JP2600303Y2 - Face and head mounted video display - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a face and head mounted image display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A technique for giving a display image such as an LCD to an observer's eye through an optical system built in a goggle type body or the like mounted on the front of the observer's eye has been proposed.
This is known from JP-A-3-191389.

This type of device allows a user to wear such a display device and enjoy a large-sized screen image even with a small LCD or the like, or to use images corresponding to the left and right eyes. So that the wearer can obtain a three-dimensional effect,
It is expected to be used for various purposes such as giving a simulated experience as if it were actually at a place.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, when adopting a configuration using a partially transmitting and reflecting member such as a magnifying reflecting mirror and a half mirror in the above optical system, the size of the device is reduced in view of miniaturization of the device and a wide angle of view. There are difficulties in putting it into practical use, such as being difficult or restricting the wide angle of view.

This will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows an image display device 1, such as an LCD, a magnifying reflecting mirror 2 (magnifying concave mirror), and a half mirror 3 in a main body of a display device used by being worn on the face and head. 1 shows a configuration of a projection optical system in a state viewed from the front when worn by an observer. In addition, the main body part supporting such components is not shown.

As shown in FIG. 5, the projection optical system is arranged for the left and right eyes 5L, 5R of the observer. Each of the image display element 1, the magnifying reflecting mirror 2, and the half mirror 3, along with the left and right projection optical systems,
The half mirrors 3 are arranged in that order from the top, and the half mirror 3 is provided to be inclined between the image display element 1 and the magnifying reflector 2. In each of the left and right units, light from each image display element 1 such as an LCD passes through the half mirror 3 and is enlarged and reflected by the magnifying reflector 2, and the magnified reflected light is further reflected by the half mirror 3 and observed by the observer. Are guided to the left and right eyes 5L and 5R, and binocular vision becomes possible.

As described above, the half mirror type optical system can be arranged in front of the eyes. However, when the face and head mounted display are arranged so as to enable binocular vision, the left and right half mirrors 3 can be arranged. , 3 and the interference between the left and right magnifying mirrors 2, 2. That is, in each of the left and right units, the image display element 1 is arranged at the upper part, the magnifying reflector 2 is arranged at the lower part, and the half mirror 3 is arranged between them. Even if they are arranged close to each other, it is difficult to make them compact because the magnifying reflectors 2 and 2 below both interfere with each other.

In the above arrangement, the left and right half mirrors 2 and 2 constituting the partially transmitting / reflecting surface interfere with the nose of the wearer's face in relation to the wearer's face. That is, if the half mirrors 2 and 2 hit the nose while trying not to hit the nose, the miniaturization is hindered, and the miniaturization becomes difficult. With a half-mirror type optical system, it is easy to widen the angle of view in the horizontal direction, and the wider the angle of view, the more powerful the image screen can be obtained. Cannot be used effectively, and there is a limit to widening the angle of view.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has been improved in the arrangement of the optical system in the face- and head-mounted image display apparatus, and the left and right projection optical systems have enlarged reflections. The objective of the present invention is to realize the miniaturization of the apparatus and the widening of the angle of view by appropriately avoiding the interference between the magnifiers used in the above. Another object is to provide a face- and head-mounted image that can reduce the size of the apparatus and increase the angle of view while avoiding interference between the nose of the wearer's face and the partially transmitting / reflecting surfaces in the left and right projection optical systems. It is to provide a display device.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided a face and head mounted image display device, comprising an image display means, a magnifying mirror for magnifying and reflecting, and a portion provided at an angle to the image display means or the magnifying mirror. A transmission / reflection surface, so that light from the image display means is transmitted through the partial transmission / reflection surface, is enlarged and reflected by the magnifying mirror, and is further reflected by the partial transmission / reflection surface to guide the light to the observer's eyes. A face and head mounted image display device having projection optical systems for the left and right eyes of the observer, wherein the width of the partially transmitting / reflecting surface increases from the image display means toward the magnifying glass. And a support means for arranging the two projection optical systems such that the magnifier of one of the left and right projection optical systems and the magnifier of the other projection optical system are upside down. is there. The image display means, a magnifying mirror for magnifying and reflecting, and a partially transmitting / reflecting surface provided at an angle to the image displaying means or the magnifying mirror, and transmitting light from the image displaying means to the partially transmitting / reflecting surface Face and head mounted on the left and right eyes of the observer with a projection optical system for transmitting light through the magnifying mirror and reflecting the enlarged light by the magnifying glass, and further reflecting the light on the partially transmitting / reflecting surface to guide the observer's eyes In the image display device, the width of the partially transmitting / reflecting surface has a width extending from the image display means toward the magnifying glass, and each magnifying mirror of the left and right projection optical systems is closer to the face than the eyeball of the observer. And a support means for supporting the apparatus so as to be disposed along the upper part thereof.

[0011]

In the face and head mounted image display device of the present invention, the partial transmission / reflection surface has a width extending from the image display means to the magnifying glass, and one of the left and right projection optical systems. The two projection optical systems are arranged such that the magnifying glass of the above and the magnifying mirror of the other projection optical system are in an upside-down positional relationship, so that an image transmitted through the partially transmitting / reflecting surface in the left and right projection optical systems The horizontal angle of view can be increased while avoiding interference between magnifying reflectors for magnifying and reflecting the light from the display means. Also,
In the face and head mounted image display device of the present invention,
The partially transmitting / reflecting surface has a width extending from the image display means to the magnifying glass, and the magnifying mirrors of the left and right projection optical systems are arranged above the eyeball of the observer along the face. The angle of view in the horizontal direction can be increased while avoiding interference between the observer's nose and the left and right partial transmission / reflection surfaces.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the configuration of left and right projection optical systems of a face and head mounted image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the projection optical system for the left eye forms an image display element 11L for displaying an observation image and an inclined partially transmissive reflection surface for partially transmitting and partially reflecting light from the image display element 11L. A prism beam splitter 13L and a magnifying reflector 12L that magnifies and reflects light transmitted through the prism beam splitter 13L so as to guide the light to the left eye 5L of the observer.
Similarly, the projection optical system for the right eye also includes an image display element 11R formed by an LCD, a prism beam splitter 13R as a partially transmitting / reflecting surface, and a light transmitted through the prism beam splitter 13R. The magnifying reflector 12R for magnifying and reflecting the light so as to be guided to the eye 5R.
Here, the image display elements 11L and 11R are both LC
D, and the magnifying reflectors 12L and 12R are magnifying concave mirrors.

As described above, each of the left and right projection optical systems includes the image display elements 11L and 11R and the magnifying reflectors 12L and 12R.
And the prism beam splitters 13L and 13R. Each of the prism beam splitters 13L and 13R has a width from the image display elements 11L and 11R to the magnifying reflectors 12L and 1R.
While having a shape expanding toward 2R,
The magnifying reflector of one projection optical system and the magnifying reflector of the other projection optical system are supported by an apparatus main body (not shown) such that the two projection optical systems are arranged in an upside-down relationship. ing.

More specifically, in the illustrated example, unlike FIG. 5, the prism beam splitters 13L and 13R
As shown in the figure, on the end face side where the left and right face each other, the opposite side face is inclined so that the image display element side approaches the optical axis, and the projection optical system for the left eye on one side is connected to the magnifying reflector 1.
It is arranged so that 2L is oriented upward. Therefore, in the projection optical system for the left eye, the image display element 11
L is lower and the magnifying mirror 12L is upper. Conversely, in the projection optical system for the right eye, the image display element 11R is upper and the magnifying mirror 1L is higher.
2R is the lower side, and the end faces of the prism beam splitter 13L and the prism beam splitter 13R opposed to each other in the left and right of each projection optical system are separated from the magnifying reflectors 12L and 12R on the optical system side to the respective image display elements 1R.
The projection optical system for the left eye has a tilt toward the optical axis passing through the image display device and the magnifying reflector toward the end surfaces on the 1L and 11R sides, and the prism beam splitter 13L in the projection optical system for the left eye.
Extends from the lower image display element 11L to the upper magnifying mirror 12L, and in the projection optical system for the right eye, the width of the prism beam splitter 13R is higher. In this configuration, the light is spread from 11L toward the magnifying reflector 12R located below.

In this embodiment, in each of the projection optical systems which are arranged upside down as described above and combined as shown in the figure, light from the image display elements 11L and 11R receives light from the prism beam splitters 13L and 13R. Is transmitted to the observer and is reflected by the magnifying reflectors 12L and 12R, and further reflected by the prism beam splitters 13L and 13R to guide the observer's eyes.
Even if the above-mentioned slopes are formed on the side surfaces facing left and right and approach each other, the light beam is not blocked. In an optical system using a prism beam splitter on a partially transmitting / reflecting surface, an optical effective area in the prism beam splitter, that is, an optical effective area necessary for projecting a light beam emitted from an image display device to an eyeball. Is small on the image display element side and large on the magnifying reflector. Therefore, as in the present example, the image display elements 11L, 1R are provided on the side faces of the prism beamsplitters 13L, 13R opposite to the left and right.
Even when the 1R side is inclined so as to approach the optical axis,
There is no inconvenience such as the light beam being reflected by the inclined surface.

As described above, in this embodiment, the prism beam splitters 13L, 13R can be used even if the magnifying reflectors 12L, 12R for enlarging and reflecting incident light are used.
The left and right surfaces facing each other are inclined, and the optical system on one side (for the left eye in the illustrated case) is the magnifying mirror 12 on the optical system side.
L is positioned above the eyeball 5L of the wearer, and the optical system on the other side (for the right eye) places the magnifying reflector 12R on the optical system side below the eyeball 5R of the wearer. By arranging and combining them so that they are positioned, the angle of view in the horizontal direction can be increased while avoiding interference between the magnifying reflector portions having the largest light beam diameter. In the case of the arrangement shown in FIG. 5, as the larger magnifying mirror is used, the magnifying reflectors interfere with each other, which hinders downsizing. However, in this embodiment, such disadvantages and inconveniences can be avoided. , A wide angle of view is achieved.

This point can be explained as follows.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a prism optical system, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a development view for explaining the optical system. FIG. 2 corresponds to a side view of the projection optical system, and here is an example in which the projection optical system is configured by a half mirror provided with a partially transmitting and reflecting surface inclined.
In the figure, 11 is an LCD, 12 is an enlarged concave mirror, 13 is a half mirror, and 5 is an eyeball of an observer.

In FIGS. 2 and 3A, assuming that the focal length of the lens L equivalent to the magnifying concave mirror 12 is f and the display size of the LCD 11 is h, the LCD 11 has a half angle of view θ of the observed image. Since the lens L is placed near the front focal position of the lens L, it is represented by θ ≒ h / f. From the above equation, to increase the half angle of view θ,
That is, in order to widen the angle of view, it is necessary to increase the display size h of the LCD 11 or reduce the focal length f of the optical system. In this case, it is important to reduce the size of the device for this type of device to be worn on the face and head, and in order to realize the device as compact, it is desirable to increase the display size h of the LCD used. Absent. Also, reducing the distance L _E to the optical system and the eye point E, since device interferes with the face, L _E can not be reduced. Therefore, while reducing the focal length f, when you try to L _E large enough, as shown in FIG. 3 (b), shall use the light ray passing through the outside of the lens L. That is, the size of the enlarged concave mirror 12 required as the angle of view θ is increased becomes larger than the display size of the used LCD.

As described above, in order to increase the angle of view, it is advantageous to use a large magnifying mirror. In this embodiment, the arrangement of the left and right projection optical systems as shown in FIG. By assembling, the image display elements 11L and 11R can be easily combined with the larger reflecting mirrors 12L and 12R while keeping the image display element of a small display size, so that the apparatus can be made compact. Both widening of the angle of view can be realized to a high degree. In this embodiment, the example in which the prism beam splitters 13L and 13R are used has been described, but a half mirror may be used instead of the prism.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Also in this embodiment, the illustration of the face and head-mounted image display device main body is omitted, and the components of the left and right projection optical system are shown. These portions of the projection optical system are supported by the main body, and are positioned in front of the observer when mounted. In this embodiment, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the left and right surfaces of the prism beam splitters 13L and 13R are inclined, but as shown in FIG. , 5R above the eyeball.

That is, the magnifying glasses 12L and 12R of the left and right projection optical systems are arranged above the eyeball of the observer along the face, and the projection optical systems for the left eye and the right eye are used. But the image display element 11L, the image display element 11
R is below, the magnifying mirror 12L and the magnifying mirror 12R are above, and any of the prism beam splitters 13L, 13L
R is also located on both sides of the nose below the nose of the wearer, so that the magnifying glass 1 is located on the upper side from the video display element 11L located on the lower side.
It is a configuration extending toward 2L.

In this embodiment, by performing the above,
Even in an optical system in which the distance between the prism beam splitters 13L and 13R and the eyeball is small, the angle of view in the horizontal direction can be increased while avoiding interference between the wearer's nose and the prism beam splitters 13L and 13R. As mentioned in the above description, when the distance between the optical system and the eye point is reduced in view of widening the angle of view, the device is more likely to interfere with the face. Therefore, if the arrangement as shown in FIG. It is difficult to reduce the size of the nose if it does not hit the nose and does not hit the nose. However, in this embodiment, the prism beam splitters 13L and 13R do not hit the nose. Therefore, also in the case of this embodiment,
It is possible to obtain a face- and head-mounted image display device capable of achieving a compact device and a wide angle of view. In this embodiment, the prism beam splitter 13L,
Although an example using 13R is shown, it is needless to say that a configuration using a half mirror may be used.

[0023]

According to the face and head mounted image display device of the present invention, the angle of view in the horizontal direction can be increased.
The size and the angle of view of the device can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a face and head mounted image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a projection optical system as a diagram provided for explaining realization of a wide angle of view.

FIG. 3 is also an explanatory view of realizing a wide angle of view, and is a development view of an optical system.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a face and head mounted image display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5L, 5R Eye 11L, 11R Image display element 12L, 12R Magnifying reflector 13L, 13R Prism beam splitter

Claims (2)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] An image display means, a magnifying mirror for magnifying and reflecting, and a partially transmitting / reflecting surface inclined with respect to the image display means or the magnifying mirror, wherein light from the image display means is transmitted to the portion. A face having a projection optical system for the left and right eyes of the observer so that the light passes through the transmissive reflection surface, is magnified and reflected by the magnifying glass, and is further reflected by the partially transmissive reflection surface and guided to the eyes of the observer; A head-mounted image display device, wherein the width of the partially transmitting / reflecting surface is widened from the image display means to the magnifying glass, and the magnifying glass of one of the left and right projection optical systems and the other A face- and head-mounted image display device, comprising: support means for arranging two projection optical systems such that a magnifying mirror of the projection optical system is upside down. 2. An image display means, a magnifying mirror for magnifying and reflecting, and a partially transmitting / reflecting surface provided to be inclined with respect to the image display means or the magnifying mirror, wherein light from the image display means is transmitted to the portion. A face having a projection optical system for the left and right eyes of the observer so that the light passes through the transmissive reflection surface, is magnified and reflected by the magnifying glass, and is further reflected by the partially transmissive reflection surface and guided to the eyes of the observer; A head-mounted image display device, wherein the width of the partially transmitting / reflecting surface is widened from the image display means to the magnifying glass, and each of the magnifying mirrors of the left and right projection optical systems is an eyeball of an observer. A face- and head-mounted image display device, comprising: support means for supporting the device so as to be disposed above the face.