WO2019077478A1

WO2019077478A1 - Protective device for the protection of the eyes

Info

Publication number: WO2019077478A1
Application number: PCT/IB2018/057994
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mauro Coccoli; Fabio BORSANI; Davide Moscatelli
Original assignee: Eye Tech Lab Srl
Current assignee: Eye Tech Lab Srl
Priority date: 2017-10-17
Filing date: 2018-10-16
Publication date: 2019-04-25
Anticipated expiration: 2020-04-17
Also published as: IT201700117172A1

Abstract

The object of the invention is a protective device for the protection of the eyes of a user, in particular for industrial use. The device comprises a frame (10) comprising a front portion (102), protective lenses (30) attached to the frame (10) and vibration (50) and/or light (40) signalling means installed on the frame in such a way as to be perceptible by the user who wears the protective device. The signaling means are activated by an input signal or by a control signal obtained from a processing of said input signal, the input signal coming from at least one signal generator device (70, 90) comprising at least a first sensor or transducer selected from: air quality sensor, formaldehyde sensor, radon sensor, CO sensor, CO2 sensor. The signal generator device is mounted on the protective device or externally thereto.

Description

PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE EYES'

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to a protective device that can be worn by a user for the protection of the eyes, such as a pair of glasses, mask or visor, in particular for industrial use. In the sector of these protective devices, used that is in more critical environments or situations for the user with respect for example to traditional eyewear, the need is increasingly felt to supply the user, through the same eyewear, further information with respect to that which can be obtained from the vision of the surrounding environment.

The possibility of conveying additional information through the eyewear also allows the user not to have the hands or other parts of the body engaged by means able to supply this information.

For example, eyewear with augmented reality, is recently employed in the sport sector in the form of goggles or helmet. At the aim of the present description "goggles" are defined as eyewear provided with an elastic band which is connected to the frame and guarantees the fixing of the goggles to the head of the user. The "glasses" or "spectacles", instead, are defined as eyewear whose frame having a nose support that guarantees the positioning and the stability of the spectacles themselves. In the patent application WO 2012/046156 Al, goggles for use in sport (e.g. swimming) activities, is disclosed. These goggles are provided with light signaling means installed so as to be perceptible by the user. The signaling means are actuated by signals coming from acceleration sensor and/ or a magnetometer and/ or a gyroscope and/ or a position sensor and/ or an orientation sensor in order to obtain a feedback about, for example, the head's orientation, and thus improving the coaching.

JP H08 122063 A, instead, describes a pair of goggles for paraglider pilots, provided with light emitting elements whose light emission degree and direction change on

l the basis of the value of the flight-rising and the flight-lowering.

In the applications WO 2015/038527 Al and US 2014/223647 Al, a pair of goggles for use by a swimmer, are described having a pair of light emitting devices that communicate with a GPS navigation module in order to help the swimmer to maintain a consistent heading on an established course. US 2017/ 287441 Al discloses a helmet and a pair of goggle for use in motorcycling, having electronic sensors to provide signals indicating, for example, the risk of hard impact. Such sensors are connected to a visual display system integrated in the helmet or in the goggles.

Eyewear with augmented reality, also known as "smart glasses", is starting to be applied also in the industrial sector. WO 20147056543 Al discloses, in particular, a personal laser protection device with light signaling means installed so as to be perceptible by the user and to alert him/her of the eventuality of incident laser radiation. For this purpose, the light emitting elements are connected with a laser detection device mounted on the protection device.

However these glasses, as well as requiring particular technical systems for their production in order to be able to be used as protective eyewear pursuant to regulations, are particularly costly and cannot therefore be used on a large scale. The object of the present invention is that of proposing a protective device for the eyes, in particular for industrial use, able to supply to the user additional information, in particular with the aim of improving the safety of the same user.

Another object of the invention is that of proposing a protective device for the eyes for industrial use, able to supply to the user additional information without a substantial increase in the complexity, and therefore in the costs, of the structure of the device.

Said objects are achieved with a protective device according to claim 1.

The dependent claims describe preferred embodiments of the invention.

The features and the advantages of the protective device according to the invention will in any case be made clearer by the following description given of its preferred embodiments, given by way of a non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 shows a protective device according to the invention, in a first embodiment;

- Figure 2 is a perspective view of a protective device according to the invention, in a second embodiment, with protective lenses separate from the frame;

- Figure 3 is a view from the inside of the front part of the protective device of Figure 2, with the lenses mounted on the frame;

- Figure 4 shows, schematically, an electronic board integrated in the frame of the protective device; and

- Figure 5 illustrates, schematically, a protective device according to the invention, in another embodiment variant. Here below, in the description, elements common to the various embodiments of the invention will be denoted by the same reference numerals.

In said drawings 1 denotes, as a whole, a protective device suitable for protecting the eyes of a user. The example shown in the drawings and described here below relates in particular to protective glasses.

It is however clear to the person skilled in the art that the teaching at the basis of the present invention can be equally applied to masks, visors or other protective devices provided with lenses. In a general embodiment the glasses 1 comprise a frame 10 and protective lenses 30 attached to the frame 10. The frame 10 comprises a front portion 102. In one embodiment the frame also comprises two side temples 104, each hinged to a respective end of the front portion 102. For example, in the case of a mask, in place of the side temples 104 an elastic band is used, suitable for surrounding the head of the user.

The protective lenses 30 extend frontally and laterally with respect to the face of the user so as to protect the eyes from external agents coming from front, side, top and bottom directions.

In one embodiment, illustrated in particular in Figures 2 and 3, the protective lenses 30 comprise a front portion 301, which protects the eyes frontally, and a perimeter portion 304 which, being slanted with respect to the front portion 301, joins the latter to the forehead, to the cheekbones, to the nose and to the zones of the temples of the user, therefore protecting the eyes in lateral or radial directions.

In one embodiment, the protective lenses 30 or the frame 10 are provided with an element 302 for resting on the nose.

In one embodiment, the protective lenses 30 are made in transparent polycarbonate and are coated and/ or subjected to treatments so as to be resistant to scratches.

In a preferred embodiment the protective lenses 30 are suitable for conferring to the glasses 10 type approval with respect to the safety regulations relating to PPD (personal protective devices) and in particular compliance with the standard EN 166, cat. 2, impact resistance F or F (T) or B (for masks). In an embodiment illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the protective lenses 30 are hooked removably to the front portion 102 of the frame 10.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the glasses 1 are provided with light 40 and/ or vibration 50 signaling means installed on the frame in such a way as to be perceptible by the user who wears the glasses.

The signaling means 40, 50 can be activated by an input signal or by a control signal obtained from a processing of the input signal. The input signal comes from at least one signal generator device mounted on the protective glasses or externally thereto. In one embodiment the light signaling means 40 are made with at least one light source 42, for example of the LED type, suitable for emitting a light signal in the visual field of the user.

For example the light sources 42 can be LED punctiform sources, apt to emit a report signal. For example the light sources can be switched between a condition of source switched off and a condition of source switched on.

In one embodiment variant several punctiform sources of different colour (for example RGB) are present which can be activated selectively in order to display the same amount of information to be transmitted to the user. In other embodiments the light source can be controlled in terms of colour and/ or light flux to supply to the user also quality information on a certain event or situation.

For example the glasses are fitted with a sensor for measurement of distance with respect to a target, for example based on flight time, and a LED of blue or green colour which lights up when the glasses are distant from the target and a LED of red colour which lights up when the target is close are used. In one embodiment the vibration signaling means 50 are apt to confer a vibration to the frame or a part thereof when activated by an electrical piloting current.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the signal generator device is mounted on the frame and comprises one or more sensors or transducers 70.

For example the sensors or transducers 70 are chosen from: compass, gyroscope, accelerometer, photography camera, video camera, infrared camera, temperature sensor, air quality sensor, formaldehyde sensor, radon sensor, CO sensor, CO2 sensor, flight time sensor, proximity sensor. In accordance with one aspect of the invention the glasses are provided with a processing unit 80.

In one embodiment, the air quality sensor are volatile organic compound (VOC) sensors. More particularly, VOC sensor monitors the air quality of the environment by reacting to the concentration of airborne odours such as smoke, cooking odours, bio-effluence, outdoor pollutants or odours from human activities.

In one embodiment the processing unit 80 is apt to process an input signal so as to transform it into a control signal apt to pilot the light 40 signaling means and/ or vibration 50 signaling means.

In one embodiment, the processing unit 80 is apt to compare the input signal with a pre-established threshold value and to generate the control signal when the input signal exceeds this threshold value. In one embodiment, the signal generator device, for example a sensor or transducer, is external to the glasses. Figure 5 illustrates for example a thermal camera 90 apt to transmit a signal indicating the temperature measured.

In this case the glasses are provided with communication means 100 of the wireless type, for example based on Wi-Fi, BT, GSM, GPS protocols, or of the wired type, for example USB, apt to receive, for example through an input port 60, physical or logical, an input signal coming from the remote signal generator and to transmit the input signal directly to the signaling means or to a processing unit apt to generate the control signal.

In one embodiment the electric and electronic devices installed on the glasses are powered by a power supply battery also installed on the frame of the glasses. The schematic drawing of Figure 4 shows an electronic board 200 shaped in such a way as to be integrated in the front portion 102 of the frame 100.

Mounted on this electronic board are a LED light source 42, an input port 60 and a sensor 70, for example an accelerometer.

In one embodiment the processing unit 80, digital or analogue, is configured to convert the electrical signal coming from the signal generator, for example the sensor 70, into a discrete (on/ off) or continuous control signal, for example in order to perform a modulation of colour and/ or of intensity. Moreover, the electronic board 200 is provided with a Wi-Fi communication module 100 in order to receive input signals from remote devices 90 and/ or to transmit to remote devices the signal provided by the accelerometer.

In fact in one embodiment wherein the glasses are provided both with at least one sensor and/ or transducer and communication means, the glasses can also perform the function of remote sensor in a network of an environment wherein they are operating, so as to communicate this information (via the communication) to devices connected to this network or to another system interconnected thereto.

In one possible example of application, the glasses are provided with a proximity sensor able to detect the approaching of an object potentially hazardous to the user, for example a vehicle which is moving inside an industrial environment, such as a transpallet, so as to warn the user of the potential danger by means of a vibration and/ or light signal. Another example of application provides for the glasses to receive an input signal from an external device subjected to a change of state, for example the end of an activity, a request for intervention or the activation of an alarm. Another example of application provides for the glasses to be provided with communication means apt to receive broadcast messages, for example an alarm message. For example, thanks to these communication means, a fire alarm of the factory is reported on the glasses in the form of a vibration and/ or light signal, so as to allow the user to detect the alarm signal also in the case where he or she is in a particularly noisy environment or is provided with headphones. The protective glasses described above are particularly suitable in all those applications where the conveying of complex information is not required, yet a simple and immediate communication is required of a state of the system or of the environment in which the user who wears the glasses is working, which is simple information, a fault or again an alarm.

These communications can be conveyed directly into the visual field of the user through simple light signals, or through a vibration signal. It has in fact been found that among all the signals that can be transferred to the user, the direct ones in the visual field are recognised as the most efficient and effective. The vibration, appropriately modulated, is also unlikely to be "disturbed" by typical sensorial noise of an industrial environment.

A person skilled in the art may bring changes, adaptations and replacements of elements with other functionally equivalent ones to the embodiments of the protective device according to the invention in order to meet contingent needs, without departing from the scope of the following claims. Each of the features described as belonging to a possible embodiment can be realised independently from the other embodiments described.

Claims

PROTECTIVE DEVICE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE EYES' CLAIMS

1. A protective device for the protection of the eyes of a user, for industrial use, selected from: a pair of glasses, a mask, or a visor, said protective device comprising:

- a frame (10) comprising a front portion (102);

- protective lenses (30) fixed to the frame (10) and protruding frontally and laterally with respect to the face of the user in order to protect the eyes from external agents coming from the front, side, top and bottom directions;

- light (40) and/ or vibration (50) signaling means installed on the frame so as to be perceptible by the user of the protective device, said signaling means being actuated by an input signal or a control signal obtained by processing said input signal, the input signal coming from at least one signal generator device (70, 90);

characterized in that said signal generator device is mounted on the frame and comprises: at least a first sensor or transducer selected from: air quality sensor, formaldehyde sensor, radon sensor, CO sensor, CO2 sensor.

2. A protective device for the protection of the eyes of a user for industrial use, selected from: a pair of glasses, a mask, or a visor, said protective device comprising:

a frame (10) comprising a front portion (102);

characterized in that said signal generator device is external to the device and comprises at least a first sensor or transducer selected from: air quality sensor, formaldehyde sensor, radon sensor, CO sensor, CO2 sensor.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the signal generator device comprises at least a second sensor o transducer selected from: infrared camera, temperature sensor, flight time sensor, proximity sensor.

4. The device according to any of the preceding claim, wherein the at least first sensor is a volatile organic compound (V OC) sensor.

5. The device according to the preceding claim, comprising light signaling means provided with at least one light source (42), such as an LED, adapted to emit a light signal in the user's field of vision.

6. The device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising vibration signaling means (50) suitable to vibrate the frame or part thereof when activated by an electric drive current.

7. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a processing unit (80) suitable to receive the input signal and generate said control signal.

8. The device according to the preceding claim, wherein the processing unit is suitable to generate the control signal when the input signal exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

9. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising wireless communication means (100), for example based on Wi-Fi, BT, GSM, GPS or wired protocols, such as USB, suitable to receive an input signal from a remote signal generator and to transmit said input signal directly to the signaling means or to a processing unit suitable to generate the control signal.

10. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a power supply battery for the electrical power supply of electronic devices integrated in the protective device.