Any of you who have done some welding, or tried to make charcoal using a giant Fresnel lens, knows this: very bright things can hurt your eyes. Very dark glasses can prevent this, but with them on, all you can see is the bright spot - everything else is too dark. Thus welders must flip their mask up and down in the course of work to make sure they are actually still welding what they want to weld. Fresnel lens users ... well, that is for another day.

The BVG are like night vision goggles in that they produce an image of the world - an image similar to that on the view screen of your camera or phone. The BVG image has a maximum brightness for any object, and so looking through them, the bright spot simply looks flat white. You can see other things around it.

There may be a little magic to this. It may be that a camera lens has the same failings as an eye as regards bright things. One approach to this would be to have the very dark filter as used in welders goggles, then augment the image as is done in night vision goggles. This would produce a colorless image similar to night vision goggles.
-- bungston, Feb 05 2006

Automatic Welding Helmets http://www.justoffb...c.9/category.746/.f
The conventional solution to this problem. [jutta, Feb 05 2006]

This is somewhat similar to the dark spot windshield glass that several people have proposed over the years, but I think the technology is at least plausible. Croissant (having done some glass welding in my time).
-- DrCurry, Feb 05 2006


Possibly redundant as there are welding masks that darken quickly when you start to weld. (I haven't used them but am told they work well). I find that the bright light from the weld allows you to see the surroundings once you start. But, yes, a reduction in contrast would be good. I've tried welding in full sunlight and found I could see well with the mask down. Another way to reduce the range of brightness. Well thought out. +
-- spidermother, Feb 05 2006


I've used those - worked well for me. It's easier for a beginner if you don't have to battle your mask all the time.
-- jutta, Feb 05 2006



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