JP2011075954A - Head-mounted display - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a head-mounted display which makes the depth of a focus deeper so that an in-focus state is easily obtained for an observer, and easily adjusts an exit pupil by a projection part to the pupil of the observer. <P>SOLUTION: The head-mounted display includes: the projection part which projects image light in accordance with image information to the eye of the observer; a variable diaphragm which is arranged at a position optically conjugate to the exit pupil by the projection part, and can vary a diaphragm position and/or a diaphragm diameter; a detection part which detects the pupil position of the eye of the observer; and a control part which controls the variable diaphragm in accordance with the pupil position detected by the detection part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a head mounted display.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a head that is mounted on an observer's head and includes display means for projecting image light according to image information from the projection unit to the observer's eyes and allowing the observer to visually recognize an image according to image information. A mount display (hereinafter also referred to as “HMD”) is known.

  This HMD has begun to be used in the field of medical care, factories and the like as means for displaying contents such as work manuals. In particular, if the entire device is downsized, it can be carried and is expected to become widespread in the future.

  In order to visually recognize the image of the HMD, the observer needs to match the exit pupil of the projection unit with the pupil of the observer. However, when the exit pupil of the projection unit is smaller than the pupil of the observer, it is difficult to align the observer's pupil with the exit pupil of the projection unit, and the observer's pupil is easily detached from the exit pupil.

  Therefore, a technique is known in which a diffraction grating is arranged at an intermediate image plane position to enlarge the effective diameter of the exit pupil (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

US Pat. No. 5,701,132

  When the effective diameter of the exit pupil is increased, the possibility that the observer's pupil is positioned at the exit pupil increases, so that the viewer can easily view the HMD image.

  However, on the other hand, the diameter of the image light incident from the observer's pupil increases. Therefore, the depth of focus becomes shallow, and the observer takes time to focus on the HMD image. In addition, when autofocusing is performed, there is a problem that the optical system becomes large and complicated like a fundus camera.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and is a head mount in which the depth of focus is increased so that the observer can easily focus, and the exit pupil of the projection unit is easily aligned with the pupil of the observer. The object is to provide a display.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is arranged at a position optically conjugated with a projection unit that projects image light according to image information onto the eyes of an observer, and an exit pupil by the projection unit. A variable diaphragm unit that can change a diaphragm position and / or a diaphragm diameter, a detection unit that detects a pupil position of the eye of the observer, and the variable diaphragm unit according to the pupil position detected by the detection unit And a control unit that causes the image light to enter the eyes of the observer.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the head-mounted display according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the aperture position when the pupil position detected by the detection unit changes. Have.

  Further, the invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in the head mounted display according to claim 1, the aperture diameter is changed when the pupil position detected by the detection unit changes.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the head mounted display according to any one of the first to third aspects, the diaphragm has a diameter smaller than a diameter of incident light and a part of the incident light. It is characterized by comprising a reflection part that reflects the light.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the head mounted display according to any one of the first to third aspects, the diaphragm has a diameter smaller than a diameter of incident light and a part of the incident light. It is characterized by comprising a transmission part through which the light is transmitted.

  The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that, in the head cloak display according to claim 4, the reflectance of the reflecting portion is variable, and the control portion changes the reflectance.

  The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that in the head cloak display according to claim 5, the transmittance of the transmissive part is variable, and the control part changes the transmittance.

  The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that, in the mount display according to any one of claims 1 to 7, an exit pupil by the projection unit is 2 mm or less.

  In the present invention, the position or diameter of the diaphragm arranged at a position optically conjugate with the exit pupil by the projection unit is changed according to the detected pupil position of the observer. Accordingly, the effective diameter of the image light incident on the pupil can be suppressed, and the observer can easily focus on the HMD image. That is, image light with a small effective diameter can be incident on the pupil by changing the position of the stop so that the exit pupil by the projection unit matches the pupil position of the observer. Further, by changing the aperture diameter according to the pupil position of the observer, the effective diameter of the image light incident on the pupil is increased even when the diameter of the image light emitted from the projection unit is large. Can be suppressed.

It is explanatory drawing which showed the outline | summary of HMD which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed the external appearance of HMD which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed the electrical structure and optical structure of HMD which concern on this embodiment. It is the block diagram which showed the electrical structure of the display control part. It is the flowchart which showed the process of HMD which concerns on this embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the projection part vicinity which concerns on a 1st modification. It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the projection part vicinity which concerns on a 2nd modification. It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the projection part vicinity which concerns on a 3rd modification. It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the projection part vicinity which concerns on a 4th modification. It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of the projection part vicinity which concerns on a 5th modification.

[Outline of HMD]
First, an outline of the HMD according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the HMD according to the present embodiment. In this embodiment, the HMD is two-dimensionally scanned with light that has been intensity-modulated based on image information, and the scanned light is projected onto the eyes of an observer who is the user of the HMD. However, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the present invention can be applied to all HMDs that allow light that has been intensity-modulated according to image information to enter the eyes of an observer and display an image according to the image information.

  FIG. 1A shows a state in which the image light Lb corresponding to the image information is incident on the pupil 110a of the eye 110 of the observer who uses the HMD. In the state shown in FIG. 1A, since the image light Lb is incident from the pupil 110a, the observer recognizes the image by the image light Lb.

  Here, it is assumed that the observer moves the eye 110. As shown in FIG. 1B, when the position of the pupil 110a moves and the image light Lb does not enter from the pupil 110a, the observer cannot recognize the image by the image light Lb.

  In such a case, as shown in FIG. 1C, when the exit pupil diameter is increased, the image light Lb is emitted from the pupil 110a even when the observer moves the eye 110 to move the position of the pupil 110a. It will enter, and an observer can visually recognize an image.

  However, in this case, the opening angle α of the image light Lb incident from the pupil 110a becomes large and the depth of focus becomes shallow, and it becomes difficult for the observer to focus on the image by the image light Lb.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1D, the HMD according to the present embodiment is provided with a diaphragm portion A capable of changing the diaphragm position and the diaphragm diameter at a position Q optically conjugate with the exit pupil, and the exit pupil diameter is set. The diameter of the image light Lb incident on the pupil 110a is reduced to be small.

  Accordingly, the opening angle α of the image light Lb incident from the pupil 110a is reduced and the depth of focus is increased, and the observer can easily focus on the image by the image light Lb.

  In addition, since the aperture portion A is configured to be changeable in position, even when the observer moves the eye 110 and the position of the pupil 110a further moves as shown in FIG. The effective diameter of the incident image light Lb can be reduced while the image light Lb is incident on the pupil 110a by moving from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the solid line. That is, the opening angle α of the image light Lb is reduced and the depth of focus is increased, and the observer can easily focus on the image by the image light Lb.

  In FIG. 1, the aperture portion A has a diameter smaller than the diameter of incident light and includes an aperture through which a part of the incident light passes. However, for example, an aperture is formed by an LCD or the like. A diaphragm may be realized by forming a reflecting portion with a DMD, a reflecting mirror, or the like. These modifications will be described in detail later.

[Specific configuration and operation of HMD1]
As shown in FIG. 2, the HMD 1 according to the present embodiment includes a control unit 2 that is worn on the waist of the observer P, a head wearing tool 6 that the observer P wears on the head, and a control unit 2. An optical fiber cable 7 connected to the head mounting tool 6 is provided.

  The control unit unit 2 includes a display control unit 10, and the display control unit 10 forms an image signal S based on content data stored in a content storage unit 11 (described later) that is also built in the control unit unit 2. To do. Further, the control unit 2 is provided with a light source 12, and emits laser light whose intensity is modulated for each color (R, G, B) according to the image signal S described above to the optical fiber cable 7. Further, as will be described in detail later, the display control unit 10 functions as a control unit that controls the variable diaphragm unit according to the position of the pupil 110a detected by the detection unit.

  Further, the control unit 2 is provided with a power button 13 and an operation input unit (not shown). The power button 13 and the operation input unit are electrically connected to the display control unit 10.

  In addition, an external input / output terminal 20 is formed in the control unit section 2. The external input / output terminal 20 can input an image signal from the outside and transmit / receive content data for forming an image signal to / from a personal computer (not shown). Here, the content data is image information composed of at least one of data for displaying characters, data for displaying images, and data for displaying moving images. A document file, an image file, a moving image file, or the like used in a personal computer or the like.

  The head wearing tool 6 projects the transmitted laser light on the eyes 110 of the observer P and displays an image to the observer P in a state of being worn on the head of the observer P. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the head-mounted device 6 includes an image display unit 4 and a support frame 21.

  The image display unit 4 scans the laser beam transmitted from the optical fiber cable 7 in a two-dimensional direction to form an image light Lb, which is incident on the eye 110 of the observer P, and on the retina of the eye 110 of the observer P. The image light Lb is scanned in the two-dimensional direction. Thereby, the observer P can be made to visually recognize the image according to image information.

  The image display unit 4 is provided with a second half mirror 3 at a position facing the eye 110 of the observer P. The external light La passes through the second half mirror 3 and enters the eye 110 of the observer P, and the image light Lb emitted from the image display unit 4 is reflected by the second half mirror 3 and reflected by the eye 110 of the observer P. Is incident on. Thereby, the observer P can visually recognize the image of the image light Lb superimposed on the outside scene of the outside light La.

  As described above, the HMD 1 is a see-through head mounted display that projects the image light Lb onto the eye 110 of the observer P while transmitting the external light La.

  Next, the electrical configuration and optical configuration of the HMD 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit unit 2 includes a display control unit 10 and a light source unit 12.

(Display control unit 10)
The display control unit 10 reads content data stored in advance in the content storage unit 11 having a relatively large storage area, converts the content data into an image signal S, and supplies the image signal S to the light source unit 12. In addition, the display control unit 10 can convert content data supplied from devices (not shown) externally connected via the external input / output terminal 20 into an image signal S and supply the image signal S to the light source unit 12. The content storage unit 11 can be, for example, a magnetic storage medium such as a hard disk, an optical recording medium such as a CD-R, or a flash memory.

  In addition, a power button 13 is electrically connected to the display control unit 10. When the power button 13 is pressed, the display control unit 10 supplies or stops power from a power unit (not shown).

  The light source unit 12 is a part that generates laser light for displaying an image on the eye 110 of the observer P, and includes a drive signal supply circuit 30 that is electrically connected to the display control unit 10. Based on the image signal S supplied from the display control unit 10, the drive signal supply circuit 30 generates red, green, and blue image signals that are elements for forming a display image. The drive signal supply circuit 30 outputs a high-speed drive signal 33 used by a high-speed scanning unit 32 (to be described later) and a low-speed drive signal 35 used by the low-speed scanning unit 34, respectively.

  Further, the light source unit 12 is provided with a laser emitting unit 36. The laser emitting unit 36 includes an R (red) laser, a G (green) laser, and a B (blue) laser. The intensity modulation is performed according to the image signals of the respective colors generated based on the image signal S. The emitted laser beam is emitted. Each laser can be configured, for example, as a semiconductor laser or a solid-state laser with a harmonic generation mechanism. Laser light emitted from each laser is combined by an optical system including a dichroic mirror and the like, converted into parallel light, condensed, and output to the optical fiber cable 7.

(Image display unit 4)
The image display unit 4 scans the laser beam incident via the optical fiber cable 7 and projects it onto the eye 110 of the observer P. The image display unit 4 includes a scanning unit 60 and a projection unit 61. The scanning unit 60 scans the laser beam generated by the light source unit 12 and emitted through the optical fiber cable 7 in the two-dimensional direction and emits the image light Lb.

  Specifically, a collimating optical system 62 that collimates laser light emitted through the optical fiber cable 7 and a laser beam collimated by the collimating optical system 62 are displayed on the scanning unit 60 for image display. For this purpose, a high-speed scanning unit 32 that reciprocates in the first direction is provided by the reflecting surface of the deflection element 32a. Further, the scanning unit 60 scans the laser beam scanned in the first direction by the high-speed scanning unit 32 in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction by the reflection surface of the deflection element 34a. And a first relay optical system 63 provided between the high-speed scanning unit 32 and the low-speed scanning unit 34. The laser beam scanned by the scanning unit 60 is emitted from the scanning unit 60 toward the projection unit 61 as image light Lb. In the first direction and the second direction described above, for example, the horizontal direction of the image to be displayed can be the first direction, and the vertical direction of the image to be displayed can be the second direction. The first direction may be the vertical direction and the second direction may be the horizontal direction.

  The projection unit 61 includes a second relay optical system 64, a diaphragm unit A, an imaging unit 66, a third relay optical system 65, and the second half mirror 3.

  The second relay optical system 64 is a relay optical system for making the image light Lb emitted from the scanning unit 60 incident and creating a position Q conjugate with the reflection surface of the deflection element 34a. The position Q conjugate with the reflecting surface of the deflecting element 34a is optically conjugate with the exit pupil of the projection unit 61.

  The stop A is for reducing the effective diameter of the image light Lb incident on the pupil 110a, and is disposed in the vicinity of the exit pupil position of the second relay optical system 64. The diaphragm portion A has a wing diaphragm member 71 having a plurality of wings having an opening 70 through which a part of the incident light passes and a diameter smaller than the diameter of incident light, and the wing diaphragm member 71. And an aperture adjusting mechanism 72 for adjusting the aperture diameter of the aperture 70 and the aperture diameter.

  Specifically, the aperture adjustment mechanism 72 receives the aperture adjustment signal from the display control unit 10, thereby moving the plurality of wings constituting the wing aperture member 71 to expand and contract the aperture 70. 2 The effective diameter of the image light Lb in the vicinity of the exit pupil position of the relay optical system 64 is changed. In the present embodiment, the opening 70 is enlarged or reduced so that the exit pupil of the projection unit 61 is 2 mm or less. With this configuration, it is ensured that the depth of focus is reduced.

  In addition, the diaphragm adjusting mechanism 72 receives a movement adjustment signal transmitted from the display control unit 10 according to the movement of the pupil 110a of the observer P, so that within the range of the exit pupil of the second relay optical system 64, The wing diaphragm member 71 is freely moved in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the lens of the second relay optical system 64.

  The imaging unit 66 is a part for imaging the state of the surface of the eye 110 when detecting the position of the pupil 110 a in order to move the wing diaphragm member 71, and includes the first half mirror 73 and the imaging element 74. It is composed.

  The first half mirror 73 is a half mirror for reflecting the light on the surface of the eye 110 reflected by the second half mirror 3 and emitted from the third relay optical system 65 toward the image sensor 74. A part of the image light Lb emitted from the opening 70 of the aperture section A is reflected by the first half mirror 73, but the remaining part is transmitted and enters the third relay optical system 65.

  The imaging device 74 receives light on the surface of the eye 110 reflected by the first half mirror 73 and images the state of the surface of the eye 110, and is disposed at a position conjugate with the position of the pupil 110a. . The imaging element 74 converts the received light from the surface of the eye 110 into an imaging signal and transmits it to the display control unit 10.

  The third relay optical system 65 is configured by arranging the first lens 75 and the second lens 76 in series, and converges the image light Lb that is transmitted through the first half mirror 73 and is emitted. The image light Lb enters the eye 110 of the observer P from the pupil 110a through the second half mirror 3. Thereby, the observer P can recognize the image by the image light Lb projected on the retina 110b. Further, as described above, the third relay optical system 65 also plays a role of guiding light on the surface of the eye 110 toward the image sensor 74.

[Electrical Configuration of Display Control Unit 10]
Next, the configuration of the display control unit 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the display control unit 10.

  The display control unit 10 includes a CPU 100, a ROM 101, a RAM 102, an image signal supply circuit interface 103, an image signal supply circuit VRAM 104, a peripheral device interface 107, and a communication interface 108, and includes a system bus. 109 are connected to each other.

  The ROM 101 stores a program for realizing processing according to a flowchart described later by being executed by the CPU 100 using the RAM 102.

  The RAM 102 also functions as a temporary storage area for storing various variables that are referred to when the CPU 100 executes a program stored in the ROM 101.

  The image signal supply circuit interface 103 is responsible for connection with the drive signal supply circuit 30, refers to the image signal supply circuit VRAM 104, generates an image signal S, and supplies the image signal S to the drive signal supply circuit 30. The data of the image signal supply circuit VRAM 104 is written by the CPU 100. That is, the CPU 100 reads the content data from the content storage unit 11 via the peripheral device interface 107, writes the content data in the image signal supply circuit VRAM 104, and expands it.

  The peripheral device interface 107 is responsible for operation control and signal transmission / reception of peripheral devices connected to the display control unit 10. The peripheral device interface 107 is connected to the content storage unit 11, the power button 13, the aperture adjustment mechanism 72, and the image sensor 74.

  The peripheral device interface 107 reads content data from the content storage unit 11 and writes it to a predetermined address on the RAM 102 according to an instruction from the CPU 100.

  The peripheral device interface 107 that has received the operation signal transmitted from the power button 13 sets a flag indicating that the power button 13 has been operated at a predetermined address on the RAM 102. In addition, the peripheral device interface 107 that has received the imaging signal transmitted from the imaging element 74 converts the imaging signal into captured image data and writes it to a predetermined address in the RAM 102. In addition, the peripheral device interface 107 transmits an aperture adjustment signal and a movement adjustment signal to the aperture adjustment mechanism 72 according to a command from the CPU 100.

  Note that the flag and the like stored on the RAM 102 described above can be referred to by the CPU 100 when executing the processing shown in the flowchart described below, and thus the CPU 100 detects an operation by the observer P such as the power button 13. .

  The communication interface 108 is responsible for transmission / reception of signals to / from devices connected to the display control unit 10, and is connected to the external input / output terminal 20.

[Processing Operation of Display Control Unit 10]
Next, processing in the display control unit 10 in the HMD 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing of the HMD 1 according to the present embodiment.

  First, the CPU 100 of the display control unit 10 executes initial settings such as permitting access to the RAM 102 and initializing the work area (step S11).

  Next, the CPU 100 detects the position of the pupil 110a (step S12). For the detection of the position of the pupil 110a, a known method can be applied. For example, the captured image data is subjected to numerical processing to perform contour extraction, and the contour of the pupil 110a is determined to detect the position of the pupil 110a. can do. At this time, a value is also acquired for the diameter of the pupil 110a. As described above, the CPU 100 functions as a detection unit that detects the pupil position of the observer together with the imaging element 74.

  Next, the CPU 100 instructs the peripheral device interface 107 to transmit a movement adjustment signal to the diaphragm adjustment mechanism 72 so as to move the wing diaphragm member 71 to a position corresponding to the position of the pupil 110a detected in step S12. Do. Further, the peripheral device interface 107 is instructed to send an aperture adjustment signal so that the diameter of the opening portion 70 corresponds to the diameter of the pupil 110a obtained in step S12 (step S13). In this processing, when the observer moves the eye 110 and the position of the pupil 110a moves, the CPU 100 changes the aperture position when it is determined that the image light Lb is incident on the pupil 110a due to the change of the aperture position. . On the other hand, when the CPU 100 determines that the image light does not enter the pupil 110a due to the change of the aperture position when the observer moves the eye 110 and moves the position of the pupil 110a, for example, the CPU 100 The diameter of 70 is changed, and the image light Lb enters the pupil 110a by a predetermined area. In this case, the CPU 100 changes the aperture position in addition to changing the diameter of the opening 70 as necessary.

  Next, the CPU 100 executes image display processing (step S14). In this image display process, the CPU 100 generates an image signal S for causing the image signal supply circuit interface 103 to emit light whose intensity is modulated in accordance with content data that is image information acquired from the content storage unit 11. I ordered. Thereby, the laser beam according to image information is emitted from the light source unit 12.

  Next, the CPU 100 determines whether or not the image display is stopped by pressing the power button 13 or an image stop button (not shown) (step S15). If it is determined that the image display is not stopped (step S15: No), the CPU 100 returns the process to step S12 again. On the other hand, when it is determined that the image display is stopped (step S15: Yes), the CPU 100 ends the process.

  Thus, the HMD 1 according to the present embodiment operates according to the processing of the flowcharts described above.

  As described above, according to the HMD 1 according to the present embodiment, the CPU 100 is arranged at a position optically conjugate with the exit pupil of the projection unit according to the pupil position of the observer detected by the image sensor 74. Change the aperture position or diameter. Accordingly, the effective diameter of the image light incident on the pupil can be suppressed, and the observer P can easily focus on the image of the HMD 1.

  In addition, since the diaphragm is formed with an opening that can change the position or the diameter, when changing the position of the diaphragm, the exit pupil can be made to follow the pupil position with a simple configuration. Further, when changing the diameter of the diaphragm, a general-purpose diaphragm mechanism can be used, and an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the processes in steps S12 to S14 are repeated until the image display is stopped. That is, the CPU 100 changes the aperture position and aperture diameter when the observer's pupil position detected using the image sensor 74 changes. Accordingly, the image light Lb can be incident on the observer's pupil following the change in the observer's pupil position. Note that steps S12 to S14 may be performed in accordance with a predetermined operation of the observer without performing such repeated processing. For example, an adjustment button for adjusting the exit pupil position is provided, and when the observer cannot visually recognize the image, the CPU 100 executes steps S12 to S14 by operating the adjustment button. Thus, the observer operates the adjustment button only when the image cannot be visually recognized, and the processing load on the CPU 100 can be reduced. Instead of operating the adjustment button, the CPU 100 may execute the processes of steps S12 to S14 when starting to display an image.

  Next, modified examples of the HMD 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that, in the following modified examples, the same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those described above, and descriptions thereof are omitted. Also in the figure, the internal configuration of the control unit 2, the optical fiber cable 7, and the scanning unit 60 is omitted since it has almost the same configuration as the HMD 1 described above.

[First Modification]
The HMD 80 according to the first modified example has substantially the same configuration as the HMD 1 described above, but a pupil conjugate position Q formed between the second relay optical system 64 and the third relay optical system 65. In addition, the structure is different in that a diaphragm portion B including a transmissive liquid crystal panel 81 is provided in place of the diaphragm portion A described above.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the diaphragm B is a transmission type that can transmit or block incident light at a desired position and area on the display surface 82 by controlling application of voltage. The liquid crystal panel 81 and a liquid crystal panel drive circuit 83 that controls the voltage applied to the transmissive liquid crystal panel 81 are configured.

  The liquid crystal panel drive circuit 83 is electrically connected to the display control unit 10, and receives a liquid crystal panel control signal transmitted from the display control unit 10, thereby applying a voltage to be applied to the transmissive liquid crystal panel 81. The opening 84 is formed on the display surface 82 by controlling. The liquid crystal panel control signal is transmitted by the display control unit 10 according to the detection result of the position of the pupil 110a, like the aperture adjustment signal and the movement adjustment signal of the HMD 1 described above. According to the liquid crystal panel control signal, an opening having a predetermined area is formed on the display surface 82 at a predetermined position. However, also in the first modification, the opening 84 is formed so that the exit pupil by the projection unit 61 is 2 mm or less. Since the human pupil diameter is larger than 2 mm, the image light Lb can be entirely incident on the pupil 110a by setting the exit pupil to 2 mm or less. Accordingly, the brightness of the image visually recognized by the observer can be made constant, and the depth of focus can be increased because the exit pupil is small.

  In addition, the opening 84 formed on the display surface 82 can change the transmittance by causing the light-shielding dots to appear at a predetermined ratio.

  With such a configuration, the image light Lb emitted from the second relay optical system 64 reaches the transmissive liquid crystal panel 81, and the image light Lb incident on the position where the opening 84 is formed is converted into a dot. The light is transmitted at a transmittance corresponding to the appearance ratio. That is, the opening 84 of the first modification is a transmission part that is smaller in diameter than the incident light and transmits a part of the incident light.

  Therefore, also in the HMD 80 according to the first modification, the size of the effective diameter of the image light Lb incident on the pupil 110a of the observer P can be suppressed, and the observer can easily focus on the image of the HMD 80. .

  In addition, it is possible to change the position and diameter of the diaphragm at high speed, and it is possible to change the exit pupil position at high speed in response to fluctuations in the pupil position.

  In addition, by changing the transmittance of the opening 84, the intensity of the image light Lb incident on the pupil 110a can be adjusted, and the brightness of the image visually recognized by the observer P according to the position of the pupil 110a can be adjusted. The phenomenon that changes can be suppressed.

[Second Modification]
Next, the HMD 90 according to the second modification will be described. The HMD 90 according to the second modified example is replaced with the above-described stop A or stop B at the pupil conjugate position Q formed between the second relay optical system 64 and the third relay optical system 65, The structure is different in that a diaphragm C having a reflective liquid crystal panel 91 is provided.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the diaphragm C controls the application of voltage to reflect incident light at a desired position or area on the display surface 92 or suppress reflection. And a liquid crystal panel driving circuit 93 that controls the voltage applied to the reflective liquid crystal panel 91. The reflective liquid crystal panel 91 is disposed at an angle at which the reflected light of the incident image light Lb enters the third relay optical system 65.

  The liquid crystal panel drive circuit 93 is electrically connected to the display control unit 10 in the same manner as the liquid crystal panel drive circuit 83 of the diaphragm B described above, and receives a liquid crystal panel control signal transmitted from the display control unit 10. By receiving the voltage, the voltage applied to the reflective liquid crystal panel 91 is controlled to form the reflective portion 94 having a predetermined area on the display surface 92 at a predetermined position. However, also in the second modified example, the reflecting portion 94 is formed so that the exit pupil by the projection portion 61 is 2 mm or less. With this configuration, it is ensured that the depth of focus is reduced.

  Moreover, the reflection part 94 formed on this display surface 92 can change a reflectance by making the dot which suppresses reflection appear in a predetermined ratio.

  By adopting such a configuration, the image light Lb emitted from the second relay optical system 64 reaches the reflective liquid crystal panel 91, and the image light Lb incident on the position where the reflecting portion 94 is formed is converted to dot. The light is reflected at a reflectance corresponding to the appearance ratio. That is, the reflecting portion 94 of the second modification is a reflecting portion that is smaller in diameter than the incident light and reflects a part of the incident light.

  Therefore, also in the HMD 90 according to the second modification, the size of the effective diameter of the image light Lb incident on the pupil 110a of the observer P can be suppressed, and the observer can easily focus on the image of the HMD 90. .

  In addition, it is possible to change the position and diameter of the diaphragm at high speed, and it is possible to change the exit pupil position at high speed in response to fluctuations in the pupil position.

  In addition, by making the reflectance of the reflecting portion 94 variable, the intensity of the image light Lb incident on the pupil 110a can be adjusted, and the brightness of the image viewed by the observer changes according to the position of the pupil 110a. Can be suppressed.

  In the second modification, the reflective liquid crystal panel 91 is used as a member constituting the diaphragm C. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the micro liquid crystal panel includes a large number of fine mirror surfaces capable of adjusting the angle. A digital micromirror device may be used. In such a configuration, the micromirror surface forming the reflecting portion 94 is set to an angle at which the incident image light Lb is incident on the third relay optical system 65, while the micromirror surface of the other part is the observer P. The angle at which the image light Lb is reflected in a direction that does not adversely affect the visual recognition of the image is set.

[Third Modification]
Next, the HMD 120 according to the third modification will be described. The HMD 120 according to the third modification has the same configuration as the projection unit 61 of the HMD 90 described in the second modification, but the second relay optical system 64, the third relay optical system 65, and the like. A structure is provided in that a diaphragm portion D including a rotating disk 122 having a plurality of mirror bodies 121 is disposed at a pupil conjugate position Q formed between the two in place of the diaphragm portion C described above. It is different.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 8A, the diaphragm portion D controls the rotating disk 122 having a plurality of mirror bodies 121 and the rotation and stop positions of the rotating disk 122. The rotating disk drive circuit 123 is constituted. The rotating disk 122 is disposed at an angle at which the reflected light of the incident image light Lb enters the third relay optical system 65.

  On the rotating disk 122, as shown in FIG. 8 (b), the rotating disk drive circuit 123 rotates the rotating center 124 around the rotating center 124 so as to be stationary at the pupil conjugate position Q. A plurality of stationary regions 125 are formed (five in the second modified example), and mirror bodies 121 are disposed in the stationary regions 125, respectively.

  The mirror body 121 disposed in the stationary regions 125a to 125e is configured to be positioned at different locations shown in FIG. 8C when the mirror body 121 is stationary at the pupil conjugate position Q. This is because the image light Lb reflected by the mirror body 121 is incident on the pupil 110a by selecting any one of the stationary regions 125a to 125e according to the movement of the pupil 110a of the observer P.

  Further, in any mirror body 121, the area of the reflection surface is set such that the exit pupil by the projection unit 61 is 2 mm or less. With this configuration, it is ensured that the depth of focus is reduced.

  The rotating disk drive circuit 123 is electrically connected to the display control unit 10, receives the mirror body selection signal transmitted from the display control unit 10, rotates the rotating disk 122, Any one of the stationary regions 125a to 125e is stopped at the pupil conjugate position Q at a position corresponding to the specular body selection signal. The specular body selection signal is transmitted by the display control unit 10 according to the detection result of the position of the pupil 110a, as in the opening adjustment signal and the movement adjustment signal of the HMD 1 described above. 123 stops any of the stationary regions 125a to 125e at the pupil conjugate position Q in accordance with the specular body selection signal.

  With such a configuration, the image light Lb emitted from the second relay optical system 64 reaches the rotating disk 122, and the image light Lb incident on the mirror surface 121 is converted into the third relay optical system. Reflected in the direction of 65. That is, it can be said that the mirror body 121 of the third modified example is also a reflecting portion that is smaller in diameter than the incident light and reflects a part of the incident light.

  Therefore, also in the HMD 120 according to the third modification, the effective diameter of the image light Lb incident on the pupil 110a of the observer P can be suppressed, and the observer can easily focus on the image of the HMD 120. .

  Further, when changing the position of the diaphragm, the exit pupil can be made to follow the pupil position with a simple configuration.

[Fourth Modification]
Next, the HMD 130 according to the fourth modification will be described. The HMD 130 according to the fourth modification has the same configuration as the projection unit 61 of the HMD 1 described first, but differs in structure in that it includes a liquid crystal display panel 131 instead of the scanning unit 60. I have to.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, a liquid crystal display panel 131 that displays an image according to image information and emits image light Lb is disposed on the upstream side of the optical path of the diaphragm A. The liquid crystal display panel 131 is connected to the image display control unit 134 and can display an image corresponding to the image information.

  The projection unit 132 of the HMD 130 includes a lens 133 that converges the image light Lb emitted from the liquid crystal display panel 131, instead of the second relay optical system 64, and forms a pupil conjugate position Q. I am doing so.

  At the pupil conjugate position Q, similarly to the projection unit 61 of the HMD 1, a diaphragm unit A including a wing diaphragm member 71 is provided, and is configured to reduce the effective diameter of the incident image light Lb. Yes.

  With such a configuration, the image light Lb emitted from the liquid crystal display panel 131 reaches the aperture section A via the lens 133, and the effective diameter is reduced, so that the third relay optical system 65 and the second half mirror. 3 enters the pupil 110a.

[Fifth Modification]
Next, the HMD 140 according to the fifth modification will be described. The HMD 140 according to the fifth modification does not reduce the effective diameter of the image light Lb as in the above-described embodiment, but changes the diameter of the light emitted from the light source 141.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the light emitted from the light source 141 is converged by the lens 142 and is incident on the stop A at the exit pupil position formed by the lens 142. The aperture portion A has the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment, and thus the diameter and position of the light emitted from the light source 141 can be changed.

  The light that has passed through the aperture A enters the liquid crystal display panel 144 via the lens 143. The liquid crystal display panel 144 is connected to the image display control unit 148, can display an image according to image information, and is disposed on an intermediate image plane formed by the lens 143. Thereby, the image light Lb corresponding to the image displayed on the liquid crystal display panel 144 is emitted from the liquid crystal display panel 144. The image light Lb is incident on the pupil 110a through the lens 146 and the second half mirror 3 constituting the projection unit 145.

  As described above, according to the HMD1, HMD80, HMD90, HMD120, HMD130, and HMD140 according to the present embodiment, the projection unit 61, the projection unit 132, and the projection unit 145 according to the detected position of the pupil 110a of the observer. The position or diameter of the stop arranged at the position Q optically conjugate with the exit pupil is changed. Accordingly, the effective diameter of the image light incident on the pupil 110a can be suppressed, and the observer can easily focus on the visually recognized image. That is, by changing the position of the stop so that the exit pupil by the projection unit matches the position of the pupil 110a of the observer, the image light Lb having a small effective diameter can be incident on the pupil. Further, by changing the aperture diameter according to the position of the observer's pupil 110a, the effective diameter of the image light Lb incident on the pupil 110a can be reduced even when the diameter of the image light emitted from the projection unit is large. It can suppress becoming large.

  In addition, the diaphragm is formed with an opening whose position or diameter can be changed. Therefore, when changing the position of the stop, the exit pupil can follow the position of the pupil 110a with a simple configuration. Further, when changing the diameter of the diaphragm, a general-purpose diaphragm mechanism can be used, and an increase in manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

  In addition, since the diaphragm is formed by a reflective part whose position or diameter can be changed like the HMD90 and HMD120, therefore, when changing the position of the diaphragm, the exit pupil is made to follow the position of the pupil 110a with a simple configuration. be able to. Further, when changing the diameter of the diaphragm, it can be configured by using a reflective LCD or the like, and the change of the position of the diaphragm can be changed at high speed, and the exit pupil can be changed at high speed with respect to the fluctuation of the position of the pupil 110a. The position can be changed. In addition, even when changing the position of the aperture, it is possible to perform a high-speed tracking process by similarly configuring using a reflective LCD or the like.

  In addition, since the diaphragm is formed with a transmission part whose position or diameter can be changed as in the HMD 80, it can be configured using a transmissive LCD or the like, and the change of the position and diameter of the diaphragm can be changed at high speed, and the pupil The exit pupil position can be changed at high speed with respect to the fluctuation of the position 110a.

  Further, as described in the description of the HMD 90, even when the diameter of the image light Lb emitted from the projection unit is increased, the image light Lb incident on the pupil 110a is made variable by changing the reflectance of the reflection unit. The intensity of the can be adjusted. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a phenomenon in which the brightness of the image visually recognized by the observer changes according to the position of the pupil 110a.

  Further, as described in the description of the HMD 80, the intensity of the image light Lb incident on the pupil 110a can be adjusted by changing the transmittance of the transmission part. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a phenomenon in which the brightness of the image visually recognized by the observer changes according to the position of the pupil 110a.

  Further, in any of HMD1, HMD80, HMD90, HMD120, HMD130, and HMD140, the exit pupil by the projection unit is 2 mm or less, so that it is possible to reliably suppress the shallow depth of focus.

  Finally, the description of each embodiment described above is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For this reason, it is a matter of course that various modifications can be made in accordance with the design and the like as long as they do not depart from the technical idea according to the present invention other than the embodiments described above.

1,80,90,120,130,140 HMD
4 Image display unit 10 Display control unit 61, 132, 145 Projection unit 64 Second relay optical system 65 Third relay optical system 66 Imaging unit 70 Opening portion 71 Wing diaphragm member 72 Aperture adjustment mechanism 74 Imaging element 81 Transmission type liquid crystal panel 83 , 93, 131, 144 Liquid crystal panel drive circuit 84 Opening 91 Reflective liquid crystal panel 94 Reflector 110 Eye 110a Pupil 121 Specular body 123 Rotating disk drive circuit 134 Image display controller A Diaphragm B Diaphragm C Diaphragm D Diaphragm Lb Image light P Observer

Claims (8)

A projection unit that projects image light according to image information onto the eyes of the observer;
A variable diaphragm unit that is disposed at a position optically conjugate with the exit pupil of the projection unit, and that can change a diaphragm position and / or a diaphragm diameter;
A detection unit for detecting a pupil position of the observer's eye;
A head-mounted display comprising: a control unit configured to control the variable aperture unit according to the pupil position detected by the detection unit and to cause the image light to enter the observer's eye.   The head mounted display according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes the aperture position when the pupil position detected by the detection unit changes.   The head mounted display according to claim 1, wherein the controller changes the aperture diameter when the pupil position detected by the detector changes.   The head-mounted display according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stop includes a reflecting portion that is smaller in diameter than incident light and reflects a part of the incident light. .   The head-mounted display according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the stop includes a transmission portion having a diameter smaller than a diameter of incident light and transmitting a part of the incident light. . The reflection part has a variable reflectance,
The head cloak display according to claim 4, wherein the control unit changes the reflectance. The transmission part has a variable transmittance,
6. The head cloak display according to claim 5, wherein the control unit changes the transmittance.   The mount display according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein an exit pupil by the projection unit is 2 mm or less.

Images