HELMET SYSTEM AND METHODS

• US 20160037849A1
• Filed: 08/07/2015
• Published: 02/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gilbert Hayat
• Original Assignee: FUSAR Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Shearman, Ryan T, Rushing, Todd H, Bersak, Daniel R, Smith, Steven L
• Granted Patent: US 10,021,932 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/042 Optical devices night vision goggles G02B23/12
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0426 Rear view devices or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/0433 Detecting, signalling or lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/046 Means for detecting hazards or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/06 Impact-absorbing shells, e.g. of crash helmets
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/22 Visors
• CPC Class Codes: A42B 3/30 Mounting radio sets or communication systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14553 specially adapted for cerebral tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/291 for electroencephalography [EEG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6803 Head-worn items, e.g. helmets, masks, headphones or goggles
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/772 the recording apparatus and the television camera being placed in the same enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor

Abstract

One variation of a helmet system includes: a shell defining an interior volume and an aperture proximal an anterior end of the shell; a primary visor coupled to the shell and transiently arranged over the aperture; a secondary visor adjacent the aperture, including an elongated translucent member suspended from the shell, and defining a first discrete reflective region on a right side of the elongated translucent member and a second discrete reflective region on a left side of the elongated translucent member; a camera coupled to the shell and defining a field of view extending outwardly from a posterior end of the shell; and a projection system projecting an image onto the first discrete reflective region and onto the second discrete reflective region, the image comprising a subregion of a video frame recorded by the camera, the secondary visor reflecting the image toward the interior volume.

Claims

1. A helmet system comprising:

a shell defining an interior volume and an aperture proximal an anterior end of the shell;

a primary visor coupled to the shell and transiently arranged over the aperture;

a secondary visor

arranged between the aperture and the interior volume,

comprising an elongated translucent member suspended from the shell, and

defining a first discrete reflective region on a right side of the elongated translucent member and a second discrete reflective region on a left side of the elongated translucent member;

a camera coupled to the shell and defining a field of view extending outwardly from a posterior end of the shell; and

a projection system projecting an image onto the first discrete reflective region and onto the second discrete reflective region, the image comprising a subregion of a video frame recorded by the camera, the secondary visor reflecting the image toward the interior volume.

2. The helmet system of claim 1, further comprising a strut extending from proximal a dorsal region of the shell into the interior volume;

and wherein the secondary visor comprises;

a right window of a first height and defining the first discrete reflective region;

a left window defining the second discrete reflective region; and

a neck of a second height less than the first height, interposed between and supporting the right window and the left window, and suspended from the strut.

3. The helmet system of claim 2, further comprising a damper arranged between the strut and the secondary visor.

4. A helmet system of claim 1, wherein the secondary visor defines the first discrete reflective region comprising a multi-layer coating exhibiting a first reflective brightness at a particular wavelength of light;

and wherein the secondary visor defines a peripheral region physically adjacent the first discrete reflective region and exhibiting a second reflective brightness less than the first reflective brightness at the particular wavelength of light.

5. The helmet system of claim 1, wherein the elongated translucent member of the secondary visor comprises a planar polymer panel;

wherein the first discrete reflective region comprises a grating structure;

wherein the shell comprises a chin bar adjacent and below the aperture;

wherein the projection system comprises a projector arranged within the chin bar, projects a first instance of the image onto the first discrete reflective region and a second instance of the image onto the second discrete reflective region at a first time, and projects a first instance of a second image onto the first discrete reflective region and a second instance of the second image onto the second discrete reflective region at a second time succeeding the first time, the second image comprising a subregion of a second video frame recorded by the camera.

6. The helmet system of claim 1, wherein the shell defines a receptacle on an exterior dorsal side of the shell and comprises a wiring harness extending from the receptacle to the chin bar;

further comprising a fairing transiently coupled to the receptacle, housing the camera directed outwardly from a posterior end of the fairing, and transiently connected to the projection system via the wiring harness.

7. The helmet system of claim 1, wherein the shell comprises a projection bar adjacent and above the aperture;

and wherein the projection system comprises a first projector and a second projector supported by the projection bar, the first projector aligned with and projecting a first instance of an image onto the first reflective region, and the second projector aligned with and projecting a second instance of the image onto the second reflective region.

8. The helmet system of claim 1, wherein the elongated translucent member of the secondary visor comprises a liquid crystal layer;

further comprising an ambient light sensor arranged within the interior volume; and

further comprising a controller electrically coupled to the liquid crystal layer and configured to adjust an opacity of the secondary visor based on an output of the ambient light sensor.

9. The helmet system of claim 8, wherein the primary visor comprises a transparent polarized polymer face shield pivotably coupled to the shell.

10. A helmet system comprising:

a shell defining an interior volume and an aperture proximal an anterior end of the shell;

a primary visor coupled to the shell and transiently arranged over the aperture;

a secondary visor

comprising an optical element,

operable between a retracted position and an active position,

arranged between a dorsal region of the shell and the interior volume in the retracted position, and

arranged between the aperture and the interior volume in the active position;

a camera arranged on the shell and defining a field of view opposite the aperture; and

a projection system transitioning from a standby mode to an active mode in response to transition of the secondary visor from the retracted position to the active position and projecting an image toward the optical element in the active mode, the image comprising a subregion of a video frame recorded by the camera, the optical element reflecting the image toward the interior volume.

11. The helmet system of claim 10, wherein the secondary visor defines an arciform profile;

further comprising a lining arranged between the shell and the interior volume; and

wherein the shell and the overhead lining cooperate to define a receptacle configured to accommodate the secondary visor in the retracted position.

12. The helmet system of claim 11, wherein the secondary visor is pivotably coupled to the shell;

further comprising a latch coupled to the secondary visor and extending to an exterior surface of the shell; and

further comprising a position sensor coupled to the secondary visor;

wherein the projection system transitions between the standby mode and the active mode based on an output of the position sensor.

13. The helmet system of claim 11, wherein, in the active mode, the projector system distorts the image to compensate for the arciform profile of the secondary visor and projects the distorted image toward the optical element.

14. The helmet system of claim 10, wherein the secondary visor extends above the aperture in the active position;

wherein the optical element comprises a semi-transparent semi-reflective mirror; and

wherein the projection system comprises a projector arranged over the secondary visor and projects the image through secondary visor to the optical element in the active position, the optical element focusing the image toward the interior volume.

15. The helmet system of claim 14, wherein the projector is rigidly coupled to secondary visor and transitions between the retracted position and the active position in-unit with the secondary visor.

16. The helmet system of claim 10, wherein the secondary visor extends laterally across the aperture in the active position;

wherein the optical element comprises a diffraction grating; and

wherein the projection system comprises a projector rigidly supported by the shell adjacent a lateral side of the aperture, separated from the secondary visor in the retracted setting, and aligned with and projecting the image through the secondary visor to the optical element in the active position, the optical element reflecting the image toward the interior volume.

17. The helmet system of claim 10, wherein the primary visor comprises a photochromic polymer.

18. The helmet system of claim 10, wherein the camera comprises a wide-angle lens and records the video frame at a first time;

and wherein the projection system;

dewarps the video frame to generate a rectified digital frame;

applies a crop area to the rectified digital frame to generate the image;

mirrors the image; and

projects the mirrored image onto the optical element substantially at the first time.

19. The helmet system of claim 10, further comprising an input region arranged on an exterior of the shell and an inertial sensor;

wherein the projection system;

calculates pitch angles of the shell based on outputs of the inertial sensor;

modulates vertical positions of a crop area within a sequence of video frames recorded by the camera based on pitch angles of the shell determined at corresponding times; and

locks the vertical position of the crop area within subsequent video frames recorded by the camera in response to selection of the input region.

22. The helmet system of claim 10, further comprising a wireless communication module;

wherein the projection system combines data downloaded from an external computer system by the wireless communication module with the subregion of the video frame to generate the image.

23. The helmet system of claim 22, wherein the wireless communication module wirelessly downloads a set of image projection settings from an external mobile computing device;

and wherein the projection system transforms the image according to lateral position, vertical position, scaling, and focus setting defined in the set of image projection settings.

20. (canceled)

21. The helmet system of claim 20, wherein the shell defines a receptacle on an exterior dorsal side of the shell and comprises a wiring harness extending into the interior volume;

and further comprising a fairing;

transiently coupled to the receptacle,

housing the camera directed outward from a posterior end of the shell and a second camera directed outward from an anterior end of the shell,

housing the inertial sensor and the input region, and

transiently connected to the projection system via the wiring harness.