Motion sickness reduction

• US 20090179987A1
• Filed: 03/13/2009
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samuel Kim
• Original Assignee: Samuel Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Samuel
• Granted Patent: US 9,153,009 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/142
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2021/005 images, e.g. video
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 21/02 for inducing sleep or relaxation, e.g. by direct nerve stimulation, hypnosis, analgesia for massage A61H; electrotherapy A61N, e.g. applying alternating or intermittent electric currents for producing anaesthesia A61N1/36021
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/70 relating to mental therapies, e.g. psychological therapy or autogenous training
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A motion sickness reduction device includes an image capture device for capturing an image device environment and an image display device for displaying image related to the captured image. In order to effectively prevent or reduce motion sickness, the right amount of motion must be displayed on the image display device when the vehicle accelerates or turns. Various methods are disclosed for adjusting the image on the display device and/or the angle of the environment subtended to make the motion sickness reduction device effective.

Claims

1. A motion sickness reduction device comprising:

a distance sensor, said distance sensor being adapted to sense a distance between said motion sickness reduction device and an external landmark and produce a corresponding signal;

an image sensor; and

an image display device, said image display device being adapted to display an image produced by said image sensor, wherein said motion sickness reduction device is adapted to modify said image based on said signal.

2. A motion sickness reduction device as defined in claim 1 wherein said motion sickness reduction device comprises means for modifying said image by changing an effective viewing angle of said image.

3. A motion sickness reduction device as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for changing said effective viewing angle comprises a zoom lens, said zoom lens being optically coupled to said image sensor.

4. A motion sickness reduction device as defined in claim 2 wherein said means for changing said effective viewing angle comprises an image processor.

5. A motion sickness reduction device as defined in claim 4 wherein said image processor comprises an electronic processor adapted to crop an image displayed on said image display device.

6. A motion sickness reduction device as defined in claim 4 wherein said image processor comprises an electronic processor adapted to expand an image displayed on said image display device.

7. A motion sickness reduction device as defined in claim 4 wherein said image processor comprises an electronic processor adapted to contract an image displayed on said image display device.

8. A method for adjusting a motion sickness reduction device comprising:

observing an apparent size of an external object and an apparent size of an image of said object; and

adjusting said image of said object to substantially equalize said apparent size of said external object and said apparent size of said image.

9. A method for adjusting a motion sickness device as defined in claim 8 wherein said adjusting said image of said object comprises adjusting a zoom lens of a video camera, said video camera being adapted to produce an image signal corresponding to said image of said object.

10. A method for adjusting a motion sickness device as defined in claim 8 wherein said adjusting said image of said object comprises cropping said image of said object.

11. A method for adjusting a motion sickness device as defined in claim 8 wherein said adjusting said image of said object comprises stretching said image of said object.

12. A method for adjusting a motion sickness device as defined in claim 8 wherein said adjusting said image of said object comprises shrinking said image of said object.

13. A method for adjusting a motion sickness device as defined in claim 8 wherein said adjusting said image of said object comprises manually adjusting an image display device.

14. A method for adjusting a motion sickness device as defined in claim 8 wherein said adjusting said image comprises adjusting a distance between a viewer and a display screen, said display screen being adapted to display said image of said object.

15. A method for adjusting a motion sickness device as defined in claim 14 wherein said adjusting a distance between said viewer and said display screen comprises moving a vehicle seat, said vehicle seat being adapted to support said viewer.

16. A method of adjusting a motion sickness reduction system comprising:

providing an image signal from a video camera to a display screen, said video camera having an effective viewing angle, positioning a display screen of said system in spatial relation to a user of said display screen and in spatial relation an external landmark according to the formula;

Effective Viewing Angle of the Video Camera=2*arctan(w*(y+d)/(2*x*d)),

wherein d represents a distance between said video camera and said external landmark, y represents a distance between said video camera and said user, x represents a distance between said display screen and said user, and w represents a dimension of said display screen.

17. A method of adjusting a motion sickness reduction system as defined in claim 16 further comprising evaluating said formula by reference to a lookup table.

18. A method of adjusting a motion sickness reduction system as defined in claim 16 where said positioning said display screen of said system in relation to said user comprises automatically sensing distance d using a rangefinder.

19. A method of adjusting a motion sickness reduction system as defined in claim 16 where said positioning said display screen of said system in relation to said user comprises automatically adjusting the Effective Viewing Angle by adjusting a zoom lens said video camera.

20. A method of adjusting a motion sickness reduction system as defined in claim 16 where said positioning said display screen of said system in relation to said user comprises receiving a rangefinder input at a processor device and solving said formula.