Awareness glasses, car mirror unit, and display apparatus configured to increase user awareness

• US 10,307,608 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2017
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Baek, Jongin, Kim, Haksun, Park, WonSang, Jo, Mingyeong
• Primary Examiner(s): Pasko, Nicholas R
• Application Number:
  US15/654,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20170312541A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 359 13- 14, 359629-633, 340575, 340576
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/0044 by the sight sense
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0648 the light being directed to the eyes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0618 Psychological treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/1207 with lamps; with turn indicators
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 19/0061 the light source comprising a LED semiconductor devices with at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier specially adapted for light emission H01L33/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/1814 structurally combined with one or more further optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors, prisms or other diffraction gratings G02B5/189 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/04 Illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/086 Auxiliary lenses located directly on a main spectacle lens or in the immediate vicinity of main spectacles

Abstract

A pair of awareness glasses includes a frame, a light source, a driving unit, light guide lenses, and diffraction grating patterns. The light source unit is disposed in the frame. The light source unit is configured to generate light in response to input power. The driving unit is configured to supply the input power. The light guide lenses are configured to guide the light to the eyes of a user. The diffraction grating patterns are formed on surfaces of the light guide lenses. The diffraction grating patterns are configured to diffract and reflect the light to the eyes of the user. The light output from each of the diffraction grating patterns has a peak wavelength between 444 nm and 484 nm.

Claims

1. A vehicular windshield apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of light emitting diodes configured to generate light in response to a driving voltage, the plurality of light emitting diodes being adjacent to each other and disposed in front of a driver;

a power source configured to supply the driving voltage to the plurality of light emitting diodes;

a windshield forming a light guide, the light guide being configured to;

receive the light from the plurality of light emitting diodes through a peripheral surface of the windshield; and

guide, via total internal reflection, the light from the peripheral surface to a predetermined portion of the windshield disposed in front of the driver; and

a diffraction grating pattern formed on a surface of the predetermined portion of the windshield, the diffraction grating pattern being configured to receive, diffract, and redirect the light from the plurality of light emitting diodes to eyes of the driver,

wherein light output from the diffraction grating pattern has a peak wavelength between 444 nm and 484 nm,

wherein the windshield comprises;

a light output surface facing the driver;

an opposite surface opposing the light output surface; and

the peripheral surface extending between the light output surface and the opposite surface, and

wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes are spaced apart from the windshield along the peripheral surface and disposed between the light output surface and the opposite surface.

2. The vehicular windshield apparatus of claim 1, wherein a period of the diffraction grating pattern is within a range between 464 nm and 692.5 nm.

3. The vehicular windshield apparatus of claim 1, wherein the diffraction grating pattern comprises one of a triangular pillar shape, a cylindrical pillar shape, and a quadrilateral pillar shape.

4. The vehicular windshield apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a power switch coupled between the power source and the plurality of light emitting diodes,

wherein, in response to a manual input from the driver, the power switch is configured to electrically couple the power source and the plurality of light emitting diodes to transfer the driving voltage to the plurality of light emitting diodes.

5. The vehicular windshield apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one sensor;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising reference information, the at least one memory further comprising one or more sequences of one or more instructions that, in response to being executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor at least to;

receive output from the at least one sensor; and

compare the output with the reference information,

wherein, in response to the output being greater than the reference information, the at least one processor is further configured to;

cause, at least in part, the driving voltage to be supplied to the plurality of light emitting diodes; and

modulate the light output according to the output from the at least one sensor to inhibit melatonin production in the driver.

6. The vehicular windshield apparatus of claim 1, wherein the peripheral surface of the windshield is an uppermost peripheral surface of the windshield.

7. The vehicular windshield apparatus of claim 1, wherein the diffraction grating pattern protrudes from the surface of the predetermined portion of the windshield towards eyes of the driver.

8. The vehicular windshield apparatus of claim 7, wherein a height of the diffraction grating pattern from the surface of the windshield is greater than 0 and less than 10 μ

m.