Augmented and mediated reality welding helmet systems

Abstract

A welding helmet system is provided. The welding helmet system includes a protective shell and a welding display system. The welding display system is configured to be removably coupled to the protective shell. The welding display system is configured to receive data from a sensor, and to display a welding metric derived from the sensor via the image generation system.

1 . A welding display system, comprising:
 a coupler configured to removably couple the welding display system to a protective shell;   a display screen configured to display a welding metric, a user biometric, or an environmental metric; and   a camera sensor positioned to capture image data when the welding display system is coupled to the protective shell.   
     
     
         2 . The welding display system of  claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises a fastener, a latch, or a clip. 
     
     
         3 . The welding display system of  claim 1 , further comprising a processor configured to:
 receive the image data from the camera sensor,   derive a simulated welding environment based on the image data, and   display the simulated welding environment on the display screen.   
     
     
         4 . The welding display system of  claim 3 , wherein the processor is configured to:
 derive one or more parameters based on the image data captured by the camera sensor, and   derive the simulated welding environment based on the one or more parameters.   
     
     
         5 . The welding display system of  claim 3 , further including a tracking system configured to track a movement of a head when the welding display system is worn on the head. 
     
     
         6 . The welding display system of  claim 5 , wherein the processor is configured to derive a viewing orientation based on the movement of the head tracked by the tracking system, and adjust the display of the simulated welding environment on the display screen based on the viewing orientation. 
     
     
         7 . The welding display system of  claim 1 , wherein the protective shell comprises a welding helmet or a protective face shield. 
     
     
         8 . A welding helmet, comprising:
 a welding display system, comprising:
 a biometric sensor configured to detect user biometric data, and 
 a display screen configured to display a user biometric derived from the user biometric data. 
   
     
     
         9 . The welding helmet of  claim 8 , wherein the user biometric comprises a user heat stress or a user heart rate. 
     
     
         10 . The welding helmet of  claim 8 , wherein the user biometric comprises a user heat stress. 
     
     
         11 . The welding helmet of  claim 8 , wherein the user biometric comprises a user heart rate, the user heart rate being derived via pulse oximetry. 
     
     
         12 . The welding helmet of  claim 8 , wherein the welding helmet further comprises a protective shell, the welding display system being positioned within the protective shell. 
     
     
         13 . The welding helmet of  claim 12 , wherein the welding display system further comprises a coupler configured to removably couple the welding display system to the protective shell. 
     
     
         14 . The welding helmet of  claim 12 , wherein the coupler comprises a fastener, a latch, or a clip, or the protective shell comprises a welding helmet or a protective face shield. 
     
     
         15 . A welding helmet, comprising:
 a protective shell; and   a welding display system coupled to the protective shell, the welding display system being configured to operate in a first operating mode when the protective shell is a first type of protective shell, and a second operating mode when the protective shell is a second type of protective shell.   
     
     
         16 . The welding helmet of  claim 15 , wherein the welding display system disables a first set of functions in the first operating mode, and disables a second set of functions in the second operating mode, the first set of functions being different than the second set of functions. 
     
     
         17 . The welding helmet of  claim 15 , wherein the welding display system enables a first set of functions in the first operating mode, and enables a second set of functions in the second operating mode, the first set of functions being different than the second set of functions. 
     
     
         18 . The welding helmet of  claim 17 , wherein the first set of functions includes a superimposition function. 
     
     
         19 . The welding helmet of  claim 15 , wherein the welding display system is configured to operate in a third operating mode when having a first position with respect to the protective shell, and configured to operate in a fourth operating mode when having a second position with respect to the protective shell. 
     
     
         20 . The welding helmet of  claim 15 , wherein the welding display system is configured to derive a user biometric when positioned within an interior the protective shell, and configured not to derive the user biometric when positioned on an exterior of the protective shell.