OPTICAL ASSEMBLIES THAT ARE BOTH BRIGHTLY BACKLIT AND TRANSPARENT FOR USE IN COSTUMED CHARACTERS

• Main Author: SMOOT LANNY S
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 15.03.2018
• Subjects: DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; HATS; HEAD COVERINGS; HEADWEAR; HUMAN NECESSITIES; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF

An apparatus worn as headgear providing visual effects and vision to the wearer. The apparatus includes a shell or helmet. The apparatus includes an optical assembly mounted in the interior space of the shell adjacent eye slits or opening(s) to the interior space of the shell. The optical assembly includes an outer screen (e.g., a film of polymer-dispersed liquid crystal) switchable between a rear projection (RP) screen state in which the outer screen is cloudy or translucent and a transparent state. The optical assembly includes a backlighting assembly with numerous lights. The optical assembly includes a controller switching, at a rate greater than the flicker fusion rate, between a first operating state with the outer screen in the RP screen state and the lights on to illuminate the outer screen and a second operating state with the outer screen in the transparent state and the lights off.