US 11,681,165 B2
Optical device and means for detecting driving conditions
Bruno Fermigier, Charenton-le-Pont (FR); Dominick Hubacz, Charenton-le-Pont (FR); and Marius Peloux, Charenton-le-Pont (FR)
Assigned to Essilor International, Charenton-le-Pont (FR)
Appl. No. 16/757,919
Filed by Essilor International, Charenton-le-Pont (FR)
PCT Filed Dec. 3, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/083340
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 21, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/110501, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 13, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 17306702 (EP), filed on Dec. 4, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0363658 A1, Nov. 19, 2020
Int. Cl. G02F 1/133 (2006.01); G02C 7/10 (2006.01); G02F 1/137 (2006.01); G02F 1/163 (2006.01); G02B 26/00 (2006.01)
CPC G02C 7/101 (2013.01) [G02B 26/001 (2013.01); G02F 1/137 (2013.01); G02F 1/13318 (2013.01); G02F 1/163 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical device intended to be worn by a user driving a vehicle, said optical device comprising:
at least a controllable variable-tint lens;
a frame; and
a controller configured to switch the optical device between at least two different transmission modes of the controllable variable-tint lens, at least one transmission mode being a driving mode defined when the user is detected as driving the vehicle, and another transmission mode being a non-driving mode defined when the user is not detected as driving the vehicle, wherein
when the optical device is in said driving mode, a control parameter of the lens comprising a minimum transmission of the lens meets at least one driving criterion, and
the controller is configured to be interfaced with circuitry configured to detect driving conditions, the circuitry being configured to detect the at least one driving mode and the non-driving mode, by detecting whether the user is actually driving or not the vehicle by being seated in a driver's seat or not, respectively, and the circuitry including at least one UV sensor combined with a plurality of ambient light sensors,
the at least one UV sensor and the plurality of ambient light sensors are integrated in the frame,
the at least one UV sensor performs transmission measurements on a windshield and on a lateral front window of the vehicle, to detect whether the user is seated in the driver's seat by choosing one or more spectral ranges inside in a UVA or UVB range, a difference between spectral properties of the windshield and the lateral front windows being taken into account,
two ambient light sensors of the plurality of ambient light sensors comprise a first ambient light sensor directed to a forward direction and a second ambient light sensor directed to an upward direction perpendicularly to a ground, so that when the first ambient light sensor detects an amount of visible light which is above a first threshold and the second ambient light sensor detects an amount of visible light which is below a second threshold, the circuitry determines that the user is located inside the vehicle and looking outside, and
the at least one UV sensor combined with the two ambient light sensors allow to detect whether the user is driving or not the vehicle.