JP3326820B2 - Visual device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for displaying an image, and more particularly to an eyeglass-type visual apparatus capable of detecting and outputting a head movement and suitable for a virtual reality image (virtual reality). It is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Virtual reality (Virtua)
l Reality (hereinafter VR) creates a virtual world that exists in time or space, or a virtual event that does not exist at all by computer, and allows the user to experience the virtual world through a video display device or the like. This is a technology that allows the user to operate the device according to the movement of the body. Such attempts have existed for a long time, such as in flight simulators and remote control of robots, and similar ideas have permeated the game world recently.

As this type of video display device, systems of VPL Research Inc. and Sense 8 Inc. in the United States are known. In these conventional devices, the images of the two liquid crystal panels are independently viewed with both eyes, and a magnetic or ultrasonic sensor is attached to the top of the head, so that the space near the head is separate from humans. A fixed magnetic or ultrasonic oscillator is installed, and the movement of the head is detected by detecting it with the sensor at the top of the head, and the image displayed on the liquid crystal panel is changed in conjunction with the movement. Was.

As a glasses-type image display apparatus for displaying a stereoscopic image using a liquid crystal panel, there is Japanese Patent Application No. 2-128002 filed by the present applicant.

[0005]

However, in the conventional image display apparatus, a magnetic or ultrasonic oscillator is fixed to the floor with a stand or the like, and an arm is extended therefrom to place it in the space around the head. It was necessary to fix it and adjust the initial state by the operator. In addition, magnetic or ultrasonic sensors had to be properly fixed to the crown. Such a conventional image display device weighs 1 kg.
As described above, the sensor is fixed to the head with a helmet or a large string, so that the sensor can be easily fixed to the top of the head. However, when the visual device is reduced in size and weight and is made into an eyeglass type or a goggle type, it becomes difficult to place such a sensor at the top of the head.

As described above, in the conventional example, it can be used in special laboratories or limited recreational facilities, but it is easy for ordinary people to use it in a large-scale device for home use. There was a problem that had to be solved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a visual device for virtual reality that can be easily handled by ordinary people.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a visual device which is mounted on a head so that an image on a video display device can be directly viewed with eyes, and provided with a gyro sensor for detecting the movement of the head. A visual device that outputs a detection output of the gyro sensor to a video output device, and changes a virtual space video output to a video display device in accordance with a head movement detected by the video output device. The visual device is an emergency button, a control circuit, and a hand that looks at the outside world
It has a stage, the control circuit, when operating the emergency button during use of the visual device, the video display device
Stop or hide the virtual space image and activate the means for viewing the external world above to see the external world
That such be configured to control, further, that it is configured to the gyro sensor automatically becomes the same state as the emergency button is operated upon detection of a sudden movement of the head It is characterized by.

[0009]

According to the present invention, a gyro sensor characterized by small size and light weight is incorporated as a sensor for detecting the movement of the head, so that the visual device can be formed into a simple and simple shape such as a spectacle type or a goggle type. To be able to. Further, since the gyro sensor can independently detect the movement of the head, it is not necessary to install an oscillator or the like in addition to the visual device and to make adjustments therefor.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are external views of an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a visual device. There are black and white liquid crystal panels 2 and 2 in the part corresponding to the lens of the glasses,
Light can be transmitted stepwise from transmission to shut-out (shielding). Reference numeral 3 denotes a portion corresponding to the handle of the eyeglasses. Stereo earphones 4 and 4 are provided at the rear, and the sound can be heard when the earphones 4 and 4 are inserted into the ears. A code 5 is output from the visual device 1, and a connector 8 is attached to a tip of the code 7 via a remote controller 6. The connector 8 is connected to a driving device of the visual device 1. The remote controller 6 includes an emergency button 9, a black and white liquid crystal control volume 10 for adjusting the transmittance of the monochrome liquid crystal panels 2 and 2, a sound volume 13 for adjusting the volume of the earphone 4, and a button 101 for resetting the head initial position. With.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the external view of FIG. 1. The back panel 17 has eyepieces 16 and 16 and a viewing window 1.
It has 5,15. The user can use the eyepieces 16, 16
While enjoying video images (stereoscopic images, virtual reality images, etc.), the outside world can be seen through the viewing windows 15, 15 and the monochrome liquid crystal panels 2, 2 in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows an exploded view of the above embodiment.
A backlight, two color liquid crystal panels, and an optical system are contained in the image section 18, and a video image can be directly viewed through eyes through the eyepieces 16, 16.

An electric circuit board 19 is provided above the visual device 1 main body. At the substantially center of the circuit board 19, two gyro sensors 20 and 21 are provided. Various types of gyro sensors have already been commercialized, but in this embodiment, a piezoelectric vibration type is preferable as a small and lightweight one. In any case, two gyro sensors are installed, and the gyro sensor 21 detects two directions of movement, namely, a motion of shaking the head to the left and right, and a gyro sensor 20 for the motion of shaking up and down such as upward or nodding. It has become. The circuit board 19 is provided with connectors 22 on both left and right sides, and the connector 2 on the side of the frame 1a.
3 and 23. The connectors 23, 23 are connected to the black and white liquid crystal panels 2, 2 and the earphones 4, 4. The above-described cord 5 is directly connected to the circuit board 19.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electric circuit on the circuit board and the configuration of the entire system. The vision device 1 is driven by a vision device driving device 10 via a remote control 6.
3 and the drive unit 103 is connected to the graphic and virtual space calculation computer 102 to which a CD-I or the like is connected. The driving device 103 has a video processing circuit 104 and a power supply 105 for the visual device 1. Further, as described above, the remote controller 6 includes the emergency button 9, the monochrome liquid crystal control volume 10, the audio volume 13, and the reset button 101.

The electric circuit of the visual device 1 includes an earphone 4 (4
L, 4R: L indicates the left side and R right side. same as below. ), A backlight 32 serving as a light source for a color liquid crystal panel, a backlight inverter power supply 33 for ensuring the performance of the backlight 32 as a stable light source, and left and right color liquid crystals for displaying images. Panel 34
L, 34R and the RGB signals transmitted and processed through the remote controller 6 after the video signals are signal-processed and extracted by the video processing circuit 104 of the driving device 103.
Circuit and color liquid crystal panel 34 for sending to
A liquid crystal control drive circuit 35 including a driver circuit for controlling X and Y drives for displaying images on the L and 34R; a black and white liquid crystal panel 2 (2L and 2R) provided on the front side of the visual device 1; A black-and-white liquid crystal controller driving circuit 36 for controlling the liquid crystal panels 2L and 2R from outside to outside in a stepwise manner from transmission to shielding;
Gyro sensors 20 and 21 for detecting the direction, and a low-pass filter (LPF) 3 for extracting the output of each gyro sensor
7A and 37B, amplifiers 38A and 38B for amplifying the output of each gyro sensor taken out, and A / D converter 3
9a and an integrator 39b, a swing amount calculator 39 for receiving the amplifier output and calculating the head movement angle and angular velocity, and a computer 10 based on the determined head movement angle and angular velocity.
2 and a controller circuit 40 for outputting information on the rotation of the head to the head 2 and performing emergency control.

Here, the flow of signals and the supply of power are as follows. The audio signal is transmitted from the computer 10
2 through the driving device 103 and the remote controller 6 to the amplifier 31
And is amplified. The audio volume 13 of the remote controller 6 changes the gain of the amplifier 31 and adjusts the volume of the earphone 4. The left and right (L, R) video signals are input to the video processing circuit 104 of the driving device 103, subjected to signal processing, and input to the liquid crystal controller driving circuit 35. Each input from the emergency button 9 of the remote controller 6 and the monochrome liquid crystal control volume 10 is connected to the controller circuit 40. The controller circuit 40 includes an amplifier 31, a backlight inverter power supply 33, and a liquid crystal controller driving circuit 3.
(5) Emergency control described later is performed on the black and white liquid crystal controller drive circuit 36 and the swing amount calculation unit 39. These amplifier 31, backlight inverter power supply 33, liquid crystal controller driving circuit 35, monochrome liquid crystal controller driving circuit 3
6. Power is supplied to the swing amount calculation unit 39 and the controller circuit 40 from the power supply 105 of the driving device 103 via the remote controller 6 and the switch 41.

The operation and operation of the embodiment configured as described above will be described.

The computer for graphic and virtual space calculation 102 produces stereoscopic images and sounds. This stereoscopic image is sent to the drive device 103 as two video signals as left and right eye images. In the driving device 103, the left and right images are alternately arranged for each field, and are combined into one video signal. When this signal enters the visual device 1, it becomes two L and R signals again, and enters the color liquid crystal panels 34L and 34R corresponding to L and R. The technique of the stereoscopic vision without the flicker by the video signal is described in detail in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 3-256736 by the present applicant.
In short, the images of the color liquid crystal panels 34L and 34R are made to be separately visible to the left and right eyes through the eyepieces 16 and 16, and the images corresponding to the left and right eyes are alternately switched for each field, so that the color liquid crystal panels 34L and 34R are changed. When there is no image signal, the image of the previous field is held using the memory effect of the liquid crystal, and these are unified with the cranial nerves to obtain a stereoscopic view.
In this manner, a virtual space image (for example, an image of a wall or door in a room) created by the computer 102 can be viewed. Of course, the two video signals of L and R are directly input to the visual device 1 and the two color liquid crystal panels 34
L, 34R can be projected, but with this method,
A video signal for normal broadcasting (such as an NTSC signal) can be reproduced by the same visual device.

Next, in the present embodiment, the movement of the body is input to the computer 102 as follows, and the virtual space image is changed. In the above description, when the user moves his / her head, this is sensed by the gyro sensors 20 and 21, and another image (for example, an image of a room changed by turning the neck) is displayed. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
At 0,21, the left / right or up / down movement of the neck is sensed.
Send to computer 102. The computer 102 recalculates with this data, generates an image suitable for this, and sends it to the visual device 1.

Next, the emergency button 9 provided on the remote controller 6
The function of will be described. The emergency button 9 is a button used when it is desired to see the state of the outside world. That is, when the emergency button 9 is pressed, an emergency signal is sent to the controller circuit 40.
To the external device such as the computer 102 to be temporarily stopped, and to the earphone 4
The sound from the earphones 4L and 4R is made inaudible by, for example, turning off the power supply of the amplifiers 31 for L and 4R. At the same time, the backlight inverter power supply 33 is turned off to turn off the backlight 32, and the color liquid crystal panels 34L, 3L are turned off.
By making the image from the 4R invisible and instructing the black and white liquid crystal controller drive circuit 36 to maximize the see-through state (open state), the shielding portions, that is, the black and white liquid crystal panels 2L and 2R are made transparent (open). And make the outside world visible from there. In addition, as described above, the earphone 4
Instead of preventing the sound from being heard from outside, a microphone may be provided to input an external sound to the amplifier 31 so that the sound can be heard from the earphones 4L and 4R.

By the way, in the present apparatus, the appearance of the external world can be changed by the density of the monochrome liquid crystal panel 2. When the emergency button 9 is pressed, the monochrome liquid crystal panel 2 becomes thin, and the external world can be seen. Has become. At this time, the transmittance of the liquid crystal panel 2 can be adjusted by the black and white liquid crystal control volume 10. Making the outside world visible in an emergency in this way is for emergency safety while enjoying TV or video playback outdoors. In the embodiment of the present invention, the gyro sensors 20 and 2 are used.
When a sudden movement of the neck is detected by 1, the controller circuit 40 is operated to automatically bring the same state as when the emergency button 9 is pressed.

FIG. 5 shows an example of use of the above embodiment. A is a user, and 104 is an image of a virtual space created by a computer. The user A puts the handle 3 on the ear like wearing glasses, wears the visual device 1, and inserts the earphone 4 into the ear. When the user A raises or lowers his / her neck or turns his / her head, the detection output is input to a computer serving as a video output device, and a video 104 corresponding to the detected output is output and displayed on the video unit 18. You can hear the sound of If the head is moved rapidly, the outside world can be seen through the viewing window 15 and the black and white liquid crystal panels 2 and 2.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the spectacle type, but may be a goggle type structure that can be worn on the head. Further, the color liquid crystal panels 34L and 34R are also merely examples of the image display device. As described above, the present invention can be variously applied according to the gist and can take various embodiments.

[0025]

As described above, in the visual device according to the present invention, since the head movement is provided in the device using the gyro sensor, there is no need to separately install an oscillator, no troublesome adjustment, and In addition, the device structure can be made to be a general shape without being oversized, and it has an excellent effect that anyone can easily handle virtual reality images especially at home. Also, the traditional visual
The device has limited vision even with an emergency button
To find out where this emergency button is
Although it is difficult to move the head,
The state becomes the same as when the emergency button is operated.
You. In addition, watching the video to detect the sudden movement of this head
Cost increases due to the use of a gyro sensor for
Can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall external view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external view of the above-described embodiment as viewed from behind.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing a disassembled state of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a system configuration and an electric circuit configuration of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of use of the above embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Visual device 2, 2L, 2R ... Monochrome liquid crystal panel 4, 4L, 4R ... Earphone 6 ... Remote control 9 ... Emergency button 10 ... Monochrome liquid crystal control volume 20, 21 ... Gyro sensor 33 ... Backlight inverter power supply 34L, 34R ... Color liquid crystal panel 35 ... Liquid crystal controller drive circuit 36 ... Black and white liquid crystal controller drive circuit 39 ... Swing amount calculation unit 40 ... Controller circuit 101 ... Reset button 102 ... Computer for graphic and virtual space calculation 103 ... Drive device for visual device 104 ... Video processing circuit 105: Power supply

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N 5/64 511

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A visual device mounted on a head for directly viewing an image on a video display device with eyes, wherein a gyro sensor for detecting the movement of the head is provided, and a detection output of the gyro sensor is used as an image. A visual device that outputs to an output device and changes the virtual space image output to the image display device in accordance with the movement of the head detected by the image output device by the detection output, wherein the visual device includes an emergency button, Circuits and the outside world
Have a means to view, the control circuit, when operating the emergency button during use of the visual device, thereby not stop or invisible virtual space image of the video display device, see how the outside of the
Actuating the means be configured to control so as to be viewed outside world situation, further, the above gyro sensor automatically the emergency button when detecting a sudden movement of the head is operated and A visual device characterized by being configured to be in the same state. 2. The visual device according to claim 1, wherein said means for observing the external state is a black and white liquid crystal panel.