Optical viewfinder for costume heads

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023176357-A1
Application number	US-202318102668-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 27, 2023
Priority date	Sep 30, 2019
Publication date	Jun 8, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A head for a walk-around costume is provided that is adapted for enhanced visibility. The costume head includes an outer shell defining an interior space for receiving a head of a human performer. The outer shell includes an aperture allowing incoming light from an exterior space to enter the interior space, and an eye location for the human performer is spaced apart from the aperture when the head is received in the interior space. To provide an enlarged field of view, the costume head includes an optical viewfinder assembly disposed within the interior space of the outer shell between the aperture and the eye location. The optical viewfinder assembly is adapted for receiving the incoming light and transmitting the incoming light to the eye location to move a viewpoint of the human performer to the aperture to provide a larger field of view of the exterior space.

First claim

I claim:

1 . A costume head adapted for enhanced visibility, comprising:
an outer shell defining an interior space for receiving a head of a human performer, wherein the outer shell includes an aperture allowing incoming light from an exterior space outside the outer shell to enter the interior space and wherein an eye location for the human performer is spaced apart from the aperture when the head is received in the interior space; and an optical viewfinder assembly disposed within the interior space of the outer shell between the aperture and the eye location and adapted for receiving the incoming light and transmitting the incoming light to the eye location to move a viewpoint of the human performer to or proximate to the aperture, whereby the human performer is provided a larger field of view of the exterior space, wherein the eye location is offset a vertical distance and a distance in depth from an outlet of the aperture into the interior space, and wherein the optical viewfinder assembly comprises a non-inverting optical periscope configured to move the viewpoint upward and forward to the outlet of the aperture.

2 . The costume head of claim 1 , wherein the non-inverting optical periscope comprises an objective lens proximate to the outlet of the aperture for receiving the incoming light and an eyepiece proximate to the eye location adapted to re-collimate the incoming light.

3 . The costume head of claim 2 , wherein the non-inverting optical periscope further comprises an optical relay between the objective lens and the eyepiece directing the incoming light output by the objective lens downward into the interior space to a horizontal plane coplanar with the eye location.

4 . The costume head of claim 3 , wherein the optical relay comprises a screen receiving the incoming light output from the objective lens and displaying an image, whereby an eye box of the human performer is increased in size.

5 . The costume head of claim 2 , wherein the objective lens and the eyepiece each comprises a fisheye lens, whereby the field of view is further increased in size.

6 . A costume head configured to enhance visibility of outside spaced by users, comprising:
an outer shell with an interior space for receiving a head of a human performer so as to position an eye of the human performer at an eye location, wherein the outer shell includes a view slit defining a path for incoming light between the interior space and an exterior space outside the outer shell and wherein an eye location for the human performer is spaced apart both a horizontal distance and a vertical distance from the aperture when the head is received in the interior space; and an optical viewfinder assembly disposed within the interior space of the outer shell between the aperture and the eye location and adapted for receiving the incoming light and transmitting the incoming light to the eye location to move a viewpoint of the human performer forward toward and upward toward the aperture, whereby the human performer is provided a larger field of view of the exterior space, wherein the optical viewfinder assembly comprises a non-inverting optical periscope.

7 . The costume head of claim 6 , wherein the non-inverting optical periscope comprises an objective lens positioned proximate to the aperture for receiving the incoming light and an eyepiece proximate to the eye location adapted to collimate light.

8 . The costume head of claim 7 , wherein the non-inverting optical periscope further comprises an optical relay between the objective lens and the eyepiece directing the incoming light from the objective lens downward into the interior space to a horizontal plane coplanar with the eye location and the eyepiece so that the incoming light passes through the eyepiece prior to reaching the eye location.

9 . The costume head of claim 8 , wherein the optical relay comprises a screen receiving the incoming light output from the objective lens and displaying an image, whereby an eye box of the human performer is increased in size.

10 . The costume head of claim 7 , wherein the objective lens and the eyepiece each comprises a fisheye lens, whereby the field of view is further increased in size.

11 . A costume head adapted for enhanced user visibility of exterior spaces, comprising:
a shell with an interior space for receiving a head of a performer, wherein the outer shell includes a view portal defining a path for incoming light from an exterior space into the interior space; and an optical viewfinder disposed within the interior space of the outer shell to receive the incoming light and to direct the incoming light to an eye of the performer when the head of the performer is positioned in the interior space, wherein the incoming light is optically transformed to cause the eye, spaced apart a distance of at least one inch away from the view portal, to have a viewpoint at or near the view portal, and wherein a location of the eye is offset both a vertical distance and a horizontal distance from an outlet of the view portal into the interior space.

12 . The costume head of claim 11 , wherein the optical viewfinder comprises a non-inverting optical periscope configured to move the viewpoint upward and forward to the view portal.

13 . The costume head of claim 12 , wherein the non-inverting optical periscope comprises an objective lens proximate to the view portal for receiving the incoming light.

14 . The costume head of claim 13 , wherein the non-inverting optical periscope comprises an eyepiece proximate to the eye location adapted to collimate light.

15 . The costume head of claim 14 , wherein the non-inverting optical periscope further comprises an optical relay between the objective lens and the eyepiece directing the incoming light from the objective lens downward into the interior space to a horizontal plane coplanar with the eye location and the eyepiece so that the incoming light passes through the eyepiece prior to reaching the eye location.

16 . The costume head of claim 15 , wherein the optical relay comprises a screen receiving the incoming light output from the objective lens and displaying an image, whereby an eye box of the performer is increased in size.

17 . The costume head of claim 16 , wherein the objective lens and the eyepiece each comprises a fisheye lens, whereby the field of view is further increased in size.

Assignees

• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Smithwick Quinn Y

Classifications

• A41D1/00

  Garments (for children A41D11/00) · CPC title

• G02B2027/0145

  creating an intermediate image · CPC title

• G02B23/14

  Viewfinders (for photographic apparatus G03B13/02) · CPC title

• A42B3/042

  Optical devices (night vision goggles G02B23/12) · CPC title

• G02B27/0172

  characterised by optical features · CPC title