beams with images that are resolved by contrasts in angle, wavelength, and intensity constrained by the geometric optics of the pupil and the eye. Objects in the visual field are perceived both statically and dynamically based on this contrast. Viewing objects through windows, lenses, and other transparent media produces spatially shifted and generally geometrically distorted glare images if the media is not optically flat. As a result, glare reduces image contrast and reduces visual acuity.

[0068] Some examples and calculations presented above concern optical elements of low complexity. Those skilled in the art of physical optics will understand that curvature, thickness or refractive index gradients, textures that generate scattering, and polarization elements will affect the details of the methods described herein without changing the qualitative and quantitative improvements resulting therefrom.

[0069] The present disclosure provides systems and methods for reducing glare perceived by a person viewing a scene through a partially or fully transparent device, where the reduction in glare is achieved in both images transmitted through the device and in images formed by light reflected from the device back to the person at an angular orientation consistent with the location of the light source, the orientation of the transparent device, and Snell's Law.

[0070] Various configurations of partially or fully transparent devices that reduce actual and / or perceived glare may be implemented in accordance with the above-described aspects and features. Some example configurations are listed below. (1) A device through or from which an object is viewed, comprising a translucent material and a light absorber disposed within the translucent material that exhibits greater absorption for wavelengths of light between about 380 nm and about 450 nm than for wavelengths of light between about 500 nm and 700 nm, wherein a first ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device, integrated over all visible wavelengths, is less than a second ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device if the light absorber were not disposed within the translucent material. (2) The device of configuration (1), wherein for a ray of light traveling from the object to the point at which the object is viewed, the angle of incidence, measured from a normal to the front surface of the translucent material, is between 0° and 75°. (3) The device of (1) or (2), wherein the translucent material comprises glass. (4) The device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the absorber includes an organic dye. (5) The device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the absorber includes a metal dopant. (6) The device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the absorber is distributed non-uniformly in the translucent material. (7) A device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein at least 85% of the primary image intensity is transmitted through the semitransparent material and the light absorber at normal incidence. (8) A device described in any one of configurations (1) to (7), wherein a first hue or first saturation of the glare image viewed through or from the device is shifted compared to a corresponding second hue or second saturation of the primary image viewed through or from the device. (9) A device described in any one of configurations (1) to (8), wherein the average color distortion of the primary image, as measured by a mean shift in the L*a*b* uniform color space coordinates of 1269 Munsell color tiles in daylight illumination, is between 1 JND and 10 JND. (10) The device of configuration (9), wherein the average color distortion of the first glare image, as measured by a mean shift in the L*a*b* uniform color space coordinates of 1269 Munsell color tiles in daylight illumination, shifts at least 3 JND more than the shift in the average color distortion of the primary image. (11) The device of any one of (1) to (10), wherein the translucent material comprises a polymer. (12) The device of any one of (1) to (10), wherein the translucent material comprises a polymer laminated between layers of glass. (13) The device according to (11) or (12), wherein the polymer is polyvinyl butyral. (14) The device of any one of (1) to (13), wherein the translucent material is formed as a windshield for a vehicle. (15) The device of any one of (1) to (13), wherein the translucent material is formed as a window for an electric vehicle or a residential home. (16) The device of any one of (1) to (13), wherein the translucent material is formed as a lens for eyeglasses or goggles. (17) The device of any one of (1) to (13), wherein the translucent material is formed as a lens for a camera. (18) The device of any one of (1) to (13), wherein the translucent material is formed as a lens for a microscope or telescope.

[0071] Various processes can be implemented to fabricate translucent devices that reduce actual and / or perceived glare. Exemplary processes are listed below. (19) A method of manufacturing a device through or from which an object is viewed, the method comprising forming a translucent material containing a light absorber, wherein the light absorber disposed within the translucent material exhibits greater absorption for light wavelengths between about 380 nm and about 450 nm than for light wavelengths between about 500 nm and 700 nm, and a first ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device, integrated over all visible wavelengths, is less than a second ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device if the light absorber was not disposed within the translucent material. (20) The method of (19), wherein the step of forming the translucent material includes dispersing a pigment in the translucent material as the translucent material is formed. (21) The method of (19), wherein the step of forming the semitransparent material includes dispersing a metal dopant in the semitransparent material as the semitransparent material is formed. (22) The method according to any one of (19) to (21), further comprising forming the translucent material into a windshield for a vehicle. (23) The method according to any one of (19) to (21), further comprising forming the translucent material into a window for a residential home. (24) The method according to any one of (19) to (23), further comprising laminating a polymer layer to the glass layer. (25) The method according to any one of (19) to (21), further comprising forming the translucent material into a lens for eyeglasses or goggles. (26) The method according to any one of (19) to (21), further comprising forming the translucent material into a lens for a camera. (27) The method according to any one of (19) to (21), further comprising forming the translucent material into a lens for a microscope or telescope. (28) The method according to any one of (19) to (23) or (25) to (27), wherein the translucent material includes glass. (29) The method according to any one of (19) to (23) or (25) to (27), wherein the translucent material comprises a polymer. (30) The method according to any one of (19) to (23) or (25) to (27), further comprising a step of dispersing the absorber non-uniformly in the translucent material.

[0072] Further embodiments of the disclosed devices and methods for making the devices are described below. (1) A device through or from which an object is viewed, the device comprising: a translucent material; a reflective opaque object or region adjacent the translucent material; and a light absorber disposed within the translucent material that exhibits greater absorption for wavelengths of light between about 380 nm and about 450 nm than for wavelengths of light between about 500 nm and 700 nm, wherein a first ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device, integrated over all visible wavelengths, is less than a second ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device if the light absorber were not disposed within the translucent material. (2) The device described in (1), wherein objects viewed from the device are viewed in reflection. (3) A device as described in (1) or (2), wherein the transparency of the translucent material passes through the translucent material and terminates on a reflective opaque object or area. (4) The device of any one of (1) to (3), wherein the reflective opaque object or region is partially reflective or partially opaque. (5) A device described in any of (1) to (4), wherein the angle of incidence, measured from a normal to the front surface of the translucent material, for a light ray traveling from the object to the point at which the object is viewed is between 0° and 75°. (6) The device according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the translucent material comprises glass. (7) The device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the absorber comprises an organic dye. (8) The device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the absorber comprises a metal dopant. (9) The device described in any one of (1) to (8), wherein the absorber is distributed non-uniformly in the translucent material. (10) The device according to any one of (1) to (9), wherein at least 85% of the primary image intensity is transmitted through the semitransparent material and the light absorber at normal incidence. (11) A device described in any of (1) to (10), wherein a first hue or first saturation of a glare image viewed through or from the device is shifted compared to a corresponding second hue or second saturation of a primary image viewed through or from the device. (12) A device described in any of (1) to (11), wherein the average color distortion of the primary image, as measured by a mean shift in the L*a*b* uniform color space coordinates of 1269 Munsell color tiles in daylight illumination, is between 1 JND and 10 JND. (13) The device of (12), wherein the average color distortion of the first glare image, as measured by the average shift in the L*a*b* uniform color space coordinates of 1269 Munsell color tiles in daylight illumination, shifts at least 3 JND more than the shift in the average color distortion of the primary image. (14) The device according to any one of (1) to (13), wherein the translucent material comprises a polymer. (15) The device of any one of (1) to (14), wherein the translucent material comprises a polymer laminated between layers of glass. (16) The device according to (14) or (15), wherein the polymer is polyvinyl butyral. (17) The device according to any one of (1) to (16), wherein the translucent material is formed as a windshield for a vehicle. (18) The device according to any one of (1) to (16), wherein the translucent material is formed as a window for an electric vehicle or a house. (19) The device according to any one of (1) to (16), wherein the translucent material is formed as a lens for eyeglasses or goggles. (20) The device according to any one of (1) to (16), wherein the translucent material is formed as a lens for a camera. (21) The device according to any one of (1) to (16), wherein the translucent material is formed as a lens for a microscope or telescope. (22) A method of manufacturing a device through or from which an object is viewed, the method comprising the steps of forming a translucent material adjacent a reflective opaque object or region and including a light absorber in the translucent material, wherein the light absorber disposed within the translucent material exhibits greater absorption for light wavelengths between about 380 nm and about 450 nm than for light wavelengths between about 500 nm and 700 nm, and a first ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device, integrated over all visible wavelengths, is less than a second ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device if the light absorber was not disposed within the translucent material. (23) The method according to (22), wherein the object viewed from the device is viewed in reflection. (24) The method of (22) or (23), wherein the transparency of the translucent material passes through the translucent material and terminates on a reflective opaque object or area. (25) The method according to any one of (22) to (24), wherein the reflective opaque object or area is partially reflective or partially opaque. (26) A method according to any one of (22) to (25), wherein the step of forming the translucent material includes dispersing a pigment in the translucent material when the translucent material is formed. (27) The method according to any one of (22) to (26), wherein the step of forming the semitransparent material includes dispersing a metal dopant in the semitransparent material during formation of the semitransparent material. (28) The method according to any one of (22) to (27), further comprising forming the translucent material into a windshield for a vehicle. (29) The method according to any one of (22) to (28), further comprising forming the translucent material into a window for a residence. (30) The method according to any one of (22) to (29), further comprising laminating a polymer layer to the glass layer. (31) The method according to any one of (22) to (27), further comprising forming the translucent material into a lens for eyeglasses or goggles. (32) The method according to any one of (22) to (27), further comprising forming the translucent material into a lens for a camera. (33) The method according to any one of (22) to (27), further comprising forming the translucent material into a lens for a microscope or telescope. (34) The method according to any one of (22) to (33), wherein the translucent material includes glass. (35) The method according to any one of (22) to (33), wherein the translucent material comprises a polymer. (36) The method according to any one of (22) to (33), further comprising a step of dispersing the absorber non-uniformly in the translucent material.

[0073] Although some exemplary embodiments have been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is intended to encompass various modifications and equivalent arrangements that fall within the spirit and scope of the claims. Modifications and variations can be made without departing from the novel aspects of the invention as defined in the claims. The scope of the appended claims should be interpreted broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

[0074] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art. In case of conflict, the present document, including definitions, shall prevail. Preferred methods and materials are described below, but methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The materials, methods, and examples disclosed herein are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting. The term "minimize" or "minimized" means that one or more parameters are modified or changed to reduce a dependent variable to within 15% of a target value. In some cases, the target value may be the absolute minimum value obtained by the dependent variable.

[0075] The term "maximize" or "maximized" means that one or more parameters are altered or are altered to increase a dependent variable to within 15% of a target value. In some cases, the target value may be the absolute maximum value attained by the dependent variable.

[0076] The term "optimize" or "optimized" means that one or more parameters are changed or have been changed to change a dependent variable to within 15% of a target value.

[0077] The terms "comprise(s)," "include(s)," "having," "has," "can," "contain(s)," and variations thereof, as used herein, are intended to be open-ended transitional phrases, terms, or words that do not exclude additional operations or structures. The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The present disclosure further contemplates other embodiments that "comprising," "consisting of," and "consisting essentially of" the embodiments or elements presented within this specification, whether or not expressly described.

[0078] The conjunction "or" includes any and all combinations of one or more listed elements associated by the conjunction. For example, the phrase "an apparatus comprising A or B" may refer to an apparatus that includes A without B, an apparatus that includes B without A, or an apparatus in which both A and B are present. The phrases "at least one of A, B, . . ., and N" or "at least one of A, B, . . ., and N, or combinations thereof" are defined in the broadest sense to mean one or more elements selected from the group that includes A, B, . . ., and N, i.e., any combination of one or more elements of element A, element B, . . ., or element N includes any one element alone or in combination with one or more of the other elements, which may also include additional elements not listed in the combination.

[0079] As used herein, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc. do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another.

[0080] The term "substantially," as used herein, represents the inherent degree of uncertainty that may result from any quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or other representation. The term "substantially" is also utilized herein to represent the degree to which a quantitative representation may vary from the stated standard without resulting in a change in the basic functionality of the subject matter at issue.

Claims

1. A device through or from which an object is viewed, A semi-transparent material and a light absorber are provided, the light absorber is disposed within the translucent material, and the light absorber exhibits greater absorption for light wavelengths between about 380 nm and about 450 nm than for light wavelengths between about 500 nm and 700 nm; a primary image incident on the semi-transparent material at a non-zero angle resulting in a plurality of glare rays that are spatially offset with respect to one another; The light absorber is configured for each of the plurality of glare rays as follows: a first ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device, integrated over all visible wavelengths, is less than a second ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device if the light absorber was not disposed within the translucent material; A device comprising:

2. The translucent material may be: Windshields for vehicles; Windows for motorized vehicles or residential buildings; Lenses for spectacles or goggles; A lens for a camera; or Lenses for a microscope or telescope, The device of claim 1 , wherein the device is shaped as a

3. The device of claim 1 , further comprising an object or region adjacent to the translucent material, the object or region having both reflective and opaque properties.

4. the object viewed from the device is viewed in reflection; the translucent material is configured to have transparency in an area passing through the translucent material, the transparency terminating at the reflective and opaque object or area; The reflective and opaque object or region is partially reflective or partially opaque.

4. The device according to claim 3 , characterized in that

5. the angle of incidence, measured from a normal to the front surface of the translucent material, for a ray of light traveling from the object to the point at which the object is viewed is between 0° and 75°; A device according to claim 1 or 3.

6. The device of claim 1 , 3 or 5 , wherein the translucent material comprises glass.

7. the light absorber comprises an organic dye or a metal dopant; Optionally, the light absorber is non-uniformly distributed in the translucent material.

7. The device of claim 1, 3, 5 or 6.

8. at least 85% of the primary image intensity is transmitted through the semitransparent material and the light absorber at normal incidence; a first hue or first saturation of a glare image viewed through or from the device is shifted compared to a corresponding second hue or second saturation of a primary image viewed through or from the device; or The average color distortion of the primary image, measured by the mean shift in the L*a*b* uniform color space coordinates of the 1269 Munsell color tiles in daylight illumination, is between 1 JND and 10 JND. It has the following characteristics: Optionally, the average color distortion of the first glare image, as measured by a mean shift in L*a*b* uniform color space coordinates of 1269 Munsell color tiles in daylight illumination, shifts at least 3 JND more than the shift of the average color distortion of the primary image; the translucent material comprises a polymer; or the translucent material comprises a polymer laminated between layers of glass; It has the following characteristics: Optionally, the polymer is polyvinyl butyral. A device according to any one of claims 1, 3, 5 to 7.

9. 1. A method of manufacturing a device through or from which an object is viewed, the method comprising: forming a translucent material containing a light absorber; or forming a translucent material adjacent to a reflective and opaque object or region, the translucent material including a light absorber; Inclusive of the device produces a plurality of glare rays that are spatially offset with respect to one another due to a primary image incident on the semi-transparent material at a non-zero angle; the light absorber disposed within the translucent material exhibits greater absorption for light wavelengths between about 380 nm and about 450 nm than for light wavelengths between about 500 nm and 700 nm; The light absorber is configured for each of the plurality of glare rays as follows: a first ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device, integrated over all visible wavelengths, is less than a second ratio of actual glare intensity to primary image intensity of the object viewed through or reflected from the device if the light absorber were not disposed within the translucent material; Manufacturing method.

10. The method includes forming a translucent material containing a light absorber; and The method of claim 9 , wherein the translucent material comprises glass or a polymer.

11. The method includes forming a translucent material adjacent to a reflective and opaque object or region, the translucent material including a light absorber; and the translucent material is configured to have transparency in an area passing through the translucent material, the transparency terminating at the reflective and opaque object or area; The reflective and opaque object or region is partially reflective or partially opaque. The method of claim 9.

12. The step of forming the translucent material includes: dispersing a pigment in the translucent material during formation of the translucent material; or dispersing a metal dopant in the semitransparent material during formation of the semitransparent material; The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, comprising:

13. The translucent material As a windshield for vehicles, As a residential window, As lenses for glasses or goggles, As a lens for a camera, or As a lens for a microscope or telescope further comprising the step of molding. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12.

14. The method includes forming a translucent material adjacent to a reflective and opaque object or region, the translucent material including a light absorber; and The translucent material forming the window into a window for an electric vehicle; The method according to claim 9 or 11.

15. laminating a polymer layer to a glass layer; or dispersing the light absorber non-uniformly in the translucent material; The method according to any one of claims 9 to 14, further comprising:

Images