Active Shielding Against Intense Illumination Using LCD Shutter Arrays
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mechanical sun visors and tinted glasses reduce visibility and cause discomfort and safety risks due to incomplete light shielding, while large LCD panels for sun shading are cumbersome and impractical for dynamic environments.
Innovation Solution
A system using digital cameras to detect and track intense light sources, controlling an LCD shutter screen embedded in sunglasses or windshields to provide localized active shades with adjustable background attenuation, ensuring comfortable viewing without visual saturation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional mechanical sun visors are used, then they block direct sunlight, but they block a large portion of the field of view and do not provide complete light shielding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the shading function into localized segments using an array of independently controllable LCD shutters positioned at different locations. Each shutter controls light blocking for a specific region of the field of view, allowing selective shading only where intense light sources are present rather than blocking the entire view area.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different light attenuation properties to different regions of the field of view. The LCD shutter array creates localized shades with high attenuation only in regions where intense light sources are detected, while other regions maintain normal transparency for unobstructed viewing.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If tinted glasses are used, then they reduce eye saturation when looking at the sun, but they reduce the visibility of the overall scene
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the attenuation level of each LCD shutter based on real-time detection of intense light sources. The shutters only activate and increase attenuation when and where needed, rather than maintaining a constant tinted state, thus preserving overall scene visibility while protecting against eye saturation from intense light.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of applying uniform tinting across the entire viewing area, the system applies partial action by activating only the specific LCD shutters that correspond to regions with intense light sources. This selective activation provides sufficient protection against eye saturation without unnecessarily reducing visibility in other regions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If large LCD panels are used for sun shading, then they provide comprehensive light blocking, but they are cumbersome and impractical for dynamic environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the large LCD panel into a grid of smaller, independently controllable shutter elements. This segmentation allows the system to achieve comprehensive light blocking coverage when needed by activating multiple shutters, while maintaining practicality by only activating the minimal number of shutters required for any given situation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically controls each LCD shutter element based on the position and intensity of detected light sources. This dynamic control allows the system to adapt to changing environmental conditions in real-time, providing comprehensive blocking when necessary while maintaining simplicity and practicality during normal viewing conditions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively shields intense light sources, maintaining visual acuity and sensitivity by generating precise, localized shades that adapt to dynamic environments, reducing discomfort and safety risks while preserving visibility.
Implementation Method 1
LCD shutter screen imbedded in sunglasses or windshields for casting localized active shades
Implementation Method 2
LCD screen provides light intensity modulation via electrically-controlled high-speed switching
Implementation Method 3
digital cameras to image the view of the world from out-of-the-cockpit or behind viewing glasses
Data Source
AI summary
A technique/system using imaging cameras to detect and actively track intense light sources, such as the Sun, then provide electronically-generated and localized shades, via the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) shutter screen imbedded on viewing glasses or windshields, tracking the intense projections as they traverse across the viewing glasses during dynamic motion allowing the viewer to directly and comfortably observe the scene with intense light sources and any displays or objects in direct or nearby line-of-sight that are normally washed-out by eye saturation due to extremely intense illumination. This intense illumination shielding technique/system can be used for providing improved vision in situations where the viewing location is confined relative to the primary viewing glasses where direct observation or see-through may occur with intense light sources in view from the near and far field and also with the entire system in a dynamic motion environment.