US 12,294,775 B2
Digital display welding mask with long-exposure image capture
Collin Stoner, San Leandro, CA (US)
Filed by Selene Photonics, Inc., San Leandro, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 21, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/453,120.
Application 18/453,120 is a continuation of application No. 17/230,966, filed on Apr. 14, 2021, granted, now 11,736,787.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/009,944, filed on Apr. 14, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0396865 A1, Dec. 7, 2023
Int. Cl. H04N 23/53 (2023.01); A61F 9/06 (2006.01); B23K 9/32 (2006.01); G02B 27/64 (2006.01); G02B 30/34 (2020.01); G02F 1/01 (2006.01); G03B 5/00 (2021.01); G06T 19/00 (2011.01); H04N 13/344 (2018.01); H04N 23/73 (2023.01); H04N 23/90 (2023.01)
CPC H04N 23/53 (2023.01) [A61F 9/067 (2013.01); B23K 9/322 (2013.01); G02B 27/646 (2013.01); G02B 30/34 (2020.01); G02F 1/0121 (2013.01); G03B 5/00 (2013.01); G06T 19/006 (2013.01); H04N 13/344 (2018.05); H04N 23/73 (2023.01); H04N 23/90 (2023.01); G02F 2203/48 (2013.01); G03B 2205/0007 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A welding mask, comprising:
a protective shell to provide physical protection to an operator of a welder;
a camera subsystem with a multipixel digital imaging sensor to capture images as frames of a video;
an image stabilization subsystem to compensate for movement of the welding mask during image capture;
a tunable auto-darkening filter (ADF) to selectively attenuate the amount of light received by the entire imaging sensor;
a video controller to:
cause the camera subsystem to capture each frame of the video with:
a constant aperture, and
a frame rate selected to include multiple weld light intensity cycles in each frame of the video,
cause the camera subsystem to utilize a constant exposure time for the video, where the exposure time is at least 50% of a duration of each frame of the video, and
tune the tunable ADF to evenly reduce the amount of light received by the entire digital imaging sensor to control the exposure of each frame of the video; and
a digital electronic display positioned within the protective shell to display the video to the operator.