Optical assemblies that are both brightly backlit and transparent for use in costumed characters

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9958749-B2
Application number	US-201615262287-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2016
Priority date	Sep 12, 2016
Publication date	May 1, 2018
Grant date	May 1, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus worn as headgear providing visual effects and vision to the wearer. The apparatus includes a shell or helmet. The apparatus includes an optical assembly mounted in the interior space of the shell adjacent eye slits or opening(s) to the interior space of the shell. The optical assembly includes an outer screen (e.g., a film of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal) switchable between a rear projection (RP) screen state in which the outer screen is cloudy or translucent and a transparent state. The optical assembly includes a backlighting assembly with numerous lights. The optical assembly includes a controller switching, at a rate greater than the flicker fusion rate, between a first operating state with the outer screen in the RP screen state and the lights on to illuminate the outer screen and a second operating state with the outer screen in the transparent state and the lights off.

First claim

I claim:

1. An apparatus for use as headgear providing visual effects, comprising:
a shell with an interior space for receiving a person's head, wherein the shell includes at least one opening to the interior space; and
an optical assembly mounted in the interior space of the shell, the optical assembly comprising:
an outer screen switchable between a rear projection (RP) screen state and a transparent state;
a backlighting assembly with a plurality of lights switchable between a first state with the lights powered on and a second state with the lights powered off; and
a controller switching between operating the optical assembly in a first operating state with the outer screen in the RP screen state and the backlighting assembly in the first state to illuminate a rear surface of the outer screen with light from the lights and in a second operating state with the outer screen in the transparent state and the backlighting assembly in the second state to allow light to pass through the outer screen into the interior space of the shell,

wherein the backlighting assembly further comprises an opaque support panel with a first surface facing the outer screen and a second surface facing the interior space of the shell, the lights being mounted on the first surface about the periphery of at least one opening in the support panel providing a pathway for the light passing through the outer panel to reach the interior space of the shell.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the switching by the controller is performed at a rate greater than 24 Hertz (Hz).

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the outer screen comprises a film of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) material.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the lights each comprise a light emitting diode (LED).

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the LEDs are white LEDs.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the optical assembly further comprises a shutter assembly, wherein the backlighting assembly is disposed between the shutter assembly and the outer screen, wherein the shutter assembly comprises a shutter switchable between a dark or opaque state and a transparent state, and wherein the controller operates the shutter in the dark or opaque state during the first operating state of the optical assembly and in the transparent state during the second operating state.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the shutter comprises a sheet of liquid crystal (LC) material.

8. A helmet, comprising:
a shell with at least one eye slit;
an outer screen positioned on the shell between the at least one eye slit and an interior space of the shell, wherein the outer screen comprises PDLC material;
a shutter switchable from a closed state blocking light and an open state transmitting light;
a backlighting assembly comprising a plurality of light sources switchable between a first state illuminating the outer screen with the light sources and a second state in which the light sources are powered off; and
a controller in a first operating mode operating the outer screen to be translucent, the shutter to be in the closed state, and the backlighting assembly in the first state and in a second operating mode operating the outer screen to be transparent, the shutter to be in the open state, and the backlighting assembly in the second state.

9. The helmet of claim 8 , wherein the controller switches back and forth between the first and second operating modes at a rate greater than the flicker fusion rate.

10. The helmet of claim 8 , wherein the light sources each comprises an LED mounted on a support panel on a surface facing the outer screen, wherein the support panel is opaque to light except through at least one opening or light passageway, and wherein the shutter extends over the at least one opening or light passageway.

11. The helmet of claim 10 wherein the LEDs are white LEDs.

12. The helmet of claim 8 , wherein the shutter comprises a 3D glasses lens or a film of LC material.

13. The helmet of claim 8 , wherein the backlighting assembly further comprises a mask element, whereby a pattern is projected onto the outer screen when the controller operates in the first operating mode.

14. A special effects and vision assembly for use in headgear, comprising:
a controller;
an outer screen switchable between being transparent to translucent to light;
a shutter switchable between being transparent to light and being substantially opaque to light;
a support panel disposed between the shutter and the outer screen;
a plurality of LEDs position on a surface of the support panel that faces the outer screen; and
a controller during a first operating phase operating the outer screen to be translucent, the shutter to be substantially opaque, and the LEDs to be on and emitting light onto the outer screen and during a second operating phase operating the outer screen to be transparent, the shutter to be transparent, and the LEDs to be off.

15. The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the outer screen comprises one or more sheets of PDLC material.

16. The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the shutter comprises a film of LC material.

17. The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the support panel has a body formed of an opaque material, wherein the body has at least one hole or opening through which light may pass, and wherein the shutter extends over the at least one hole or opening.

18. The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the controller, during operations of the assembly, switches between the first and second operating phases at a rate greater than about 24 Hz.

19. The assembly of claim 18 , wherein the rate is in the range of 45 to 60 Hz.

20. An apparatus for use as headgear providing visual effects, comprising:
a shell with an interior space for receiving a person's head, wherein the shell includes at least one opening to the interior space; and
an optical assembly mounted in the interior space of the shell, the optical assembly comprising:
an outer screen switchable between a rear projection (RP) screen state and a transparent state;
a backlighting assembly with a plurality of lights switchable between a first state with the lights powered on and a second state with the lights powered off; and
a controller switching between operating the optical assembly in a first operating state with the outer screen in the RP screen state and the backlighting assembly in the first state to illuminate a rear surface of the outer screen with light from the lights and in a second operating state with the outer screen in the transparent state and the backlighting assembly in the second state to allow light to pass through the outer screen into the interior space of the shell,

wherein the optical assembly further comprises a shutter assembly,
wherein the backlighting assembly is disposed between the shutter assembly and the outer screen,
wherein the shutter assembly comprises a shutter switchable between a dark or opaque state and a transparent state, and
wherein the controller operates the shutter in the dark or opaque state during the first operating state of the optical assembly and in the transparent state during the second operating state.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the outer screen comprises a film of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) material.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the shutter comprises a sheet of liquid crystal (LC) material.

Assignees

• Disney Entpr Inc

Inventors

• Smoot Lanny S

Classifications

• G02F1/137 Primary

  characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering · CPC title

• A42B3/042

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

• G02F1/1334 Primary

  based on polymer dispersed liquid crystals, e.g. microencapsulated liquid crystals · CPC title

• G02F1/133603

  with LEDs · CPC title

• G02F2001/13756

  Physics · mapped topic