Data communications system for mask or helmet users

[0002] The present invention pertains to a data communications system with a data display in a mask or helmet visor.

[0003] A respirator with a display unit for transmitting measured data via a display field of the display unit into the field of view of a user of the apparatus is described in DE 44 25 262 C1. The display field comprises an LC (liquid crystal) display transparent at least to the transmission radiation. An optical concentrator is provided as the transmission radiation source.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,987 describes a transparent eye shield for swimmers with an LC (liquid crystal) data display arranged therein, so that the visibility of the data being displayed is ensured directly by the ambient light. None of these prior-art arrangements discloses a data communication with external peripheral devices.

[0005] The users of respirators, e.g., the personnel of firefighting or mine rescue teams, but also racing cyclists, motorcyclists or pilots, are usually equipped during the mission with respirators or head protectors, i.e., masks or helmets. The data necessary for carrying out the mission, e.g., the current pressure in the cylinder of the compressed air breathing apparatus, the remaining mission time, ambient temperature, measured data from relevant sensors, e.g., gas measuring devices, altimeters, velocity sensors, pressure gauges, or other information, such as retreat signals, instructions for actions to be taken, are usually made available to the user in separate display instruments. This also applies to camera displays of video cameras or infrared cameras, which are used during firefighting or rescue missions. The display instruments are often not in the direct field of view of the user and can be read only when the instruments have been additionally brought into the field of view. The communications exchange with the environment or the mission center takes place in the usual manner by means of communications systems which are known per se and are used in parallel by the mask or helmet user.

[0006] The primary object of the present invention is to provide a data communications system with a data display in a mask or helmet visor, which displays various data as needed.

[0007] According to the invention, a data communications system is provided with a data display in a mask or helmet visor. The mask or a helmet has a voice transmitter with a microphone as well as a transmitter unit on the output side. The mask or a helmet has a receiver unit for the data display on the input side. An evaluating unit is equipped with a receiver unit and a transmitter unit for data communication with the transmitter and receiver units of the mask or of the helmet. The evaluating unit receives the measured data from at least one measuring device via associated transmitter units. The evaluating unit has stored, preset voice patterns and is voice-controlled, so that depending on the voice signals received by means of the receiver unit and after comparison with the stored, preset voice patterns, it transmits selected measured data to the receiver unit, and these measured data are displayed in the data display.

[0008] One essential advantage of the present invention is the voice-controlled activation and visualization of data from various sources in various representations on the data display in the field of view of the mask or helmet user. The data display is preferably transparent, and the data are displayed by means of an LC (liquid crystal) display or OLED (organic light-emitting display). The data display may be designed as a transparent OLED.

[0009] The data communication between the transmitter and receiver units may take place in a wireless manner in the infrared frequency range or in an ISM (Industrial Scientific Medical) frequency range, especially at 2.4 or 5.8 GHz.

[0010] The microphone may additionally be connected to a radio transmitter and receiver unit for transmitting voice to a mission center.

[0011] The data display may have a second, inner pane at a spaced location from the visor, so that the data display is protected from mechanical effects and fogging is reduced.

[0012] The measuring device may be an infrared camera, a pressure gauge, a temperature sensor or a gas measuring device.

[0013] The mask or the helmet may have a control unit for setting the data display.

[0014] The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

[0015] In the drawings:

[0016] The only FIGURE is a schematic exemplary embodiment of a data communications system according to the present invention.

[0017] Referring to the drawings in particular, a mask (user head gear) 1 with a visor 2 has a data display 3, which is arranged on the inner side of the visor 2 in the field of view of the mask user. A helmet with visor or helmet mask combination may be provided as the user head gear according to the invention. The display of the data display 3 in terms of size, quality, light intensity, etc., is controlled by means of a control unit 50 for the activation of LCD or OLED fields. OLEDs, “Organic Light-Emitting Displays,” have become known recently because they are luminous in an advantageous manner and therefore do not require any additional background light in addition to the ambient light. They are based on a light-emitting polymer film, which can be activated by electric pulses. Power-saving and lightweight displays can thus be obtained by use of the OLED technique.

[0018] In the area of a voice transmitter 4, the mask 1 has a microphone 5, which sends the voice signals via a first transmitter unit 6 to a first receiver unit 7 of an evaluating unit 8. On the other hand, a loudspeaker 9 and a radio transmitter and receiver unit 10 can be switched on and used by the mask user for communication with a mission center. The evaluating unit 8 is used by the mask user in a voice-controlled manner. Voice recognition capabilities are provided in the evaluating unit 8 for comparison of incoming voice control input with stored preset voice patterns. As with other voice recognition systems, the evaluating unit 8 has stored preset voice patterns to provide a particular output. With the system of the invention, the output is display data, providing a voice-controlled display. Depending on the voice signals received from the evaluating unit 8 by means of the receiver unit 7 and from the first transmitter unit 6 and after comparison with stored, preset voice patterns, the evaluating unit 8 sends the measured signals of a first, second or third measuring device 21, 22, 23, which respectively are received from second, third and/or fourth receiver units 11, 12, 13, to a fifth receiver unit 15 at the mask 1 by means of a second transmitter unit 14. The measured signal or signals are then displayed in the data display 3. For example, the measuring device 21 is a pressure gauge with an associated ISM (Industrial, Science, Medical) transmitter. The measuring device 22 is a gas measuring device with a likewise associated ISM transmitter. The measuring device 23 is a thermo infrared camera (TI) with a likewise associated ISM transmitter. The “ISM” transmitter is an “Industrial Scientific Medical” transmitter, particularly for certain applications. Such applications, like the present applications, use the reserved transmission at various frequency bands in the megahertz and gigahertz range. The data transmission between the transmitter and receiver units 6, 7 and 14, 15 also takes place especially in a wireless manner and preferably likewise in the ISM frequency range. As an alternative, the data communication between two or more components of the data communications system may also take place via wires, glass fibers or in the infrared wavelength range, depending on the particular design and depending on the amount of data to be transmitted.

[0019] According to a preferred embodiment, the data display 3 in the visor 2 has a seal extending in the edge area, which is used to hold a second, inner pane, which can be mounted on the visor 2, at a spaced location from the first pane. The consequence of this is that the data display 3 is protected from mechanical effects and fogging is reduced by the air gap thus formed between the outer visor 2 and the inner pane. This effect is further enhanced when the inner pane, which is especially replaceable, is provided with an antifogging coating.

[0020] Data from various peripheral devices, especially measuring devices, which are controlled by the voice of a helmet or mask user, are displayed or optionally blanked by means of the present invention as needed by means of a data display 3 in the mask 1 or in a hood in the field of view of the mask or hood user. The size and the quality of the display is likewise set in a voice-controlled manner.