Personal situational awareness system

• US 8,704,661 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2011
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ronald Anthony Reichard
• Original Assignee: Ronald Anthony Reichard
• Inventors: Reichard, Ronald Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US13/023,367
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 351/44, 351/45, 351/50, 359/630, 359/631
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 3/02 Arrangements for supporting by headgear
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/14 Mirrors; Prisms

Abstract

Methods and apparatus may allow for personal situational awareness. An optical relay may be mounted to a mounting component joined to an article worn on an individual'"'"'s person, such as glasses, headgear, clothing, and the like. Optical information may be relayed from an individual'"'"'s blind spot to an individual'"'"'s line of sight. Relayed optical information may be transformed, including by isolating relevant optical information and eliminating extraneous optical information.

Claims

1. A personal situational awareness apparatus comprising:

a mounting component configured for joinder to an article configured to be worn on an individual'"'"'s person;

an optically transformative optical relay mounted to said mounting component,

a line-of-sight optically transformed optical information indicator of said optically transformative optical relay;

a blind spot optically untransformed optical information detector of said optically transformative optical relay.

2. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said article comprises safety glasses.

3. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 2, wherein said mounting component comprises a mounting component selected from the group consisting of a cast mold for said safety glasses, surface treatment on said safety glasses, a surface coating on said safety glasses, an embedded emplacement within said safety glasses, a molded surface of said safety glasses, an adhesive adhered to said safety glasses, a magnet attached to said safety glasses, a mechanical fastener affixed to said safety glasses, a separate piece joined to said safety glasses, an integrated structure of said safety glasses, a side shield of said safety glasses, a protruding surface of said safety glasses, a wing established on said safety glasses, a mounting platform joined to said safety glasses, and any combination thereof.

4. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 3, wherein said optically transformative optical relay comprises a reflector.

5. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 4, wherein said reflector comprises a reflector selected from the group consisting of a prism, a parabolic reflector, a strip, a rectangle, a square, a high-opacity reflector, a high-diffusion reflector, a plastic reflector, a metal reflector, reflective tape, and any combination thereof.

6. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 4, wherein said reflector comprises a small inboard reflector to the frame of said safety glasses.

7. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said article comprises safety headgear.

8. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 7, wherein said blind spot optically untransformed optical information detector comprises an electronic photosensor, and wherein said optically transformative optical relay comprises an electronic transmitter, and wherein said optically transformed optical information indicator comprises an electronic lamp.

9. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said optically transformative optical relay, said line-of-sight optically transformed optical information indicator, and said blind spot optically untransformed optical information detector comprise a reflector.

10. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 9, wherein said reflector comprises a high-opacity reflector.

11. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 9, wherein said reflector comprises a high-diffusion reflector.

12. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 9, wherein said reflector comprises a reflector selected from the group consisting of a prism, a parabolic reflector, a strip, a rectangle, a square, a plastic reflector, a metal reflector, reflective tape, and any combination thereof.

13. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said optically transformative optical relay, said line-of-sight optically transformed optical information indicator, and said blind spot optically untransformed optical information detector comprise an electronic system.

14. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 13, wherein said blind spot optically untransformed optical information detector comprises an electronic photosensor, and wherein said optically transformative optical relay comprises an electronic transmitter, and wherein said optically transformed optical information indicator comprises an electronic lamp.

15. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said mounting component comprises a component selected from the group consisting of a cast mold, surface treatment, a surface coating, an embedded emplacement, a molded surface, an adhesive, a magnet, a mechanical fastener, a mounting platform, and any combination thereof.

16. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said optically transformative optical relay comprises a fixed optically transformative optical relay.

17. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said optically transformative optical relay comprises an optically transformative optical relay having no moving parts.

18. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said optically transformative optical relay comprises a non-mirrored optically transformative optical relay.

19. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said optically transformative optical relay comprises a non-representational optically transformative optical relay.

20. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said optically transformative optical relay comprises a relevant optical information isolation relay.

21. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 20, wherein said relevant optical information comprises a light-emitting source.

22. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said optically transformative optical relay comprises an extraneous optical information elimination relay.

23. A personal situational awareness apparatus as described in claim 22, wherein said extraneous optical information comprises non-light-emitting objects.