Cordless LED headlight and control thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10851981-B1
Application number	US-201916673887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Nov 4, 2019
Priority date	Dec 16, 2014
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

A wireless headlight assembly for attachment to an eyewear frame is disclosed. The wireless headlight assembly comprises a battery pod containing a battery connected to an electronic circuit element, which controls the application of power from the battery to an attached headlight assembly containing a headlight, wherein control of the application of power to the headlight assembly is determined, in part, based on the stability of the headlight assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A headlight assembly comprising:
a battery configured to output a voltage;
a lighting element comprising a light source;
an electronic circuit comprising;
a sensing element;
a motion detector; and
a switch, wherein said electronic circuit is configured to:
receive the voltage from the battery;
receive, from said sensing element, an indication of a detection of a signal,
receive, from said motion detector, an indication of motion, wherein said indication of motion is one of: motion and no motion, and

control said switch to retain a current application of said voltage to said light source in response to said indication of motion being one of motion independent of said indication of said detection of said signal.

2. The headlight assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuit is configured to:
alter a position of said switch in response to said indication of said detection of said signal when said indication of motion is one of no motion.

3. The headlight assembly of claim 1 , wherein said detected signal represents a reflection of a signal transmitted by said sensing element.

4. The headlight assembly of claim 1 , wherein the light source comprises at least one of: a white LED and a non-white LED.

5. The headlight assembly of claim 1 , wherein the motion detector comprises a gyroscope, said gyroscope being configured to measure changes in an orientation in at least one axis of the headlight assembly.

6. The headlight assembly of claim 5 , wherein the gyroscope is configured to:
compare outputs of corresponding ones of the at least one axis at different times;
generate said indication of motion, wherein said indication of motion indicates one of: no motion when said outputs of corresponding ones of said at least one axis are substantially equal and motion when said outputs of corresponding ones of said at least one axis are not substantially equal.

7. The headlight assembly of claim 5 , wherein the gyroscope is configured to:
determine a magnitude of corresponding ones of said at least one axis;
generate said indication of motion, wherein said indication of motion indicates one of: no motion when said outputs of corresponding ones of said at least one axis are within a known tolerance, wherein said known tolerance is specific to each of said at least one axis and motion when at least one output of a corresponding one of said at least one axis is outside said known tolerance.

8. The headlight assembly of claim 1 , wherein the motion detector comprises an accelerometer configured to measure changes in movement in at least one axis of said headlight assembly.

9. The headlight assembly of claim 8 , wherein the accelerometer is configured to:
compare outputs of corresponding ones of the at least one axis at different times;
generate said indication of motion, wherein said indication of motion indicates one of: a condition of no motion when said outputs of corresponding ones of said at least one axis are within a known tolerance, wherein said known tolerance is specific to each of said at least one axis and a condition of motion when said outputs of corresponding ones of said at least one axis are outside said known tolerance.

10. The headlight assembly of claim 8 , wherein the accelerometer is configured to:
determine a magnitude of a combination of outputs of said at least one axis;
generate said indication of motion, wherein said indication of motion indicates one of: no motion when said combination of outputs of said at least one axis is within a known tolerance and motion when said combination of outputs of said at least one axis is outside said known tolerance.

11. The headlight assembly of claim 3 , wherein said signal transmitted by said sensing element is one of: a Radio Frequency signal, an Infra-red signal, a visible signal, an Ultra-violet signal, an audio signal, and an ultra-sonic signal.

12. The headlight assembly of claim 11 , wherein said signal transmitted by said sensing element is transmitted in one of: along substantially horizontal axis and along a substantially vertical axis.

13. The headlight assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:
a position detecting unit configured to:
determine an orientation of the headlight assembly;
output an orientation signal to the electronic circuit when the orientation of the headlight assembly is outside a desired range, wherein

said electronic circuit is configured to:
control said switch to remove said application of said voltage from said light source in response to receipt of said orientation signal.

14. A headlight assembly comprising:
a battery pod comprising a battery configured to output a voltage;
an electronic assembly attached to the battery pod, said electronic assembly comprising:
a position detecting unit configured to:
determine an orientation of the headlight assembly;

a sensing element configured to:
generate an indication of a detection of a signal;

a motion detector configured to:
determine a motion of said headlight assembly, and

a processor configured to:
receive at least one of: said determination of said orientation of said headlight assembly, said indication of said detection of said signal and said determination of said motion of said headlight assembly; and
control an application of the voltage to a light source in response to said received at least one of: said detection of said signal, said determination of motion, and said orientation of said headlight assembly, wherein said application of said voltage to said light source is one of:

removed from said light source in response to said determination of said orientation being outside a desired range, independent of said indication of motion and said indication of detection of said signal,
retained in response to said determination of said motion independent of said indication of said detection of said signal, and
altered in response to said indication of said detection of said signal.

15. The headlight assembly of claim 14 , wherein said sensing element is configured to:
transmit said signal, wherein said signal is at least one of: an IR signal, a UV signal, an audio signal, and a visible light signal.

16. A headlight assembly comprising:
a housing comprising:
a light source;

a battery configured to:
provide a voltage to the light source;

a sensing element comprising:
a transmitter configured to transmit an IR signal; and
a detector configured to detect a reflection of said transmitted IR signal, wherein said sensing element is configured to:
generate an indication of the detection of the reflection of the transmitted IR signal;

a motion detector configured to:
determine a motion of said headlight assembly, and
generate an indication of one of: motion and no-motion; and

a processor configured to:
receive said indication of said detection of said reflection of said transmitted IR signal;
receive said indication of one of: motion and no-motion; and
control an application of the voltage from the battery to the light source, wherein said application of said voltage to the light source is one of:

retained in response to said received indication being one of motion, and
altered in response to said indication of said detection of said transmitted IR signal and said received indication being of no motion.

17. The headlight assembly of claim 16 , wherein said motion detector is one of: a gyroscope and an accelerometer.

18. The headlight assembly of claim 16 , further comprising:
a position detecting unit

Assignees

• Designs For Vision

Inventors

• Feinbloom Richard E
• Braganca Kenneth N
• Ross Michael D

Classifications

• H05B47/115

  by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings · CPC title

• F21L4/04 Primary

  characterised by the provision of a light source housing portion adjustably fixed to the remainder of the device · CPC title

• F21V23/0471 Primary

  the sensor detecting the proximity, the presence or the movement of an object or a person · CPC title

• Y02B20/40

  Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection · CPC title

• F21W2131/20

  Lighting for medical use · CPC title