Camera-Equipped Helmet with Gyroscopic Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Riders of bicycles, motorcycles, and pedestrians face safety concerns due to limited visibility behind and to the sides while sharing roads with faster-moving vehicles, as traditional rear view mirrors provide restricted views and require users to take their eyes off the road, increasing the risk of accidents.
Innovation Solution
A camera-equipped helmet with a video camera positioned to capture a 180° field of view behind and to the sides, integrated with a display visor and optional wireless communication, allowing riders to view captured images without diverting their attention from the road, and featuring a gyroscopic base for maintaining camera orientation and adjustable viewing angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional rear view mirrors are used, then riders can see behind them, but riders must take their eyes off the road, increasing accident risk
Solution Approach 1:
A camera is introduced as an intermediary device to capture images of the environment behind and around the rider. The camera acts as a mediator between the restricted physical view and the rider's need for comprehensive awareness, allowing images to be transmitted to a remote display device without requiring the rider to divert their attention from the road
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical system of direct visual observation through mirrors is replaced with an electronic imaging system. Instead of mechanically positioning the rider's head or using mirror reflections, the patent uses a camera with wide-angle or fisheye lenses to capture and transmit visual information electronically to a display device, substituting mechanical viewing with electronic image transmission
2Loss of information
If riders divert their attention to check behind, then they can see traffic, but their reaction time on the road decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera continuously captures images of the surrounding environment, providing uninterrupted visual information about traffic conditions behind and around the rider. This continuous capture allows the rider to access real-time traffic awareness information without interrupting their forward motion or attention, maintaining continuous useful action in both directions simultaneously
3Area of stationary object
If a wide-angle camera is used to capture more area, then visibility is improved, but image distortion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs fisheye or ultra-wide-angle lenses with specific focal lengths (e.g., 8mm or less) to dramatically expand the field of view to 180 degrees or more. This parameter change in lens optics accepts and utilizes the inherent distortion as a trade-off for achieving comprehensive coverage, transforming the distortion from a defect into an acceptable characteristic of the wide-area monitoring system
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
Enhances safety by providing comprehensive rear and side visibility without requiring riders to look away from their path, reducing the risk of accidents and improving situational awareness in shared traffic environments.
Implementation Method 1
The camera may be mounted on a gyroscopic base to maintain the camera level
Data Source
AI summary
A method and an article of manufacture are disclosed configured to allow viewing of scenes not directly in the field of view of the viewer. In various embodiments, a helmet is equipped with a video camera, facing in a direction other than the direction of view of the user of the helmet, and a display visible to the user to display the images captured by the video camera. The helmet may be used while riding a bicycle, a motorcycle, a horse, while walking, and the like. In some embodiments, the video camera transmits data wirelessly and the direction of its view is adjustable. In some embodiments, a storage device is integrated in the helmet to allow recording of the images and sounds captured by the video camera for future download to another recording medium or a computing device.