Composite Eyewear Lens with Camera and Display for Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Poor visibility due to shadows, flat light, or white-out conditions increases the risk during outdoor activities like skiing and snowboarding, as it becomes difficult to differentiate terrain, hazards, or obstacles, leading to disorientation.
Innovation Solution
The eyewear system features a composite lens that transitions between transparent and opaque modes, equipped with cameras capturing image data which is enhanced and displayed on the lens, providing improved visibility of terrain and hazards in poor conditions, while being wearable in both modes without exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a composite lens transitions between transparent and opaque modes with integrated cameras and displays, then visibility in poor conditions is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single composite lens assembly: the lens itself, integrated cameras, display elements, and opacity control mechanisms are combined into one unified structure. This integration resolves the technical contradiction by consolidating complex components into a cohesive system that enhances visibility reliability without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite lens serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as an optical element for viewing, a camera housing, a display surface, and an opacity control mechanism. This multi-functionality addresses the contradiction by making the lens system versatile enough to handle various visibility conditions while maintaining a single integrated design rather than requiring multiple separate devices.
2Reliability
If image processing is performed to enhance visibility, then contrast and object visibility improve, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies image processing selectively rather than continuously - enhancing contrast and visibility only when poor visibility conditions are detected. This partial action approach resolves the contradiction by providing improved contrast and object visibility only when necessary, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining reliability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from visibility condition sensors to control when image processing is activated. When sensors detect poor visibility conditions (low light, fog, snow), the processing enhancement is triggered; otherwise, it remains inactive. This feedback mechanism balances visibility improvement with energy conservation by processing images only when the situation demands it.
3Ease of operation
If the composite lens remains transparent in passive mode, then ease of operation is improved, but visibility enhancement capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The composite lens dynamically transitions between transparent and opaque modes based on operational needs and environmental conditions. In passive mode, it remains transparent for normal wearability and simplicity; when visibility enhancement is required, it switches to opaque mode to activate the display and camera functions. This dynamic adaptability resolves the contradiction by providing ease of operation when enhancement is not needed while maintaining the capability to enhance visibility when required.
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 visibility by processing image data to improve contrast and visibility of objects in challenging conditions, allowing users to better navigate terrain and hazards without needing to change eyewear, while conserving battery power.
Implementation Method 1
a composite lens or screen that is transparent in a passive mode and at least partially opaque while in an active mode
Implementation Method 2
one or more cameras capture image data in the user's field of view
Implementation Method 3
a processor enhances the image data, and the processor outputs the enhanced image data for display
Implementation Method 4
the composite lens or screen that is transparent in a passive mode... outputs the enhanced image data for display on the interior of the at least partially opaque composite screen
Data Source
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AI summary
An exemplary eyewear system includes a user interface and a composite lens. A first layer of the composite lens changes opacity in response to a signal. A second layer of the composite lens is a transparent display. The eyewear system further includes a camera, a processing device, and a memory. The processing device receives input via the user interface and, in response to the received input, sends a signal to the first layer of the composite lens to change the opacity of the first layer to cause the composite lens to be at least partially opaque, activates the camera, enhances video feed captured by the camera to increase the contrast of at least a portion of each of a plurality of frames of the video feed, and displays the enhanced video feed in real time using the second layer of the composite lens.