GB2561254A

GB2561254A - A head-worn mirror device

Info

Publication number: GB2561254A
Application number: GB1707480.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Adamczewski Marek
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2017-04-07
Filing date: 2017-05-10
Publication date: 2018-10-10
Anticipated expiration: 2037-05-10
Also published as: GB2561254B; GB201707480D0; PL421223A1

Abstract

A head-mounted mirror device 100, suitable for use as a rear-view mirror for example when riding a bicycle and may block unwanted overlapping images due to parallax when viewing a mirror. The device a longitudinal support 110, a headband 170 attached to the support 110 for mounting the support 110 on a forehead above the users eyes. A mirror 130 is attached to the support 110 which itself comprises a first mirror area 131 located at a first side edge 111 of the support, a second mirror area 132 located at a second side edge 112 of the support, opposite the first edge and a separator 160 having non-transparent and non-reflective surface is located between the mirror areas 131, 132. The separator 160 comprises side areas 161, 162 adjacent to the mirror areas 131, 132 and having lower edges 163, 164 located higher than lower edges 133, 134 of the mirror areas 131, 132 and a protrusion 165 located between the side areas 161, 162 and having a lower edge 166 located lower than the lower edges 163, 164 of the side areas 161, 162 of the separator 160.

Description

(54) Title of the Invention: A head-worn mirror device

Abstract Title: HEAD-WORN REAR-VIEW MIRROR DEVICE (57) A head-mounted mirror device 100, suitable for use as a rear-view mirror for example when riding a bicycle and may block unwanted overlapping images due to parallax when viewing a mirror. The device a longitudinal support 110, a headband 170 attached to the support 110 for mounting the support 110 on a forehead above the user’s eyes. A mirror 130 is attached to the support 110 which itself comprises a first mirror area 131 located at a first side edge 111 of the support, a second mirror area 132 located at a second side edge 112 of the support, opposite the first edge and a separator 160 having non-transparent and non-reflective surface is located between the mirror areas 131, 132. The separator 160 comprises side areas 161, 162 adjacent to the mirror areas 131, 132 and having lower edges 163, 164 located higher than lower edges 133, 134 of the mirror areas 131, 132 and a protrusion 165 located between the side areas 161, 162 and having a lower edge 166 located lower than the lower edges 163, 164 of the side areas 161, 162 of the separator 160.

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Fig. 9A

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Fig. 10A

A HEAD-WORN MIRROR DEVICE

The present invention relates to a head-worn mirror device, which functions as a rear-view mirror.

There are known various types of observational devices in form of head-worn mirror devices, which allow observation of an area located behind a user. Such mirrors are particularly useful when riding a bicycle or similar vehicles. They may have a form of glasses with mirrors, mirrors mounted to helmets or caps. Such mirrors allow easy and quick change of the observed field of view by slightly rotating the user's head, which is impossible in case of mirrors mounted to the vehicle, such as mirrors mounted to a handlebar (which require manual adjustment). Another advantage over handlebarmounted mirrors is that when the handlebar is rotated, the observation of the area located behind the vehicle is not possible via the handlebar mirror.

A US patent US3423150A presents glasses equipped with two mirrors installed near lenses in corners of a frame. The mirrors are rotatable about a vertical axis, what allows to adjust the angle of view of an area located behind a user. The mirrors may be also mounted on the frame which does not have lenses and is supported on ears and a nose of the user. Such frame with mirrors may be utilized by pedestrians to observe a wider field of view for example during crossing of a street, and also by soldiers for observation of the region located behind them, to avoid a back attack. This solution requires glasses with a frame having a special structure, which cannot be utilized by users wearing daily use glasses.

A US patent application US20060005303A1 presents a helmet with a mirror, which is installed under a peak of the helmet above a line of eyes of a user. The mirror allows the user (in particular a baseball player) to observe an area or objects located behind the user, without the necessity of rotating the head.

A US patent application US20130182345A1 presents a mirror attached to a head-worn headband. The mirror is attached to the headband by means of a strut, which allows adjustment of the mirror position in order to define the observed area located behind the user.

There is a need to provide an alternative construction of a head-worn mirror device that would be particularly useful for vehicle users, in particular for cyclists.

There is disclosed a head-worn mirror device comprising: a longitudinal support; a headband attached to the support for mounting the support on a forehead above a line of user eyes; a mirror attached to the support and comprising: a first mirror area located at a first side edge of the support; a second mirror area located at a second side edge of the support, opposite to the first side edge; and a separator having nontransparent and non-reflective surface is located between the mirror areas, the separator comprising: side areas adjacent to the mirror areas and having lower edges located above lower edges of the mirror areas; and a protrusion located between the side areas and having a lower edge located below the lower edges of the side areas of the separator.

The separator can be located in the same plane as the mirror areas.

The surface of the separator can be grey.

Each mirror area and the separator can be mounted pivotally about the axis being substantially in parallel to the line of eyes.

The first mirror area and the second mirror area can be mounted independently pivotally about the axis being substantially in parallel to the line of eyes.

The separator can be fixed to the support.

The support may have a form of a peak located above the mirror areas and the separator.

A surface of the mirror areas can be offset from a surface of the support abutting a user’s forehead by a distance (d1) less than 30mm.

A fluorescent element can be mounted on the support.

The fluorescent element may have a form of a longitudinal bar which is mounted in parallel to the line of user eyes.

An electroluminescent element can be mounted on the support.

The electroluminescent element may have a form of a longitudinal bar which is mounted in parallel to the line of eyes.

The support may have a longitudinal groove adapted to cooperate with pivotal elements on which the mirror areas and the separator are mounted.

The groove may have a substantially semi-circular cross-section.

The pivotal elements may have a substantially semi-circular cross-section.

The surface of the support located behind the mirror areas may comprise two surfaces being in parallel to the line of eyes, wherein one surface is inclined with respect to the second surface and allows the pivotal movement of the mirror areas.

Between the mirror areas and the separator outside the area of the support there can be located sunscreen elements.

Further details and features of the present invention, its nature and various advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments shown in drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 presents the head-worn mirror device according to the invention in an isometric view;

Fig. 2 presents the head-worn mirror device in a back view (without a headband);

Fig. 3 presents a support in a back view;

Fig. 4 presents the support in a side view;

Fig. 5 presents the support with pivoting elements in a back view;

Fig. 6 presents the head-worn mirror device in a front view;

Fig. 7 presents other embodiment of the support;

Fig. 8 presents schematically areas of view (a field of view) of user eyes when looking left;

Fig. 9A presents schematically the areas of view of the user eyes when looking left, in a top view;

Fig. 9B presents schematically the areas of view of the user eyes when looking right, in a top view;

Fig. 10A presents the exemplary embodiment of the observation device with a separator and a protrusion and sunscreen elements.

Fig. 1 presents a head-worn mirror device 100 according to the invention, comprising a longitudinal support 110, a headband 170 attached to the support 110, for mounting the support 110 on a forehead above a line of eyes, and a mirror 130 attached to the support 110. The device 100 allows observation of an area located behind a user without a necessity of significantly turning of the head.

The device 100 may be used when riding a bicycle or a similar vehicle. It solves, among others, a problem associated with mirrors installed on a handlebar, that do not allow observation of the area located behind the vehicle (and so behind the user), when the handlebar is turned during the ride. It can also be utilized in other situations, in which it is desirable to observe a region located behind the user just by means of eyeballs movement (not the whole head), for example when practising sports (skiing, cross-country, running etc.).

Fig. 2 presents the device 100 in a back view (without the headband). The mirror 130 comprises two areas, a first mirror area 131 located at one side edge 111 of the support 110 and a second mirror area 132 located at a second (opposite) side edge 112 ofthe support 110.

The mirror areas 131, 132 have a height h2, which can be from 20mm to 40mm, preferably 30mm. The mirror areas 131, 132 can be rounded at the side of the corresponding support edge according to its shape. Widths 11, I2 of the respective mirror areas 131, 132 can be from 25mm to 55mm, preferably 35mm.

The mirror areas 131, 132 can protrude outside the side edges 111, 112 of the support 110 to extend the field of view.

A separator 160 is provided between the first mirror area 131 and the second mirror area 132. The separator 160 is an area with a non-transparent, non-reflecting surface. Preferably, the separator 160 is located in the plane of the mirrors. The separator may have a colour which is uniform and natural for the human eye. Neutral colour is understood as a colour which does not attract the user's attention, or attracts it as minimally as possible. For example, the surface ofthe separator 160 may be grey.

The separator 160 has side areas 161, 162 adjacent to the mirror areas 131, 132, whose lower edges 163, 164 are located above lower edges 133, 134 of the mirror areas 131, 132 and have a height hi which can be from 10mm to 20mm, preferably 15mm. Additionally, the separator 160 in its middle portion has a protrusion 165, whose lower edge 166 is located below the lower edges 163, 164 of the side areas 161, 162 of the separator. A width d2 of the protrusion 165 can be equal from 25mm to 45mm, preferably 35mm. In the area of the protrusion 165, a height h3 of the separator 160 may be equal from hi to h2, preferably from 10mm to 50mm, preferably 35mm.

In a preferred embodiment of the device 100 according to the invention, the lower edge 166 of the protrusion 165 is located in line with the lower edges 133, 134 of the mirror areas 131, 132, such that the height h3 of the separator is equal to the height h2 of the mirrors.

The mirror areas 131, 132 and the separator 160 may be mounted pivotally about an axis which is in parallel to the line of eyes of the user. It allows to adjust the inclination of the mirror areas 131, 132 and the separator 160 with respect to the support 110, in order to adjust the angle of their inclination to the inclination of the head.

In another embodiment, each of the mirror areas 131, 132 may be mounted on separate pivoting elements 140 (shown in fig. 5) and therefore the inclination of the mirror areas 131, 132 may be adjusted independently. In such case, the separator 160 is fixed to the support and it constitutes its integral part and does not have a possibility to change the inclination angle.

The mirror areas 131, 132, at a certain area of their perimeter, may protrude outside the contour of the support 110, in order to be easier to grasp for the user to adjust their inclination.

Fig. 3 presents the support 110 in a back view. A longitudinal groove 115 is provided under the mirror areas 131, 132 on the support 110, which is adapted to cooperate with the pivotal elements 140, on which the mirror areas 131, 132 are mounted. The grooves 115 may have a semi-circular cross-section, which corresponds to the substantially semi-circular cross-section of the pivotal element 140 (shown in fig. 5).

Fig. 4 presents the support 110 in a side view. The surface of the support 110 located under the mirror 130 comprises two surfaces being in parallel to the line of eyes, wherein one surface 113 is inclined with respect to a second surface 114 to allow adjustment of the inclination angle of the mirror areas 131, 132 depending on the position of the user. Owing to this, for example, the user riding a bicycle in a straight position, may adjust the inclination of the mirror areas 131, 132 to a different angle than when riding in an inclined position, in order to observe a region located behind the user.

The support 110 has a form of a peak, which is located above the mirror areas 131, 132 and the separator 160 and protects them for example from rain. The peak also provides a protection for the user eyes against dazzling sun. The support 110 in the form of the peak also prevents from the unintentional change of the inclination angle of the mirror areas 131, 132 and the separator 160.

Preferably, an upper edge 135 of the mirror 130 and the separator 160 is distanced from the inner surface of the support 110 forming the peak, by a distance d3, which can be from 0,5mm to 3mm, in order to allow inclination of the mirror.

Fig. 5 presents the support 110 with the pivoting elements 140 in an isometric back view. The support 110 has a groove 115, which cooperates with the pivoting elements 140, on which the mirror 130 is mounted. The pivoting elements 140 are made of an elastic material, which makes it possible to insert them into the groove 115, in such a way that their pivotal movement inside the groove is possible and simultaneously it is not possible for them to move out of the groove alone.

Fig. 6 presents the device 100 in a front view. On the support 110 there is mounted a fluorescent element 150, which may have a form of a longitudinal bar, being in parallel to the line of eyes of the user. This element is located on the outer side of the support and it emits light when illuminated by light rays. This can make the user better visible by other traffic participants.

In another embodiment, instead or in addition of the fluorescent element 150, it an electroluminescent element 151 can be used. The electroluminescent element 151 emits light when connected to the power supply. A battery and a controller can be located within the support 110.

Fig. 7 presents another embodiment of a support 110A. The support 110A is elongated with respect to the support 110, in a way that during the use of the headworn mirror device by the user, the mirror 130 and the separator 160 at located in a greater distance from the user eyes. This distance is increased by the distance d1, which determines the value by which the mirror surface 130 and the separator 160 is offset from the surface 116 of the support 110 abutting the forehead of the user. The distance d1 can be from 0 to 30mm, preferably 13mm. The distance d1 is measured from the point located on the surface of the element 116, being the closest to the surface of the mirror 130 and the separator 160.

Fig. 8 presents schematically areas of view (a field of view) of user eyes when looking left, in particular when observing the left mirror area 131. During the use of the head-worn mirror device 100, when observing the area located behind the user on the left side, the sight is directed to the left mirror area 131. Then, the left eye of the user receives the picture reflected in the left mirror area 131, while the right eye does not have a possibility of observation of the left mirror area 131 and is directed to the separator 160 and in particular to the protrusion 165 of the separator. As a result, due to the separator 160 (preferably having a neutral colour), the user focuses attention only on the picture reflected in the left mirror area 131, which is observed by the user's left eye, while the neutral separator surface, observed by the right eye does not distract the user's attention. The use of the separator 160 prevents overlapping of two different pictures (from the left eye and the right eye), as it would take place in a situation when during the observation of the left mirror area 131, the left eye observes the picture reflected in this area and simultaneously the right eye would have a possibility to observe the area located in front of the user.

The usefulness of the separator 160 is connected with a principle of operation of the human visual system and reception of pictures. Many people have one of their eyes as a dominant eye. The ocular dominance is a tendency of the brain to prefer to receive the picture from dominant eye over the non-dominant eye. This phenomena does not interfere when looking ahead and both eyes receive the picture being in front of the watcher. However, when using the device according to the invention, there is a need to pay attention only on the picture received by one eye, while the picture received by the other eye is not desirable at the moment.

As a result, the use of the separator 160 increases the security of the user, because it allows a better focus of attention on the pictures (objects), which need to be observed at a given moment. The separator 160 allows to eliminate the reception of the undesired pictures in a situation when both user eyes are not able to simultaneously observe a particular area of interest (for example the area visible in the left mirror area 131). In the situation presented in Fig. 8, the undesired picture is the one located behind the separator, which would be observable by the right eye, when the separator 160 would not be present - depicted with dashed lines (additionally presented schematically in a top view in fig. 9A). Therefore, the separator 160 has a function analogous to the situation when the user would close one eye while the other eye would observe the mirror area.

A similar situation occurs when observing the area located behind the user on the right side. Then the right eye receives the picture reflected in the mirror area 132 and the left eye is directed towards the separator 160 (in particular on the protrusion 165), as presented schematically in Fig. 9B.

Fig. 10A presents an embodiment of the head-worn mirror device with the separator and the protrusion, wherein between the mirror areas 131, 132 and the separator 160 or its protrusion 165, outside the perimeter of the support 110, there are located sunscreen elements 180, for example made of tinted or reflective glass.

The head-worn mirror device according to the invention allows to observe the area located behind the user without the necessity of significant turning of the head. It may be used along with typical corrective glasses, because it is worn on the forehead and is not supported on the nose nor the ears. The head-worn mirror device can be also used along with wearing a helmet. Additionally it can have a function of a sunscreen peak as described earlier.

Claims

1. A head-worn mirror device (100) comprising:

- a longitudinal support (110);

- a headband (170) attached to the support (110) for mounting the support (110) on a forehead above a line of user eyes;

- a mirror (130) attached to the support (110) and comprising:

- a first mirror area (131) located at a first side edge (111) of the support;

- a second mirror area (132) located at a second side edge (112) of the support, opposite to the first side edge (111);

- and a separator (160) having non-transparent and non-reflective surface is located between the mirror areas (131, 132), the separator (160) comprising:

- side areas (161, 162) adjacent to the mirror areas (131, 132) and having lower edges (163, 164) located above lower edges (133, 134) of the mirror areas (131, 132); and

- a protrusion (165) located between the side areas (161, 162) and having a lower edge (166) located below the lower edges (163, 164) of the side areas (161, 162) of the separator (160).

2. The head-worn mirror device according to claim 1, wherein the separator (160) is located in the same plane as the mirror areas (131, 132).

3. The head-worn mirror device according to any of the previous claims wherein the surface of the separator (160) is grey.

4. The head-worn mirror device according to any of the previous claims wherein each mirror area (131, 132) and the separator (160) is mounted pivotally about the axis being substantially in parallel to the line of eyes.

5. The head-worn mirror device according to any of claims 1 to 3 wherein the first mirror area (131) and the second mirror area (132) are mounted independently pivotally about the axis being substantially in parallel to the line of eyes.

6. The head-worn mirror device according to claim 5 wherein the separator (160) is fixed to the support (110).

7. The head-worn mirror device according to any of previous claims wherein the support (110) has a form of a peak located above the mirror areas (131, 132) and the separator (160).

8. The head-worn mirror device according to any of previous claims wherein a surface of the mirror areas (131, 132) is offset from a surface (116) of the support (110) abutting a user’s forehead by a distance (d1) less than 30mm.

9. The head-worn mirror device according to any of previous claims wherein a fluorescent element (150) is mounted on the support (110).

10. The head-worn mirror device according to claim 9 wherein the fluorescent element (150) has a form of a longitudinal bar which is mounted in parallel to the line of user eyes.

11. The head-worn mirror device according to any of previous claims wherein an electroluminescent element (151) is mounted on the support (110).

12. The head-worn mirror device according to claim 11 wherein the electroluminescent element (151) has a form of a longitudinal bar which is mounted in parallel to the line of eyes.

13. The head-worn mirror device according to any of previous claims wherein the support (110) has a longitudinal groove (115) adapted to cooperate with pivotal elements (140) on which the mirror areas (131, 132) and the separator (160) are mounted.

14. The head-worn mirror device according to claim 13 wherein the groove (115) has a substantially semi-circular cross-section.

15. The head-worn mirror device according to claim 13 or 14 wherein the pivotal elements (140) have a substantially semi-circular cross-section.

16. The head-worn mirror device according to any of previous claims wherein the surface of the support (110) located behind the mirror areas (131, 132) comprises two surfaces (113, 114) being in parallel to the line of eyes, wherein one surface (113) is inclined with respect to the second surface (114) and allows the pivotal movement of the mirror areas (131, 132).

17. The head-worn mirror device according to any of previous claims wherein between the mirror areas (131, 132) and the separator (160) outside the area of the support (110) there are located sunscreen elements (180).

Intellectual

Property

Office

Application No: GB1707480.8 Examiner: Sophie Cartmell