JP2016151601A - Image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image display device that can reduce the size of the device, and can reduce a reduction in intensity of light from a mirror part used for scanning.SOLUTION: An image display device 100 comprises: a frame part 200 including a front part 210 and temple parts 220 and 230 that are connected to the front part 210; a modulation light creation part 400A that is supported by the temple part 230 to emit modulation light L; an optical scanning part 600A that is supported by the temple part 220 and includes a mirror 611; and a light guide part 500A that is supported by the front part 210 and guides modulation light L emitted from the modulation light creation part 400A to the mirror 611 of the optical scanning part 600A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display device.

  As one of the image display technologies of a head-mounted display (HMD), a display device that irradiates a laser directly on the retina of an eye and visually recognizes an image has recently attracted attention (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  Patent Document 1 discloses a spectacle-type head mounted display. And in the structure shown in FIG. 1 of patent document 1, the scanning part (MEMS mirror) provided with the mirror part which scans the light source and the light emitted from the light source in the left temple part is incorporated, A polarizing unit is provided in a portion corresponding to the lens of the spectacles, and the polarizing unit reflects light scanned by the scanning unit toward the eyes of the wearer.

International Publication WO2009 / 041055

  However, in such a configuration, the incident angle of the light emitted from the light source to the scanning unit (mirror unit) becomes large. As a result, the effective diameter of the mirror section (the apparent area of the mirror section with respect to the traveling direction of light) becomes small, and the amount of light scanned by the mirror section decreases. In order to solve such a problem, an optical member is disposed between the light source and the scanning unit to reduce the incident angle of the light emitted from the light source to the scanning unit (mirror unit). The configuration of the optical system becomes complicated, and the size of the apparatus increases.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an image display device capable of reducing a reduction in the amount of light scanned by a mirror while reducing the size of the device.

Such an object is achieved by the present invention described below.
An image display device of the present invention is used by being attached to an observer, and includes a front part, a frame having a first temple part and a second temple part connected to the front part,
A light source supported by the first temple portion and emitting light;
An optical scanning unit supported by the second temple unit, having a light reflection unit, and scanning the light reflected by the light reflection unit;
And a light guide unit that is supported by the front unit and guides the light emitted from the light source to the optical scanning unit.

  Accordingly, since the incident angle of the light from the light source with respect to the light reflecting portion can be reduced without using a complicated optical system, a reduction in the amount of light can be reduced, and a compact image display device can be provided. it can.

In the image display device of the present invention, it is preferable that the light guide is an optical fiber.
Thereby, the structure of a light guide part becomes simple. In addition, the degree of freedom in routing the light guide unit is improved.

In the image display device of the present invention, it is preferable that the light guide portion is embedded in the front portion.
Thereby, damage to the light guide unit can be reduced.

In the image display device according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the optical scanning unit includes an optical scanner that scans the light two-dimensionally.
Thereby, size reduction of an optical scanning part can be achieved.

In the image display device of the present invention, the light emitting part of the light guide part is located closer to the front part side of the second temple part than the light scanning part,
The light guide part preferably emits the light toward an end side of the second temple part opposite to the front part.

  Thereby, the incident angle with respect to the light reflection part of the light from a light source can be made small by simpler structure.

In the image display device of the present invention, the front unit includes a deflection unit that guides light scanned by the light scanning unit to the eyes of the observer,
It is preferable that the light scanning unit is disposed with the light reflecting unit facing the deflecting unit.

  As a result, the effective scanning angle of the optical scanning unit (scanning angle at which light can be guided to the deflecting unit) can be increased.

In the image display device of the present invention, when the light reflecting portion is stationary, the incident angle of the light emitted from the light guide portion to the light reflecting portion and the deflecting portion of the light reflected by the light reflecting portion. It is preferable that the incident angle to be equal.
Thereby, the distortion of an image can be reduced.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of suitable embodiment of the image display apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the display unit of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the modulated light production | generation part contained in a display unit. It is a top view which shows the optical scanning part contained in a display unit. It is a top view which shows the relationship of arrangement | positioning of an optical scanning part and a deflection | deviation part.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an image display device of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a preferred embodiment of an image display device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a display unit of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a modulated light generation unit included in the display unit. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an optical scanning unit included in the display unit. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the relationship between the arrangement of the optical scanning unit and the deflecting unit.

  An image display device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a head-mounted display (head-mounted image display device). Such an image display device 100 has an appearance like glasses, is used by being worn on the head H of the observer, and allows the observer to visually recognize the virtual image superimposed on the external image. In the following, the right side for the observer is also referred to as `` right '', the left side is also referred to as `` left '', the top of the head is also referred to as `` up '', and the foot side is also referred to as `` down '', The front is also called “front” and the back is also called “rear”.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the image display apparatus 100 includes a frame 200, a left-eye display unit 300 </ b> A and a right-eye display unit 300 </ b> B supported by the frame 200.

  The display unit 300A includes a modulated light generation unit 400A, a light guide unit 500A, an optical scanning unit 600A, and a deflection unit 700A, and the modulated light generation unit 400A is modulated based on the video signal. L is generated, the light guide unit 500A guides the modulated light L from the modulated light generation unit 400A to the optical scanning unit 600A, the optical scanning unit 600A scans the modulated light L spatially (two-dimensionally), and the deflection unit 700A Is generated from the modulated light L scanned, and the video light L1 is guided to the left eye EY1 of the observer.

  Similarly, the display unit 300B includes a modulated light generation unit 400B, a light guide unit 500B, an optical scanning unit 600B, and a deflection unit 700B, and the modulated light generation unit 400B performs modulation modulated based on the video signal. The light L is generated, the light guide unit 500B guides the modulated light L from the modulated light generation unit 400B to the optical scanning unit 600B, the optical scanning unit 600B scans the modulated light L spatially (two-dimensionally), and the deflecting unit The image light L1 is generated from the modulated light L scanned by 700B, and the image light L1 is guided to the right eye EY2 of the observer.

  With such a configuration, the observer can visually recognize a virtual image corresponding to the video signal. Note that the image display device 100 of the present embodiment is a binocular head mounted display, but the image display device 100 may be a monocular head mounted display. That is, one of the display units 300A and 300B may be omitted.

Hereinafter, each component of the image display apparatus 100 will be sequentially described in detail.
(flame)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the frame 200 has a shape like a spectacle frame and supports the display units 300A and 300B. The frame 200 includes a front part 210 positioned in front of the observer's eye EY, and a pair of temple parts 220 and 230 extending from both left and right ends of the front part 210.

  The front part 210 has a rim part 211, a shade part 212 and a nose pad 213 supported by the rim part 211. The shade part 212 has a function of suppressing the transmission of external light and is a member that supports the deflection parts 700A and 700B. And the nose pad 213 is provided in the center part of such a shade part 212. FIG. When the observer wears the image display device 100 on the head H, the nose pad 213 abuts on the nose NS of the observer and supports the image display device 100 with respect to the head H of the observer.

  The temple parts 220 and 230 are connected to the front part 210. The temple portions 220 and 230 are straight temple portions that are not angled to hang on the observer's ear EA, and when the observer wears the image display device 100 on the head H, the temple portions 220 and 230 A part of 230 is configured to contact the observer's ear EA.

  Although the frame 200 has been described above, the shape of the frame 200 is not limited to that shown in the drawings as long as it can be mounted on the head H of the observer and can support the display units 300A and 300B. .

(Modulated light generator)
The modulated light generation unit 400A is built in the right temple unit (first temple unit) 230, and the modulated light generation unit 400B is built in the left temple unit (second temple unit) 220. Since the configurations of the modulated light generation units 400A and 400B are similar to each other, the modulated light generation unit 400A will be described below as a representative, and the description of the modulated light generation unit 400B will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the modulated light generation unit 400A includes a light source unit 410 having a plurality of light sources 410R, 410G, and 410B having different wavelengths, and drive circuits 420R, 420G, and 420B that drive the light sources 410R, 410G, and 410B. The light combining unit 430, the collimator lens 440, and the control unit 450 are included.

  The light source 410R emits red light, the light source 410G emits green light, and the light source 410B emits blue light. By using such three colors of light, a full color image can be displayed. The light sources 410R, 410G, and 410B are not particularly limited, and for example, laser diodes, LEDs, and the like can be used.

  The drive circuit 420R has a function of driving the light source 410R, the drive circuit 420G has a function of driving the light source 410G, and the drive circuit 420B has a function of driving the light source 410B. In addition, driving of the driving circuits 420R, 420G, and 420B is independently controlled by the control unit 450. The three lights emitted from the light sources 410R, 410G, and 410B driven by the driving circuits 420R, 420G, and 420B enter the light combining unit 430.

  The light combining unit 430 combines light from the plurality of light sources 410R, 410G, and 410B. In the present embodiment, the light combining unit 430 includes two dichroic mirrors 431 and 432. The dichroic mirror 431 has a function of transmitting red light and reflecting green light, and the dichroic mirror 432 has a function of transmitting red light and green light and reflecting blue light. By using such dichroic mirrors 431 and 432, the light of three colors of red light, green light and blue light from the light sources 410R, 410G and 410B is synthesized. At this time, the intensity of light from the light sources 410R, 410G, and 410B is independently modulated by the control unit 450 to obtain modulated light L of a predetermined color. The generated modulated light L is collimated by the collimator lens 440 and then guided to the light guide unit 500A via a coupling lens (not shown).

  The modulated light generation unit 400A has been described above, but the configuration of the modulated light generation unit 400A is not limited to the configuration of the present embodiment as long as the modulated light L can be generated. The same applies to the modulated light generation unit 400B.

(Light guide part)
Both the light guide portions 500A and 500B are supported by the front portion 210. More specifically, the light guide parts 500A and 500B are embedded in the rim part 211, respectively. Thus, by burying the light guide portions 500A and 500B in the rim portion 211, exposure of the light guide portions 500A and 500B can be suppressed, and the light guide portions 500A and 500B can be protected. Note that at least a part of the light guides 500A and 500B may be provided exposed from the front part 210.

  In addition, the light guides 500A and 500B are both configured by optical fibers. By configuring the light guide units 500A and 500B with optical fibers, the configuration of the light guide units 500A and 500B can be simplified and the propagation efficiency of the modulated light L can be increased. However, the configuration of the light guides 500A and 500B is not limited to the optical fiber as long as the modulated light L can be propagated similarly to the optical fiber.

  One end portion of the light guide unit 500A is disposed in the temple unit 230, and has a light incident unit 501A into which the modulated light L from the modulated light generation unit 400A is incident. The other end portion of the light guide unit 500A includes a light emitting unit 502A that is disposed in the temple unit 220 and emits the modulated light L that has propagated through the light guide unit 500A. The light incident part 501A is arranged in front of the modulated light generation part 400A (at the tip of the temple part 230 (the connection part between the front part 210 and the temple part 230)) so that the modulated light L traveling forward is incident thereon. It has become. In other words, the light incident part 501A is disposed closer to the front part 210 than the modulated light generation part 400A.

  On the other hand, the light emitting portion 502A is disposed in front of the optical scanning portion 600A (on the distal end of the temple portion 220 (connecting portion between the front portion 210 and the temple portion 220)) and rearward (the proximal end (front portion of the temple portion 220). The modulated light L is emitted toward the end (side) of the temple portion 220 extending from 210. By arranging the light guide unit 500A in this way, the light guide unit 500A can be arranged without bending as much as possible, so that the overall length of the light guide unit 500A can be kept short, and the light guide unit 500A can be curved. Can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress loss of the modulated light L due to propagation through the light guide unit 500A.

  Similarly, one end of the light guide unit 500B is disposed on the temple unit 220, and has a light incident unit 501B on which the modulated light L from the modulated light generation unit 400B is incident. The other end portion of the light guide unit 500B has a light emitting unit 502B that is disposed in the temple unit 230 and emits the modulated light L that has propagated through the light guide unit 500B. The light incident part 501B is arranged in front of the modulated light generation part 400B (at the tip of the temple part 220 (the connection part between the front part 210 and the temple part 220)), so that the modulated light L traveling forward is incident thereon. It has become. In other words, the light incident part 501B is disposed at a position closer to the front part 210 than the modulated light generation part 400B.

  On the other hand, the light emitting unit 502B is disposed in front of the optical scanning unit 600B (on the distal end of the temple unit 230 (connecting portion between the front unit 210 and the temple unit 230)) and rearward (the base end (front unit of the temple unit 230). The modulated light L is emitted toward the end (side) of the temple portion 230 extending from 210. By arranging the light guide unit 500B in this way, the light guide unit 500B can be arranged without being bent as much as possible, so that the overall length of the light guide unit 500B can be kept short and the light guide unit 500B can be curved. Can be reduced. Therefore, the loss of the modulated light L due to propagation through the light guide unit 500B can be suppressed.

(Optical scanning unit)
The optical scanning unit 600A is provided in the temple unit 220, and scans spatially (two-dimensionally) the modulated light L emitted from the light emitting unit 502A of the light guide unit 500A toward the deflecting unit 700A. It is a scanner. Similarly, the optical scanning unit 600B is provided in the temple unit 230, and spatially (two-dimensionally) the modulated light L emitted from the light emitting unit 502B of the light guide unit 500B toward the deflecting unit 700B. An optical scanner for scanning. Hereinafter, the configuration of the optical scanning units 600A and 600B will be described. Since the optical scanning units 600A and 600B have the same configuration, the optical scanning unit 600A will be described as a representative, and the optical scanning unit 600B will be described. Description is omitted.

  The optical scanning unit 600A is an optical scanner that can swing about two axes. As shown in FIG. 5, the movable unit 610 having a mirror (light reflecting unit) 611 and the movable unit 610 swings about an axis J1. The shaft portions 621 and 622 that can be (rotated), the drive frame portion 630 that supports the shaft portions 621 and 622, and the drive frame portion 630 can be swung (rotated) around the axis J2 orthogonal to the axis J1. The movable portion 610 is moved while the drive frame portion 630 is swung around the axis J2 with respect to the support portion 650, the shaft portions 641 and 642 supported on the shaft, the frame-shaped support portion 650 supporting the shaft portions 641 and 642. Drive means (not shown) that swings around the axis J1 with respect to the drive frame portion 630. According to such a configuration, since the movable portion 610 swings around both the axes J1 and J2, the modulated light L reflected by the mirror 611 can be scanned two-dimensionally.

  As described above, by using an optical scanner capable of swinging around two axes as the optical scanning unit 600A, the configuration and arrangement (particularly alignment) of the optical scanning unit 600A can be simplified, and the optical scanning unit 600A can also be used. Miniaturization can be achieved. In addition, by arranging the optical scanning units 600A and 600B in the temple unit, the degree of freedom in setting the distance between the light emitting units 502A and 502B and the optical scanning units 600A and 600B is increased. The configuration of the optical scanning unit 600A is not limited to the configuration of the present embodiment as long as the modulated light L can be scanned two-dimensionally. For example, the optical scanning unit 600A may have two optical scanners that scan the modulated light L one-dimensionally, or a configuration that uses a polygon mirror or a galvanometer mirror instead of the optical scanner. Also good.

  The optical scanning unit 600A is located behind the light emitting unit 502A of the light guide unit 500A, and the modulated light L emitted backward from the light emitting unit 502A is incident on the mirror 611. Further, the optical scanning unit 600A is arranged with the mirror 611 facing the deflecting unit 700A. Thereby, the effective scanning angle (scanning angle capable of guiding the modulated light L to the deflecting unit 700A) θ of the optical scanning unit 600A can be increased. Therefore, a clearer image can be generated more efficiently. Further, the optical scanning unit 600A has an incident angle θ1 to the mirror 611 of the modulated light L emitted from the light guide unit 500A when the optical scanning unit 600A is stationary (that is, in a state where the mirror 611 is not swung around the axes J1 and J2). The arrangement of the modulated light L reflected by the mirror 611 is adjusted so that the incident angle θ2 to the deflecting portion 700A is substantially equal. Thus, by making the incident angles θ1 and θ2 substantially equal, it is possible to reduce image distortion caused by the difference in the distance (optical path length) of the modulated light L to the deflecting unit 700A depending on the direction of the mirror 611. An image with less distortion can be displayed. Note that “θ1 and θ2 are substantially equal” means, for example, a case where the relationship | θ1−θ2 | ≦ 0.5 ° is satisfied.

  Similarly, the optical scanning unit 600B is positioned on the rear side of the light emitting unit 502B of the light guide unit 500B so that the modulated light L emitted backward from the light emitting unit 502B is incident on the mirror 611. It has become. Further, the optical scanning unit 600B is arranged with the mirror 611 facing the deflection unit 700B. As a result, the effective scanning angle θ of the optical scanning unit 600B can be increased. In addition, when the optical scanning unit 600B is stationary, the incident angle θ1 of the modulated light L emitted from the light guide unit 500B to the mirror 611 and the incident angle of the modulated light L reflected by the mirror 611 to the deflecting unit 700B. The arrangement is adjusted so that θ2 is substantially equal.

  The arrangement of the optical scanning unit 600A with respect to the light emitting unit 502A of the light guide unit 500A and the arrangement of the optical scanning unit 600B with respect to the light emitting unit 502B of the light guide unit 500B have been described above. The incident angle θ1 of the modulated light L with respect to the mirror 611 can be reduced without using an optical system. Therefore, the reduction in the amount of light is reduced, and a brighter and clearer image can be displayed, and a small image display device 100 can be obtained.

(Deflection part)
The deflection unit 700A is provided in the shade unit 212, and is disposed so as to be positioned in front of the left eye EY1 of the observer when in use. Such a deflection unit 700A has a sufficient size to cover the left eye EY1 of the observer, and directs the modulated light L scanned by the optical scanning unit 600A to the left eye EY1 of the observer as image light. It has the function to make it enter. Similarly, the deflection unit 700B is provided in the shade unit 212, and is disposed so as to be positioned in front of the right eye EY2 of the observer when in use. Such a deflection unit 700B is large enough to cover the viewer's right eye EY2, and directs the modulated light L scanned by the light scanning unit 600B as image light toward the viewer's right eye EY2. It has the function to make it enter.

  The deflecting units 700A and 700B have a function of deflecting the modulated light L scanned by the optical scanning units 600A and 600B in the directions of the left eye EY1 and the right eye EY2 of the observer as image light. Such deflection units 700A and 700B are constituted by, for example, a hologram element (hologram mirror) which is one of diffraction gratings. This hologram element is a semi-transmissive film having a property of diffracting light in a specific wavelength band and transmitting light in other wavelength bands. Thereby, the observer can visually recognize the virtual image (image) formed by the video light while visually recognizing the external image. That is, a see-through type head mounted display can be realized. Note that the configuration of the deflecting units 700A and 700B is not limited to the hologram element as long as it can exhibit the above-described action, and for example, an aspherical half mirror may be used.

  The image display device of the present invention has been described based on the illustrated embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the image display device of the present invention, the configuration of each unit can be replaced with an arbitrary configuration having the same function, and other arbitrary configurations can be added.

  Further, the image display device of the present invention is not limited to being applied to a glasses-type head mounted display as long as it forms a virtual image as an image visually recognized by an observer. For example, a helmet type or a headset type The present invention can also be applied to a head-mounted display, an image display device that is supported by a body such as an observer's neck and shoulder, and the like. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the entire image display apparatus is mounted on the observer's head has been described as an example. However, the image display apparatus includes a portion mounted on the observer's head and an observer's head. You may have a part with which a part other than a head is mounted | worn or carried.

  In the above-described embodiments, the configuration of the binocular transmissive head mounted display has been representatively described. For example, a non-transmissive head mount in which an outside scene is blocked when the observer wears the head mounted display is used. It may be a display configuration. Further, the image display device of the present invention may include a device for outputting sound such as a speaker or a headphone.

100 …… Image display device 200 …… Frame 210 …… Front portion 211 …… Rim portion 212 …… Shade portion 213 …… Nose pad 220, 230 …… Temple portion 300A, 300B …… Display unit 400A, 400B …… Modulation Light generation unit 410 …… Light source unit 410B, 410G, 410R …… Light source 420B, 420G, 420R …… Drive circuit 430 …… Photosynthesis unit 431, 432 …… Dichroic mirror 440 …… Collimator lens 450 …… Control unit 500A, 500B Light guides 501A, 501B Light incident parts 502A, 502B Light exit parts 600A, 600B Light scanning parts 610 Movable parts 611 Mirrors 621, 622 Shaft parts 630 Driving frames Part 641, 642 ... Shaft part 650 ... Support part 700A, 700 ... Deflection part EA ... Ear EY ... Eye EY1 ... Left eye EY2 ... Right eye H ... Head J1, J2 ... Axis L ... Modulated light L1 ... Video light NS ... Nose θ ... Effective scanning angle θ1, θ2 ... Incident angle

Claims (7)

A frame that is used by being attached to an observer and includes a front part, and a first temple part and a second temple part connected to the front part;
A light source supported by the first temple portion and emitting light;
An optical scanning unit supported by the second temple unit, having a light reflection unit, and scanning the light reflected by the light reflection unit;
An image display device comprising: a light guide unit supported by the front unit and configured to guide light emitted from the light source to the optical scanning unit.   The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide unit is an optical fiber.   The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide portion is embedded in the front portion.   The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the optical scanning unit includes an optical scanner that scans the light two-dimensionally. The light emitting part of the light guide part is located closer to the front part side of the second temple part than the light scanning part,
5. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the light guide portion emits the light toward an end side of the second temple portion opposite to the front portion. 6. The front part has a deflection part for guiding the light scanned by the light scanning part to the eyes of the observer,
The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the light scanning unit is arranged such that the light reflecting unit faces the deflecting unit.   When the light reflecting unit is stationary, the incident angle of the light emitted from the light guide unit to the light reflecting unit is equal to the incident angle of the light reflected by the light reflecting unit to the deflecting unit. Item 7. The image display device according to any one of Items 1 to 6.

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