KR101374699B1 - Electronic Sunglasses and Method for driving the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electronic sunglasses and a method for driving an electronic sunglasses, the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention includes an ambient light sensor for detecting the ambient light intensity; A light amount control module unit outputting a gray voltage using an ambient light intensity signal received from the ambient light sensor unit; An electronic lens unit controlling light transmittance by the gray voltage; And a power management unit for supplying power to the ambient light sensor unit, the light amount control module unit, and the electronic lens unit, and the electronic sunglasses driving method according to the present invention includes: detecting the ambient light intensity using the ambient light sensor unit; Outputting a gray voltage using an ambient light intensity signal received from the ambient light sensor; And adjusting the light transmittance of the electronic lens unit by the gray voltage.

Description

Electronic Sunglasses and Method for driving the same

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to electronic sunglasses and a driving method thereof. More particularly, the electronic sunglasses and the driving method of the electronic sunglasses including the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer can be controlled by adjusting the gray scale voltage according to the ambient light intensity. It is about a method.

In general, sunglasses are well known in the art as they give color to glass or transparent plastic material to prevent glare by the effect of coloring and to prevent the ultraviolet rays in the sunlight from reaching the eye by incorporating an ultraviolet absorber into the lens Has been used for the purpose of. These tinted sunglasses only have the effect of darkening the object and the field of view as the effect of coloring and the function of suppressing the transmission of ultraviolet rays by including a UV absorber, so it can be used in outdoor spaces where sunlight shines but objects in tunnels or indoor spaces There is a disadvantage that the view is dark. Especially when driving, it becomes very dangerous.

Therefore, in response to the ultraviolet rays of sunlight, the lens becomes darker due to the action of a photochromic compound in the outdoor space, and the photoreversible discoloring sunglasses lens that becomes brighter in the room without ultraviolet rays such as indoors or tunnels. It is commercially available. However, these photoreversible discoloration sunglasses lenses have a long discoloration change rate (70% in 15 seconds in the outdoors, 95% in 30 seconds, 50% in 2 minutes, and 80% in 5 minutes in the room). ), UV protection coating on the windshield of the car will reduce discoloration, and in particular, it will block the polarized dazzling reflected light (transverse wave), which is reflected and refracted from the road, vehicle and other reflectors. I have a problem that can't be solved.

On the other hand, the polarized lens presented differently is not only a function of a colored lens or a photo-reversible discolored sunglasses lens, but also a polarizing plate having a vertical mesh structure for polarized dazzling interference light that enters the field of view while being refracted by roads, vehicles and other reflectors. Since it is embedded between the lenses, the effect of blocking the transverse reflection is more effective, and is attracting attention as a sunglasses lens material that is one step further than the conventional lens. However, the polarizing lens is essentially dyed with PVA (Polyvinylalchohol) with a certain concentration of iodine (Iodine). As a result of the dyeing process, the color or color is fixed. There is a problem that the visible phenomenon occurs.

In addition, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-0019767 relates to a photoreversible color shifting polarized sunglasses lens and a manufacturing method, and complements the disadvantages of a polarized lens and a disadvantage of a photochromic lens. Attempts have been made to combine the advantages of and the advantages of photoreversible discoloration lenses to provide the characteristics of photoreversible and polarizing lenses, but this has not been a fundamental solution of photoreversible and polarizing lenses.

The present invention was devised to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and the discoloration speed of the lens is fast according to the condition of the ambient light, and it is possible to block polarized dazzling interference light entering the field of view while refracting from the road and other reflectors of the vehicle. The present invention also provides an electronic sunglasses and a driving method thereof, in which objects or a field of view are not dark even in a tunnel or an indoor space.

In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention includes an ambient light sensor unit for detecting the ambient light intensity; A light amount control module unit outputting a gray voltage using an ambient light intensity signal received from the ambient light sensor unit; An electronic lens unit controlling light transmittance by the gray voltage; And a power management unit supplying power to the ambient light sensor unit, the light amount control module unit, and the electronic lens unit.

The light amount control module may include a controller for detecting the ambient light intensity signal and outputting a control signal according to the magnitude of the ambient light intensity signal, and a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) driver unit for outputting a gray scale voltage according to the control signal. do.

The electronic lens unit includes a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer formed between a first electrode and a second electrode made of a transparent conductive material, and the electronic lens unit forms the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer on a transparent lens base material. The polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer formed by laminating or formed by dispersing a liquid crystal droplet in a lens base material made of a polymer material may be formed.

The power management unit may further include a power failure determination unit generating an interrupt signal according to whether the battery is low power or needs to be charged.

In addition, the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention may further include a mode selection unit for selecting one of the pedestrian mode or driving mode, a human body detecting unit for turning on / off the power by determining whether to wear the electronic lens unit. The layer may further include at least one functional layer selected from a hard coating layer, an anti-reflection layer, and an anti-fog layer.

Electronic sunglasses driving method according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of detecting the ambient light intensity using the ambient light sensor; Outputting a gray voltage using an ambient light intensity signal received from the ambient light sensor; And adjusting the light transmittance of the electronic lens unit by the gray voltage.

In the adjusting of the light transmittance of the electronic lens unit, the electronic lens unit may be added between the first electrode and the second electrode of the electronic lens unit including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer formed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The light transmittance of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer is controlled by adjusting the magnitude of the gray voltage.

In addition, generating an interrupt signal, selecting one of a pedestrian mode or a driving mode, or detecting a human body using a human body detector according to whether a battery that supplies power is low power or needs to be charged. Supplying, and if the human body is not detected for a period of time may further comprise the step of shutting off the power.

According to the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention and the driving method thereof, the discoloration speed of the lens is fast according to the state of ambient light, and polarized polarized light entering the field of view while reflecting and refracting from the road and other reflectors of the vehicle, which the conventional sunglasses did not block in the sunlight. It is possible to block the dazzling interference light, and at the same time, it is possible to prevent the ultraviolet rays in the sunlight from reaching the eye without seeing the object or the field of view dark even in the tunnel or indoor space.

1 is a perspective view showing an electronic sunglasses according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
2 is a block diagram showing the main components of the electronic sunglasses according to an embodiment of the present invention,
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving an electronic sunglasses according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
4A to 4B are flowcharts illustrating an interrupt process of the electronic sunglasses according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view showing an electronic sunglasses according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the main components of the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention. 1 to 2, the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention includes an ambient light sensor unit 100, a light amount control module unit 200 for outputting a gray voltage using an ambient light intensity signal, and light by the gray voltage. An electronic lens unit 300 for adjusting the transmittance, and a power management unit 400 for supplying power.

The ambient light sensor unit 100 outputs an ambient light intensity signal by detecting the intensity of the ambient light determined by the surrounding environment by using the semiconductor light receiving element.

The light amount control module unit 200 receives an ambient light intensity signal output from the ambient light sensor unit 100 and outputs a gray voltage using the light intensity control module unit 200. The light amount control module unit 200 detects the ambient light intensity signal. And a control unit 210 for outputting a control signal according to the magnitude of the ambient light intensity signal and a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) driver unit 220 for outputting a gray scale voltage according to the control signal.

Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) is a complex of a liquid crystal and a polymer, and has a film form in which liquid crystal droplets of several to several tens of μm are dispersed in a polymer. Generally, commercially available liquid crystal display devices use a polarizing plate and a liquid crystal alignment layer. However, in the case of a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) device, light transmission is controlled by using a refractive index difference between the liquid crystal and a polymer without using a polarizing plate and an alignment layer. It is possible to obtain various operating characteristics by various liquid crystal phases and various combinations. In addition, the polymer matrix constituting the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) has a high impact resistance because it serves as a rigid substrate.

The polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) is formed by mixing a raw material of a polymer material cured by ultraviolet light or heat with a liquid crystal and injecting it into a liquid crystal specimen, and then exposing it to ultraviolet light or heat to form a polymer. The molecules and the polymer cause phase separation to form small liquid crystal droplets between the polymer networks. Since the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal droplets are arranged in an arbitrary direction, a difference occurs between the effective refractive index of the liquid crystal droplet and the refractive index of the polymer, and the incident light is opaquely scattered. On the other hand, when a voltage is applied from the outside, the liquid crystal molecules are aligned in one direction to be equal to the refractive index of the polymer, and the incident light is transparent to the specimen. The alignment state of the liquid crystal molecules is changed according to the magnitude of the voltage applied to the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC), and thus the degree of transmittance of light passing through the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer is controlled to enable gray scale expression.

In the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention, the electronic lens unit 300 includes a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer formed between the first electrode and the second electrode made of a transparent conductive material. The first electrode to the second electrode may be made of a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) such as ITO or a transparent conductive polymer material, but is not particularly limited thereto. The liquid crystal inside the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer may use various liquid crystals such as nematic liquid crystals, cholesteric liquid crystals, smectic liquid crystals, ferroelectric liquid crystals, and especially ferroelectric liquid crystals. In this case, high-speed response, which is an advantage of ferroelectric liquid crystals, can be obtained, and at the same time, driving capable of gray scale display can be easily obtained.

The electronic lens unit 300 is opaque when no voltage is applied to the first to second electrodes, and the gray scale voltage output from the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) driver unit 220 of the light amount control module unit 200 is reduced. When applied to the first to second electrodes, the light transmittance is adjusted according to the magnitude of the gray voltage.

Due to the rapid response of the liquid crystal array to the applied voltage, the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer has a response speed of several hundred μs to several ms, and it is possible to change the transmittance of the sunglasses lens rapidly according to the change of the ambient light intensity. The light transmittance is adjusted according to the degree of scattering by the arrangement of the liquid crystals in the liquid crystal droplets regardless of polarization, thereby blocking polarized dazzling interference rays entering the field of view while refracting from the road and other reflectors of the vehicle. Therefore, the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention can automatically adjust the light transmittance of the sunglasses lens according to the intensity of the ambient light detected by the ambient light sensor unit 100 can solve the problems of the prior art.

In the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention, the electronic lens unit 300 may be formed by stacking a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer on a transparent lens base material constituting the sunglasses lens. The transparent lens base material may be selected from glass or plastic materials.

In addition, the electronic lens unit 300 is mixed with the polymer material constituting the transparent lens base material and the liquid crystal and exposed to ultraviolet rays or heat in the process of forming into a lens to induce phase separation of the liquid crystal molecules and the polymer to form a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC). It may also form a layer. At this time, the lens base material is made of a plastic material.

In addition, the electronic lens unit 300 includes a functional layer such as an ultraviolet blocking layer that blocks ultraviolet rays in sunlight, a hard coating layer that prevents scratches due to external impact, an antireflection layer that prevents reflection of external light, or an antifog layer. It can be further stacked in one or a plurality of combination forms. The position of the functional layer is not particularly limited to the upper portion of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer, the lower portion of the lens base material, or the like.

The electronic sunglasses according to the present invention includes a power management unit 400 for supplying power to the ambient light sensor unit 100, the light amount control module unit 200, and the electronic lens unit 300. The power manager 400 includes a battery 410, a DC-DC unit 420, a constant voltage unit 430, and a charge manager 440. The battery 410 may be a rechargeable battery or a coin battery as a power supply of the electronic sunglasses, and in the case of the rechargeable battery, may be charged by the charge manager 440.

In addition, the power manager 400 may further include a power failure determiner 450 that generates an interrupt signal according to whether the battery 410 is low power or needs to be charged. When the power abnormality determination unit 450 determines the low power state when the voltage of the battery 410 is lower than a predetermined voltage (for example, 3.3V) and generates a battery low power interrupt signal, and the battery 410 is a rechargeable battery Generates a battery charge interrupt signal.

The electronic sunglasses according to the present invention may further include an input / output unit 500 for inputting or outputting a signal. The input / output unit 500 includes a power switch unit 510 capable of turning on / off power, a mode selection unit 520 for selecting one from a pedestrian mode or a driving mode, and an LED status display unit 530 indicating a state of electronic sunglasses. And the like.

The power switch 510 may manually turn on / off the power, or may automatically turn on / off the power by determining whether the user wears sunglasses using a human body detecting unit (not shown). For example, when wearing glasses, the human body is sensed and switched to the power ON state, and when the glasses are not worn, the power is switched off after a predetermined time (30 seconds) or more.

The mode selector 520 selects a driving mode of the electronic sungrass, and may select the driving mode and the walking mode. As shown in Table 1, in each mode, various environments may be set for each mode, and light transmittance and change rate suitable for each environment may be set. For example, since the driving mode is a state in which the vehicle is fast to move on, it has a function to detect the entrance of the tunnel and the light of the other vehicle, and can set the speed of light transmittance to be changed quickly. Because of the slow moving state by changing the shadow of the surrounding environment and the ambient light during indoor / outdoor movement can be set so that the change rate of light transmittance is constant. However, the setting values for the light transmittance and the rate of change for each mode are not particularly limited and may be changed depending on the purpose.

The LED status display unit 530 may indicate the state of the electronic sunglasses by emitting light in different colors and modes (time, lighting interval, etc.) according to a power on / off state, a selected mode, a battery low power interrupt or a battery charging interrupt.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving an electronic sunglasses according to the present invention, the electronic sunglasses driving method according to another embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of detecting the ambient light intensity using the ambient light sensor; Outputting a gray voltage using an ambient light intensity signal received from the ambient light sensor; And adjusting the light transmittance of the electronic lens unit by the gray voltage.

Looking at the driving method of the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention in detail with reference to Figure 3, first supplying power through the power switch unit of the electronic sunglasses, in this case may be supplied to the power when the human body detection by the human body detection unit, Power may be supplied manually using the provided power switch.

Next, the operation mode or the walking mode is selected using the mode selection unit. Each time the push button of the mode selector is pressed, the mode may be set to change sequentially. In this case, the driving mode of the electronic sunglasses is determined according to the selected mode.

Thereafter, the light transmittance is controlled by a driving set value preset for each mode, the method comprising: detecting an ambient light intensity using an ambient light sensor unit; Outputting a gray voltage using an ambient light intensity signal received from the ambient light sensor; And adjusting the light transmittance of the electronic lens unit by the gray scale voltage.

In this case, as shown in Table 1, the step of outputting the gray scale voltage is preferably based on a preset driving set value (condition / light transmittance) for each mode. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may change the driving set value differently as necessary. It is possible.

In the adjusting of the light transmittance of the electronic lens unit 300, the first lens of the electronic lens unit 300 may include a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer formed between a first electrode and a second electrode made of a transparent conductive material. The light transmittance of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer is controlled by adjusting the magnitude of the gray voltage added between the electrode and the second electrode. Accordingly, according to the electronic sunglasses driving method according to the present invention it is possible to provide a sunglasses having a light transmittance appropriately changed according to the state of the surroundings in which the user is located.

As a next step, when the power failure determination unit 450 determines whether the battery supplying power is low power or needs to be charged, and judges it as a power failure, it generates ① battery low power interrupt signal or ② battery charge interrupt signal according to the result. do.

4A to 4B are flowcharts illustrating an interrupt process of the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 4A to 4B, the process according to each interrupt is determined. In the battery low power interrupt process, it is determined whether the voltage of the battery is less than or equal to a predetermined voltage (for example, 3.3 V). Display it through so that the user can recognize it. Interrupt is terminated when the battery voltage is higher than the predetermined voltage by replacing the coin battery or charging the rechargeable battery.

In the battery charging interrupt process, first, the charging mode is determined, and when it is determined that the charging mode is bonded, the battery is charged by closing the electronic lens unit. After that, when it is determined that the voltage of the rechargeable battery is equal to or higher than the predetermined voltage, the charging is completed and the interruption is terminated. The battery may be displayed through the LED status display unit 530 during charging or completion of charging.

If there is no abnormality in the power supply judging step, the electronic sunglasses driving step is continued. If the human body is continuously detected through the human body detector, the power is continuously supplied. If the human body is not detected for a certain period of time, the power is cut off. do. In this case, the power may be manually cut off using a separate power switch.

As described above, according to the electronic sunglasses according to the present invention and the driving method thereof, the transmittance of the sunglasses lens is rapidly changed according to the change of the ambient light intensity by using a polymer dispersion liquid crystal (PDLC) layer having a fast response speed and an ambient light sensor. In addition, the light transmittance is adjusted according to the degree of scattering by the arrangement of liquid crystals in the liquid crystal droplets regardless of polarization or not, thereby preventing polarized dazzling interference rays entering the field of view while refracting from the road and other reflectors of the vehicle. It becomes possible.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but many variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

100: ambient light sensor unit 200: light amount control module unit
210: control unit 220: PDLC driver unit
300: electronic lens unit 400: power management unit
410: battery 420: DC-DC unit
430: constant voltage unit 440: charge management unit
450: power abnormality determination unit 500: input / output unit
510: power switch unit 520: mode selection unit
530: LED status display

Claims (14)

An ambient light sensor unit for detecting ambient light intensity;
A light amount control module unit for detecting an ambient light intensity signal received from the ambient light sensor unit, outputting a control signal according to the magnitude of the ambient light intensity signal, and outputting a gray scale voltage according to the control signal;
An electronic lens unit including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer formed between a first electrode and a second electrode made of a transparent conductive material, the light transmittance of which is controlled by the gray voltage; And
Electronic sunglasses including a power management unit for supplying power to the ambient light sensor unit, the light amount control module unit and the electronic lens unit. delete delete The method of claim 1,
The electronic lens unit is formed by stacking the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer on a transparent lens base material. The method of claim 1,
And the electronic lens unit comprises the polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer formed by dispersing a liquid crystal drop in a lens base material made of a polymer material. The method of claim 1,
The power manager includes a power failure determination unit for generating an interrupt signal according to whether the battery is low power or needs to be charged. The method according to any one of claims 1, 4, 5 or 6,
Electronic sunglasses further comprising a mode selection unit for selecting one of the pedestrian mode or driving mode. The method according to any one of claims 1, 4, 5 or 6,
Electronic sunglasses further comprising a human body sensing unit for determining whether to wear the power on / off. The method according to any one of claims 1, 4, 5 or 6,
The electronic lens unit may further include at least one functional layer selected from a UV blocking layer, a hard coating layer, an antireflection layer, and an antifog layer. (a) detecting the ambient light intensity using the ambient light sensor unit;
(b) detecting an ambient light intensity signal received from the ambient light sensor unit, outputting a control signal according to the magnitude of the ambient light intensity signal, and outputting a gray scale voltage according to the control signal; And
(c) adjusting the light transmittance of the electronic lens unit including a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer formed between the first electrode and the second electrode made of a transparent conductive material by the gray scale voltage; . delete 11. The method of claim 10,
And generating an interrupt signal according to whether the battery to be supplied is low power or needs to be charged. 11. The method of claim 10,
The electronic sunglasses driving method further comprising the step of selecting one of the pedestrian mode or driving mode. 11. The method of claim 10,
And detecting power to the human body by detecting a human body and supplying power to the human body and disconnecting the power when the human body is not detected for a certain period of time.

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