AUTOMATIC DARKENING FILTER WITH AUTOMATIC POWER MANAGEMENT
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An automatic darkening protective shield, comprising:
- a switchable filter mounted in the protective shield, the switchable filter capable of changing from a light state to a dark state in response to a control signal;
a switchable filter control unit capable of applying the control signal to the switchable filter in response to detected incident light when the filter control unit is in an ON state but not when the filter control unit is in an OFF state; and
a power management control unit comprising a sensor that senses movement of the switchable filter, the power management unit transmitting an activation signal to the switchable filter control unit if the sensed movement satisfies a threshold condition, causing the switchable filter control unit to enter into the ON state, but if the threshold condition is not satisfied, the power management control unit allows the switchable filter control unit to remain in or enter the OFF state, wherein a user is not required to control power to the automatic darkening protective shield prior to use.
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Abstract
A protective automatic darkening filter (ADF) includes automatic power management capabilities. The ADF includes a power management control unit that controls power to the ADF based on whether or not the ADF is currently in use. In one embodiment, to determine whether the ADF is in use, the power management control unit includes a motion sensor that senses movement of the ADF and controls power to the ADF based on the sensed movement.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An automatic darkening protective shield, comprising:
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a switchable filter mounted in the protective shield, the switchable filter capable of changing from a light state to a dark state in response to a control signal; a switchable filter control unit capable of applying the control signal to the switchable filter in response to detected incident light when the filter control unit is in an ON state but not when the filter control unit is in an OFF state; and a power management control unit comprising a sensor that senses movement of the switchable filter, the power management unit transmitting an activation signal to the switchable filter control unit if the sensed movement satisfies a threshold condition, causing the switchable filter control unit to enter into the ON state, but if the threshold condition is not satisfied, the power management control unit allows the switchable filter control unit to remain in or enter the OFF state, wherein a user is not required to control power to the automatic darkening protective shield prior to use. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of controlling a state of a switchable filter, said switchable filter capable of changing from a light state to a dark state in response to a control signal, the method comprising:
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sensing movement of an automatic darkening protective shield; and if the sensed movement satisfies a threshold condition, putting the switchable filter into an ON state, in which it changes from a light state to a dark state in response to detected levels of incident light;
orif the sensed movement does not satisfy the threshold condition, putting the switchable filter into or retaining it in an OFF state, in which it does not change from a light state to a dark state in response to detected levels of incident light; wherein a user is not required to control power to the automatic darkening protective shield prior to use. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A power management method for controlling a switchable filter, the method comprising multiple states, wherein:
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a first state is an idle state or an OFF state; the system changes from the first state to a second state in response to a movement event, and waits during a first time period; if the system senses a second movement event during a second time period, the system changes to a third state, wherein the third state is an ON state; if the system does not sense a second movement event during the second time period, the system returns to the first state; and if the system does not sense a movement event for a third period of time while in the third state, the system returns to the first state. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification