Control of mediated reality welding system based on lighting conditions

• US 9,666,160 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Patel, Nishank, Dandu, Praveen
• Primary Examiner(s): Richer, Joni
• Application Number:
  US14/669,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20160284311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 9/06 Masks, shields or hoods for welders safety devices for welding in general F16P1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/322 Head protecting means masks, shields or hoods for weldersp A61F9/06
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/58 Arrangements comprising a monitoring photodetector
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10048 Infrared image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20208 High dynamic range [HDR] image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/92 based on global image properties
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/066 for control of contrast
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/14 Detecting light within display terminals, e.g. using a single or a plurality of photosensors
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/141 the light conveying information used for selecting or modulating the light emitting or modulating element
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

A system comprises light intensity detection circuitry and pixel data processing circuitry. The light intensity detection circuitry is operable to determine whether a welding arc is present based on an intensity of light incident captured by the light intensity detection circuitry, and generate a control signal indicating a result of the determination. A mode of operation of the image processing circuitry may be selected from a plurality of modes based on the control signal. The light intensity detection circuitry may comprise, for example, a passive infrared sensor, a photodiode, and/or circuitry of a camera. The pixel data processing circuitry may comprise, for example, circuitry of a camera, a special purpose graphics processing unit, and/or a general purpose processing unit.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a camera configured to generate first pixel data from a field of view of a welding headwear;

a display device to display second pixel data to a wearer of the welding headwear based on the pixel data captured by the camera;

weld detection circuitry configured to;

determine whether a welding arc is present based on an intensity of light incident captured by said light intensity detection circuitry; and

generate a control signal indicating a result of said determination; and

pixel data processing circuitry configured to process the first pixel data captured by the camera to generate the second pixel data for display on the display device, wherein a mode of operation of said pixel data processing circuitry is selected from a plurality of modes based on said control signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said weld detection circuitry comprises at least one of a passive infrared sensor or a photodiode.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said weld detection circuitry comprises circuitry of the camera.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said pixel data processing circuitry comprises circuitry of the camera.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

a first of said plurality of modes uses a first exposure value; and

a second of said plurality of modes uses a second exposure value.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a first of said plurality of modes uses a first set of weights during weighted combining of pixel data; and

a second of said plurality of modes uses a second set of weights during said weighted combining of pixel data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

a particular pixel processing operation performed by said pixel data processing circuitry is disabled when said pixel data processing circuitry is in a first of said plurality of modes; and

said particular pixel processing operation performed by said pixel data processing circuitry is enabled when said pixel data processing circuitry is in a second of said plurality of modes.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

recording of the pixel data by said system is disabled when said pixel data processing circuitry is in a first of said plurality of modes; and

recording of the pixel data by said system is enabled when said pixel data processing circuitry is in a second of said plurality of modes.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said light intensity detection circuitry is operable to update said control signal on a pixel-by-pixel and/or group-of-pixels-by-group-of-pixels basis.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device is configured to overlay the second pixel data over a real view to create an augmented reality view for the wearer of the display device.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the weld detection circuitry comprises a plurality of cameras.

12. A method comprising:

generating, by a camera on welding headwear, first pixel data from a field of view of the welding headwear;

determining, by weld detection circuitry, whether a welding arc is present based on an intensity of light incident captured by said weld detection circuitry;

generating, by said weld detection circuitry, a control signal indicating a result of said determination;

configuring, by control circuitry, a mode of operation of pixel data processing circuitry based on said control signal;

processing, by said pixel data processing circuitry, the first pixel data from the camera according to the mode of operation to generate second pixel data; and

displaying, by a display device visible to a wearer of the welding headwear, the second pixel data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said weld detection circuitry comprises at least one of a passive infrared sensor, a photodiode, or circuitry of the camera.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said pixel data processing circuitry comprises circuitry of the camera.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

a first of said plurality of modes uses a first exposure value; and

a second of said plurality of modes uses a second exposure value.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising:

while in a first of said plurality of modes, said pixel data processing circuitry uses a first set of weights during weighted combining of pixel data; and

while in a second of said plurality of modes, said pixel data processing circuitry uses a second set of weights during said weighted combining of pixel data.

17. The method of claim 12, comprising:

disabling a particular pixel processing operation performed by said pixel data processing circuitry when said pixel data processing circuitry is in a first of said plurality of modes; and

enabling said particular pixel processing operation performed by said pixel data processing circuitry when said pixel data processing circuitry is in a second of said plurality of modes.

18. The method of claim 12, comprising, performing by said pixel data processing circuitry:

recording pixel data when said pixel data processing circuitry is in a first of said plurality of modes; and

disabling recording of pixel data when said pixel data processing circuitry is in a second of said plurality of modes.

19. The method of claim 12, comprising updating, by said weld detection circuitry, said control signal on a pixel-by-pixel and/or group-of-pixels-by-group-of-pixels basis.