JP2001108933A - Head mount display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a head mount display device which has a line-of-sight input device and is small in size. SOLUTION: The head mount display device contains a line-of-sight input device 4 in a casing. A half mirror 2 is arranged above the line-of-sight input device 4. An LCD 1 is arranged above the half mirror 2. A lens 3 is arranged alongside the half mirror 2 between the LCD 1 and the line-of-sight input device 4. The human pupil 5 exists on the opposite side of the lens 3 with the half mirror 2 in between.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a head mounted display device used by being worn on a human body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a head-mounted display device that can be worn on a human body has been developed. It is desired that the head-mounted display device includes a line-of-sight input device that detects a movement of a human pupil and performs an input.

[0003] Current gaze input devices are very large and are difficult to attach to head mounted display devices. For example, even if the eye-gaze input device is attached to the head-mounted display device, it is difficult to freely operate with the head-mounted display device attached. Further, since the eye-gaze input device is large, it is not possible to take a shape excellent in design.

Further, the eye-gaze input device is very expensive and has no problem for experimental use but is not suitable for consumer use at present.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized head-mounted display device having a line-of-sight input device.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention has taken the following means. The present invention is a head-mounted display device that can be worn on the head of a human body and can view various images and images while being worn,
A display unit installed in the housing for displaying various images and images, and a gaze input installed in the housing for imaging a position of a human pupil and detecting a gaze direction from the imaging result. The device, while changing the optical path by reflecting light incident from a specific direction, and a half mirror that transmits light incident from a direction other than the specific direction, and reflecting the various images and images, An optical element for changing the size of the various images / images at a magnification, wherein the images / images displayed on the display means are reflected by the half mirror and changed directions to reach the optical elements. In addition, the present invention provides a head mounted display device, wherein the light is reflected by the optical element, passes through the half mirror, and enters the pupil.

The present invention also relates to a head-mounted display device which can be mounted on a head of a human body and allows a user to view various images and images while wearing the head-mounted display device. Display means for displaying video and images, and is installed in the housing, to capture the position of the human pupil,
A gaze input device that detects a gaze direction from the imaging result,
While changing the optical path by reflecting light incident from a specific direction, a half mirror that transmits light incident from a direction other than the specific direction, and reflecting the various images and images, at a predetermined magnification, An optical element that changes the size of various images and images, and the image and images displayed by the display means are reflected by the half mirror and changed directions to reach the optical elements, Reflected by an optical element, transmitted through the half mirror, and incident on the pupil, and
An image of the pupil is reflected by the half mirror and is incident on the eye-gaze input device.

The present invention also relates to a head-mounted display device which can be mounted on a head of a human body and which can view various images and images while being mounted on the head. Display means for displaying video and images, and is installed in the housing, to capture the position of the human pupil,
A gaze input device that detects a gaze direction from the imaging result,
While changing the optical path by reflecting light incident from a specific direction, a half mirror that transmits light incident from a direction other than the specific direction, and reflecting the various images and images, at a predetermined magnification, An optical element that changes the size of various images and images, and the image and images displayed by the display means are reflected by the half mirror and changed directions to reach the optical elements, Reflected by an optical element, transmitted through the half mirror, and incident on the pupil, and
A head-mounted display device is provided, wherein detection light emitted from the line-of-sight input device is reflected by the half mirror and illuminated on the pupil, reflected by the half mirror and incident on the line-of-sight input device. .

Further, the present invention is a head mounted display device which can be mounted on a head of a human body and can view various images and images while being mounted on the head. Display means for displaying video and images, and is installed in the housing, to capture the position of the human pupil,
A gaze input device that detects a gaze direction from the imaging result,
While changing the optical path by reflecting light incident from a specific direction, a half mirror that transmits light incident from a direction other than the specific direction, and reflecting the various images and images, at a predetermined magnification, An optical element that changes the size of various images and images, and the image and images displayed by the display means are reflected by the half mirror and changed directions to reach the optical elements, Reflected by an optical element, transmitted through the half mirror, and incident on the pupil, and
A head-mounted display device is provided, wherein the detection light emitted from the line-of-sight input device is applied to the pupil and directly enters the line-of-sight input device.

[0010] According to these configurations, the head-mounted display device can be configured to be very small, so that the degree of freedom with the head-mounted display device mounted is large.

The present invention is also directed to a head mounted display device which can be mounted on a head of a human body and which can view various images and images while being mounted on the head. Display means for displaying video and images, and is installed in the housing, to capture the position of the human pupil,
A gaze input device that detects a gaze direction from the imaging result,
An optical element that reflects the various images / images and changes the size of the various images / images at a predetermined magnification, and the image / image displayed on the display unit is directly applied to the optical element. A head that arrives, is reflected by the optical element, directly enters the pupil, and the detection light emitted from the line-of-sight input device is applied to the pupil and directly enters the line-of-sight input device. Provided is a mount display device.

According to this configuration, a very small head-mounted display device can be formed.
The degree of freedom when the head mounted display device is mounted can be increased, and the configuration can be simplified and the size can be further reduced because a half mirror is not used.

In the head-mounted display device, it is preferable that the imaging optical system of the eye-gaze input device is a gradient index lens element optical system. As a result, it is possible to achieve a size reduction that is difficult with a refraction lens optical system in a normal lens locality plane.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a head-mounted display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

This head mounted display device is
A line-of-sight input device 4 is built in the housing. Above the line-of-sight input device 4, a half mirror (beam splitter)
2 are arranged. The half mirror 2 reflects light incident from a specific direction to change an optical path and transmits light incident from a direction other than the specific direction.

Above the half mirror 2, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 1 as a display is arranged. That is, the surface of the half mirror 2 is
It is arranged between the LCD 1 and the line-of-sight input device 4 so as to be inclined at approximately 45 ° with respect to a virtual line connecting the line 1 and the line-of-sight input device 4. The LCD 1 is connected to a display control unit and the like for controlling image display, so that a predetermined image can be displayed on the LCD 1.

A lens 3 as an optical element is disposed between the LCD 1 and the line-of-sight input device 4 and beside the half mirror 2. This lens 3 is a half mirror 2
This is for converting the size of the image (video) from the image to a desired magnification. As the lens 3, any lens that functions as a reflecting mirror may be used, and an aspheric lens, a free-form surface lens, or the like can be used.

A human pupil 5 is located on the opposite side of the lens 3 with respect to the half mirror 2. That is, when the head mounted display is mounted, the pupil 5 is located on the opposite side of the lens 3 with the half mirror 2 interposed therebetween.

The line-of-sight input device 4 has an element for emitting detection light and an image pickup element for picking up an image of a pupil to capture eye movement. It is preferable to use an image sensor having a size of 1/6 inch or less. Thus, the eye-gaze input device 4 can be made thinner, and the head-mounted display device can be made smaller. In FIG. 1, the line-of-sight input device 4 is arranged so that its element surface faces the LCD 1.

The imaging optical system of the eye-gaze input device 4 includes a gradient index lens element optical system and an aspheric plastic lens optical system described in Japanese Patent Application No. 10-065966. In addition, Japanese Patent Application No. 10-065966.
The content of the issue is included here.

In particular, by using a gradient index lens element optical system as the imaging optical system of the eye-gaze input device 4, the imaging optical system can be made extremely thin. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the entire head-mounted display device even if it is built in the head-mounted display device. That is, by using the refractive index distribution type lens element optical system, it is possible to realize the miniaturization which is difficult with the ordinary refractive lens optical system on the local surface of the lens. In addition, the gradient index lens is suitable for detection because its characteristic enables a relatively bright optical system.

The line-of-sight input device 4 is electrically connected to a camera signal processing circuit 6, and the camera signal processing circuit 6 is electrically connected to an image processing circuit 7.

Next, the operation of the head mounted display device having the above configuration will be described. First, when the head mounted display device is mounted on the head of the human body,
The positional relationship between the pupil 5 and the device is as shown in FIG. An image whose display is controlled in the apparatus is displayed on the LCD 1. This image is reflected by the half mirror 2, changes its direction, and reaches the lens 3.

The lens 3 converts the image reflected by the half mirror 2 to a predetermined magnification and reflects the image.
This image passes through the half mirror 2 and enters the pupil 5. In this way, a person can recognize a virtual image displayed on the head mounted display device.

A detection light, for example, infrared light, is emitted from an element (light emitting element) for emitting the detection light of the eye-gaze input device 4 and is reflected by the half mirror 2 to reach the pupil 5. The infrared light applied to the pupil 5 is reflected by the half mirror 2 and enters the image sensor of the eye-gaze input device 4. Here, this image sensor is an image sensor having sensitivity in the infrared region. The imaging device acquires an image of the pupil 5 from the incident infrared light, and detects a line-of-sight direction from the image.

More specifically, the image of the pupil 5 is sent to a camera signal processing circuit 6, where it is converted into an image signal and sent to an image processing circuit 7. The image processing circuit 7 detects the gaze direction of the pupil 5 based on the image signal.

FIG. 2 shows a human pupil image captured by the eye-gaze input device 4. The image in FIG. 2A shows an upward line of sight, and the image in FIG. 2B shows a rightward line of sight.
The image in FIG. 2C shows a front line of sight, the image in FIG. 2D shows a left line of sight, and the image in FIG. 2E shows a downward line of sight. In this way, the gaze input device 4
It is possible to capture the line of sight of the pupil 5 and follow the eye movement.

As described above, since the line of sight of a person can be captured by the line of sight input device 4, the line of sight information may be fed back to the image information and used for various purposes. For example, by being able to recognize where the gaze input device is gazing at the redisplay,
For example, even when the pointer cannot be operated with the limb, the pointer displayed on the display can be operated only with the line of sight (barrier-free).

Also, when observing a stereoscopic image, since the part being gazed at can be recognized, the image resolution around the gazed part is reduced to reduce fatigue (stress) on the subject caused when the left and right images are fused. It becomes possible to reduce.
Also, when an external image is captured by the camera in real time and displayed on the display, the object being watched can be recognized, so the camera can be focused on the object in real time Becomes

As described above, the head-mounted display device according to the present embodiment can be made very small, so that the degree of freedom when the head-mounted display device is mounted is large.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a head-mounted display device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. 3, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In this head mounted display device, a half mirror 2 is disposed below the LCD 1. That is, the surface of the half mirror 2 is L
It is arranged below the LCD 1 so as to be inclined by approximately 45 ° with respect to a virtual line vertically lowered from the CD 1.

Below the LCD 1, the half mirror 2
The lens 3 is arranged on the side of the. This lens 3
Is for converting the size of the image (video) from the half mirror 2 to a desired magnification.

The pupil 5 of a person is located on the opposite side of the lens 3 with respect to the half mirror 2. That is, when the head mounted display is mounted, the pupil 5 is located on the opposite side of the lens 3 with the half mirror 2 interposed therebetween.

A line-of-sight input device 4 is arranged below the lens 3. An element that emits detection light of the eye-gaze input device 4 and an imaging element are arranged directly toward the pupil 5. That is, the detection light emitted from the line-of-sight input device 4 is directly applied to the pupil 5 without passing through the half mirror 2, and the detection light applied to the pupil 5 directly enters the image pickup device without passing through the half mirror 2.

The line-of-sight input device 4 is electrically connected to a camera signal processing circuit 6, and the camera signal processing circuit 6 is electrically connected to an image processing circuit 7.

Next, the operation of the head mounted display device having the above configuration will be described. First, when the head mounted display device is mounted on the head of the human body,
The positional relationship between the pupil 5 and the device is as shown in FIG. An image whose display is controlled in the apparatus is displayed on the LCD 1. This image is reflected by the half mirror 2, changes its direction, and reaches the lens 3.

The lens 3 converts the size of the image reflected by the half mirror 2 to a predetermined magnification and reflects the image.
This image passes through the half mirror 2 and enters the pupil 5. In this way, a person can recognize a virtual image displayed on the head mounted display device.

From the element (light emitting element) for emitting the detection light of the eye-gaze input device 4, the detection light, for example, infrared light is emitted and reaches the pupil 5. The infrared light applied to the pupil 5 directly enters the image sensor of the eye-gaze input device 4. Here, this image sensor is an image sensor having sensitivity in the infrared region.
The imaging device acquires an image of the pupil 5 from the incident infrared light, and detects a line-of-sight direction from the image.

More specifically, the image of the pupil 5 is sent to a camera signal processing circuit 6, where it is converted into an image signal and sent to an image processing circuit 7. The image processing circuit 7 detects the gaze direction of the pupil 5 based on the image signal.

As described above, since the head mounted display device according to the present embodiment can be configured to be very small, the degree of freedom when the head mounted display device is mounted is large.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a head-mounted display device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. 4, the same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In this head mounted display device, a lens 3 is disposed diagonally below the LCD 1. The LCD 1 and the lens 3 are appropriately set at positions where an image from the LCD 1 is reflected by the lens 3 and enters the pupil 5. The lens 3 converts the size of an image (video) from the LCD 1 into a desired magnification.

At a position facing the lens 3, a human pupil 5 exists. That is, when the head-mounted display is mounted, the pupil 5 faces the lens 3.

A line-of-sight input device 4 is arranged below the lens 3. An element that emits detection light of the eye-gaze input device 4 and an imaging element are arranged directly toward the pupil 5. That is, the detection light emitted from the line-of-sight input device 4 is directly applied to the pupil 5, and the detection light applied to the pupil 5 is directly incident on the image sensor.

The eye-gaze input device 4 is electrically connected to a camera signal processing circuit 6, and the camera signal processing circuit 6 is electrically connected to an image processing circuit 7.

Next, the operation of the head mounted display device having the above configuration will be described. First, when the head mounted display device is mounted on the head of the human body,
The positional relationship between the pupil 5 and the device is as shown in FIG. An image whose display is controlled in the apparatus is displayed on the LCD 1. This image reaches the lens 3.

The lens 3 reflects the image from the LCD 1 after converting the size to a predetermined magnification. This image is directly incident on the pupil 5. In this way, a person can recognize a virtual image displayed on the head mounted display device.

A detection light, for example, infrared light, is emitted from an element (light emitting element) for emitting the detection light of the eye-gaze input device 4 and reaches the pupil 5. The infrared light applied to the pupil 5 directly enters the image sensor of the eye-gaze input device 4. Here, this image sensor is an image sensor having sensitivity in the infrared region.
The imaging device acquires an image of the pupil 5 from the incident infrared light, and detects a line-of-sight direction from the image.

More specifically, the image of the pupil 5 is sent to a camera signal processing circuit 6, where it is converted into an image signal and sent to an image processing circuit 7. The image processing circuit 7 detects the gaze direction of the pupil 5 based on the image signal.

As described above, the head-mounted display device according to the present embodiment can be configured to be very small, and thus has a high degree of freedom when the head-mounted display device is mounted. Further, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, since a half mirror is not used, the configuration can be simplified and the size can be further reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the first to third embodiments, but can be implemented with various modifications. For example,
In the above embodiment, an LCD is used as a display.
Although the description has been given of the case where is used, other display elements may be used as a display in the present invention.
Further, the zoom operation may be performed by the image sensor, or the operation of changing the imaging direction of the image sensor according to the line of sight may be performed.

In the first to third embodiments,
Although the gaze input device describes the case where the gaze direction is imaged using the detection light, in the present invention, the gaze input device captures the gaze direction without using the detection light. May be input to the line-of-sight input device via a half mirror or directly.

[0054]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a small-sized head-mounted display device having a line-of-sight input device. Further, since the apparatus can be configured at low cost, it can be easily used not only for experiments but also for consumer use. In addition, the eye-gaze input device is very small, and can take a shape excellent in design.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a head mounted display device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a captured image of the position of a human pupil.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a head mounted display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a head mounted display device according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... LCD, 2 ... Half mirror, 3 ... Lens, 4 ... Gaze input device, 5 ... Pupil, 6 ... Camera signal processing circuit, 7 ... Image processing circuit.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A head mounted display device mounted on a head of a human body and capable of viewing various images and images in a state of being mounted on the head. Display means for displaying, a gaze input device that is installed in the housing, captures the position of a human pupil, and detects a gaze direction from the imaging result, and reflects light incident from a specific direction. A half mirror that changes an optical path and transmits light incident from a direction other than the specific direction; and an optic that reflects the various images and images and changes the sizes of the various images and images at a predetermined magnification. A video / image displayed by the display means is reflected by the half mirror, changes its direction, reaches the optical element, is reflected by the optical element, and transmits through the half mirror. Before Head-mounted display apparatus characterized by being incident on the pupil. 2. A head mounted display device mounted on a head of a human body and capable of viewing various images and images in a state of being mounted, wherein the head mounted display device is installed in a housing and is capable of displaying various images and images. Display means for displaying, a gaze input device that is installed in the housing, captures the position of a human pupil, and detects a gaze direction from the imaging result, and reflects light incident from a specific direction. A half mirror that changes an optical path and transmits light incident from a direction other than the specific direction; and an optic that reflects the various images and images and changes the sizes of the various images and images at a predetermined magnification. A video / image displayed by the display means is reflected by the half mirror, changes its direction, reaches the optical element, is reflected by the optical element, and transmits through the half mirror. Before Is incident on the pupil, and a head mounted display in which the image of the pupil is characterized in that incident on the visual axis input device is reflected by the half mirror. 3. A head-mounted display device mounted on a head of a human body and capable of viewing various images and images in a state of being mounted, wherein the head-mounted display device is installed in a housing and is capable of displaying various images and images. Display means for displaying, a gaze input device that is installed in the housing, captures the position of a human pupil, and detects a gaze direction from the imaging result, and reflects light incident from a specific direction. A half mirror that changes an optical path and transmits light incident from a direction other than the specific direction; and an optic that reflects the various images and images and changes the sizes of the various images and images at a predetermined magnification. A video / image displayed by the display means is reflected by the half mirror, changes its direction, reaches the optical element, is reflected by the optical element, and transmits through the half mirror. Before The detection light incident on the pupil and emitted from the line-of-sight input device is reflected by the half mirror and irradiated on the pupil, reflected by the half mirror and incident on the line-of-sight input device. Head mounted display device. 4. A head mounted display device mounted on a head of a human body and capable of viewing various images and images while being worn, wherein the head mounted display device is installed in a housing and is capable of displaying various images and images. Display means for displaying, a gaze input device that is installed in the housing, captures the position of a human pupil, and detects a gaze direction from the imaging result, and reflects light incident from a specific direction. A half mirror that changes an optical path and transmits light incident from a direction other than the specific direction; and an optic that reflects the various images and images and changes the sizes of the various images and images at a predetermined magnification. A video / image displayed by the display means is reflected by the half mirror, changes its direction, reaches the optical element, is reflected by the optical element, and transmits through the half mirror. Before It is incident on the pupil, and the visual axis input device detecting light emitted from is irradiated to the pupil, the head-mounted display apparatus characterized by directly entering the eye control device. 5. A head mounted display device mounted on a head of a human body and capable of viewing various images and images while being worn, wherein the head mounted display device is installed in a housing, and is capable of displaying various images and images. Display means for displaying, installed in the housing, imaging the position of the pupil of a person, a gaze input device for detecting the gaze direction from the imaging result, and reflecting the various images and images, An optical element that changes the size of the various images / images at a predetermined magnification, and the image / image displayed by the display means directly reaches the optical element, and is reflected by the optical element and directly reflected by the optical element. A head-mounted display device, wherein detection light incident on the pupil and emitted from the eye-gaze input device is applied to the pupil, and is directly incident on the eye-gaze input device. 6. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, wherein the imaging optical system of the eye-gaze input device is a gradient index lens element optical system.