JP5363390B2 - Head-mounted image display device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a head-mounted image display apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, head mounted image display devices that are worn on the head and used for applications such as video viewing and mobile use have been developed and put into practical use. The head-mounted image display device may be used outside the home, such as when the user is carrying it and moving. In such a case, it is not desirable to block the user's field of view.

  For this reason, conventionally, only the image light from the image display element is guided to the observer's eyeball and displayed as a non-see-through image, and external light from the front of the user is superimposed on the image light and displayed as a see-through image. A technique has been proposed in which a state can be switched by disposing a liquid crystal shutter in an optical path of external light (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, a technique for realizing see-through display using a light guide portion thinner than the pupil diameter has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

  However, since the head-mounted image display device according to Patent Document 1 uses a liquid crystal shutter as means for switching between see-through display and non-see-through display, a liquid crystal member and an electric circuit for controlling the liquid crystal member are necessary. As a result, there is a problem of high cost. Moreover, since the liquid crystal shutter is arranged in front of the eyes, the apparatus becomes large, and it is not practical as an apparatus used in daily life.

  In addition, in the head-mounted image display device according to Patent Document 2, a constant see-through display is realized by using a light guide portion that is thinner than the pupil diameter. However, this device cannot switch between see-through display and non-see-through display depending on the situation such as video viewing or mobile use. For this reason, even when it is desirable to calmly view an image in which the background is not superimposed, such as video viewing, it has not been possible to switch to non-see-through display.

JP-A-8-32897 JP 2006-3879 A

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention made by paying attention to these points is to provide a head-mounted image display device capable of switching between see-through display and non-see-through display with a simple mechanism according to various situations. There is to do.

The invention of the head-mounted image display device according to claim 1, which achieves the above object,
A support for fixing to the user's head;
A main body having a video emitting unit that is fixed to the support and emits video light of a video to be displayed;
In the state where the image light emitted from the image emitting unit is incident and the support unit is fixed to the user's head, the incident image light is guided to the corresponding eyeball of the user, An eyepiece optical unit that displays a magnified image of the image of the image emitting unit as a virtual image;
An attachment means for attaching the eyepiece optical part to the body part in a replaceable manner,
The eyepiece optical unit is one eyepiece optical unit selected from at least a first eyepiece optical unit and a second eyepiece optical unit having different optical characteristics, and the first eyepiece optical unit has a distal end portion. The width of the projection cross section in the direction of the user's visual axis is narrower than the pupil diameter, and the second eyepiece optical unit has a width of the projection cross section in the direction of the user's visual axis of the distal end that is wider than the pupil diameter. It is characterized by.

  In this way, when the first eyepiece optical unit whose projection cross-section width in the direction of the user's visual axis at the distal end is smaller than the pupil diameter is used, the image is displayed in a see-through manner and is smaller than the pupil diameter. When a large second eyepiece optical unit is used, the image is displayed in a non-see-through manner. By making the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit interchangeable, it is possible to easily switch between a see-through display and a non-see-through display without an electrical switching control means, and a low-cost device. Can be configured. In addition, since a member that covers the front of the eye is not required separately, the device can be realized as a small device, and can be used in a mobile environment or used at all times.

The invention according to claim 2 is the head-mounted image display device according to claim 1,
The average pupil diameter of a human is 4 mm, the first eyepiece optical unit has a width of a projection cross section in the direction of the visual axis of the user at the distal end smaller than 4 mm, and the second eyepiece optical unit is The width of the projected section in the direction of the visual axis of the user at the distal end exceeds 4 mm.

  In this way, since the average pupil diameter of a human in a normal environment is about 4 mm, switching between see-through display and non-see-through display can be performed appropriately.

The invention according to claim 3 is the head-mounted image display device according to claim 1 or 2,
The first eyepiece optical unit displays a virtual image at a position that does not overlap the vertical centerline, and the second eyepiece optical unit displays a virtual image at a position that overlaps the vertical centerline of the user's field of view. It is characterized by comprising.

  In this way, the image from the first eyepiece optical unit does not overlap with the center line of the field of view, for example, at the end, and the image from the second eyepiece optical unit overlaps the center line of the field of view. Placed in. Therefore, an optimal video can be displayed by switching the position of the visual field according to each use for the see-through image and the non-see-through image.

The invention according to claim 4 is the head-mounted image display device according to any one of claims 1-3.
The length of the first eyepiece optical unit in the longitudinal direction is shorter than the length of the second eyepiece optical unit in the longitudinal direction.

  In this way, at the time of see-through display that requires securing a visual field, the length of the eyepiece optical part can be shortened to reduce the obstruction of the visual field, and at the time of non-see-through display, it is relatively long and preferably By using an eyepiece optical section that extends to the vicinity of the center of the visual field, it is possible to display an image in an easy-to-see manner near the center of the visual field.

The invention according to claim 5 is the head-mounted image display device according to any one of claims 1-4,
The viewing angle from the first eyepiece optical unit to the image emitting unit is smaller than the viewing angle from the second eyepiece optical unit to the image emitting unit.

  In this way, when a see-through image is displayed using the first eyepiece optical unit, a relatively small screen image is displayed in the user's field of view, which is advantageous for securing the field of view. When a non-see-through image is displayed using the second eyepiece optical unit, a relatively large screen is displayed in the user's field of view, which is advantageous for video viewing.

The invention according to claim 6 is the head-mounted image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit each have an eyepiece lens, and the focal length of the eyepiece lens of the first eyepiece optical unit is the focal point of the eyepiece lens of the second eyepiece optical unit. It is characterized by being longer than the distance.

  In this way, the viewing angle of the first eyepiece optical unit is smaller than the viewing angle of the second eyepiece optical unit. Therefore, when a see-through image is displayed using the first eyepiece optical unit, a relatively small screen image is displayed in the user's field of view, which is advantageous for securing a field of view. When a non-see-through image is displayed using a faculty, a relatively large screen is displayed within the user's field of view, which is advantageous for viewing images.

The invention according to claim 7 is the head-mounted image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit are configured to reflect the image light incident from the image emitting unit to the eyeball after being reflected a different number of times inside each. It is characterized by.

  In this way, by making the number of reflections inside the eyepiece optical unit different, it is possible to vary the optical characteristics such as the optical path length and the size of the outer shape of the eyepiece optical unit. Accordingly, the exit window position, the focal length of the eyepiece included in the eyepiece optical unit, and / or the viewing angle of the display image, etc. are made different between the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit. be able to. In particular, by making the number of reflections in the first eyepiece optical unit more than the number of reflections in the second eyepiece optical unit, the first eyepiece optical unit for see-through display can be made smaller and non-see-through display can be achieved. The second eyepiece optical unit for use can have a wider viewing angle.

The invention according to claim 8 is the head-mounted image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
At least one of the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit is configured to rotate the image light incident from the image emitting unit by a predetermined angle.

  In this way, by replacing the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit, the display image displayed in the user's field of view can be rotated and displayed at different rotation angles. . If the display image by one eyepiece optical unit is a horizontally long image and the other display image is a vertically long image obtained by rotating the image by 90 degrees, the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit are exchanged. Thus, it is possible to switch between the vertically long image and the horizontally long image according to the display content of the video to be displayed.

The invention according to claim 9 is the head-mounted image display device according to any one of claims 1-8,
At least one of the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit has an optical system in which the magnification ratio of the virtual image is different between the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

  In this way, the aspect ratio of the display screen can be switched by exchanging the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit, and the aspect ratio of the image light emitted from the image emitting unit can be changed. Without changing, it is possible to switch to a display screen having an optimal aspect ratio according to the display content.

The invention according to claim 10 is the head-mounted image display device according to any one of claims 1-9,
The main body includes mode switching means for switching a video display mode in the video emission unit according to the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit.

  In this way, the image light emitted from the image emitting unit can be switched to image display corresponding to the characteristics of the eyepiece optical unit, and an appropriate display image can be displayed in the user's field of view.

The invention according to claim 11 is the head-mounted image display device according to claim 10,
The mode switching means is configured to set a see-through display mode in which a width of a luminance change corresponding to at least the first eyepiece optical unit is set to be large and a width of a luminance change corresponding to the second eyepiece optical unit to be small. The non-see-through display mode is configured to be switched.

  In this way, it is possible to provide an optimal video in which the brightness is controlled differently according to each display of see-through display and non-see-through display.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a head-mounted image display device capable of switching between see-through display and non-see-through display with a simple mechanism according to various situations.

It is a figure which shows the state with which the spectacles of the head mounted image display apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention were mounted | worn. It is a figure explaining the relationship of the position and magnitude | size of the eyepiece optical part for see-through displays, and a non-see-through display, and an eyeball in the state which the user mounted | wore the head mounted image display apparatus. It is a figure explaining the optical path of the external light which goes to the eyeball at the time of using each eyepiece optical part of FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration and optical system of first and second eyepiece optical units used in the head-mounted image display device shown in FIG. 1. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of the main-body part shown in FIG. 1, and attachment of the eyepiece optical part with respect to a main-body part. It is a functional block diagram of the control system of the main-body part shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining each optical system at the time of using the 1st and 2nd eyepiece optical part of the head mounted image display apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the specification of each eyepiece optical part shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the optical system of each eyepiece optical part shown in FIG. It is an image figure of the display image by the head mounted image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure explaining the structure and effect | action of the 2nd eyepiece optical part applied to the head mounted image display apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure and effect | action of the 2nd eyepiece optical part applied to the head mounted image display apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the display image of the display panel for displaying the image from which an aspect ratio differs, without using the eyepiece optical part of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which the head-mounted image display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is mounted on eyeglasses.

  The head-mounted image display device 1 mainly includes a main body unit 2 and an eyepiece optical unit 3. The main body 2 is fixedly supported by the right temple portion of the frame 10a of the glasses 10 attached to the user's head via the glasses fixing portion 2a. Therefore, the support portion is configured to include the eyeglass fixing portion 2a.

  The main body 2 extends forward of the user along the frame 10a, and the tip thereof is attached to the lens frame 3a of the eyepiece optical part 3 via an attachment 4 described later on the side of the right eyeglass lens. The eyepiece optical unit 3 extends substantially horizontally in front of the right eyeglass lens 10b of the eyeglass 10 from the mounting portion 4 to the visual field of the user. As will be described later, the eyepiece optical unit 3 guides the image light emitted from the main body unit 2 and emits the image light toward the eyeball 11 from the exit exit window. As the eyepiece optical unit 3, a first eyepiece optical unit for see-through display and a second eyepiece optical unit for non-see-through display are prepared.

  Next, it will be described that a see-through image or a non-see-through image is displayed according to the width of the projection cross section in the visual axis direction of the eyepiece optical unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the position and size of the eyeball optical unit for see-through display and non-see-through display and the eyeball when the user wears the head-mounted image display device. For simplicity, in FIG. 2, the see-through eyepiece optical unit 31 and the non-see-through eyepiece optical unit 32 have the same position of the tip with respect to the eyeball. In the see-through display eyepiece optical unit 31 shown in FIG. 2A, the width of the projected section in the direction of the visual axis of the user at the tip (vertical width in the figure) is larger than the diameter of the human pupil 11a. 2B, the non-see-through display eyepiece optical unit 32 shown in FIG. 2B has a projected cross-sectional width in the direction of the visual axis of the user that is larger than the diameter of the human pupil 11a.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an optical path of external light toward the eyeball when each eyepiece optical unit in FIG. 2 is used. When the see-through display eyepiece optical unit 31 is used, as shown in FIG. 3A, the light that has passed through the top and bottom of the eyepiece optical unit 31 among the external light from the front direction passes through the pupil 11a and reaches the retina 11c. Is possible. For this reason, a see-through image in which the background located in front of the eyepiece optical unit 31 is superimposed on the display image emitted from the exit window of the eyepiece optical unit 31 is displayed in the visual field of the user. On the other hand, when the non-see-through display eyepiece optical unit 32 is used, as shown in FIG. 3B, the width of the eyepiece optical unit 32 is larger than the pupil 11a. The external light from the eye cannot enter the eyeball 11 and is displayed as a non-see-through image in which the background is not superimposed on the display image emitted from the exit window of the eyepiece optical unit 31.

  Since the average human pupil diameter is about 4 mm, the see-through eyepiece optical unit 31 has a width of a projection cross section in the direction of the visual axis of the user at the tip portion of 4 mm or less, and the second eyepiece optical unit for non-see-through use It is preferable that the width of the projection section 32 in the direction of the visual axis of the user at the tip portion is larger than 4 mm.

  In the present embodiment, the eyepiece optical unit 3 is attached with at least one eyepiece optical unit selected from the first eyepiece optical unit for see-through display and the second eyepiece optical unit for non-see-through display. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit used in the head-mounted image display apparatus shown in FIG. 1 and the optical system thereof. FIG. 4A shows the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1, and FIG. 4B shows the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2.

As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the main body 2 includes a display panel 2b that is an image emitting unit, and the image light emitted from the display panel 2b is transmitted to the eyepiece optical units 3-1, 3-. A cross section having slopes as reflection surfaces at both ends of the light enters the rectangular rod-shaped light guides 3b ₁ and 3b ₂ from one side surface and is reflected by one of the slopes, and the light guides 3b ₁ and 3b ₁ The light is guided through 3b ₂ , reflected by another slope, and emitted from the eyepieces 3c ₁ and 3c ₂ toward the right eyeball 11 of the user. This image light is observed as a virtual image obtained by enlarging the image displayed on the display panel 2b within the visual field of the right eyeball of the user.

FIG at 4, the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 is eyepiece optical unit for displaying an image on the edge of the field of view, the tip of the light guide part 3b ₁ is a 4mm or less vertical width, eye As viewed from 11, it extends to the front diagonal right side. On the other hand, the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 is an eyepiece optical unit for displaying an image in the front direction of the field of view, the tip of the light guide 3b ₂ is a width of 4mm or more, the front of the eye 11 It extends to. The eyepiece optical unit 3 shown in FIG. 1 is a second eyepiece optical unit 3-2.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the main body portion shown in FIG. 1 and the attachment of the eyepiece optical portion to the main body portion. The main body 2 has a main body side mounting portion 2d provided with an exit window 2c formed of an opening or a transparent member at the tip. The exit window 2c faces the light emitting surface of the display panel 2b and transmits image light from the display panel 2b.

On the other hand, the lens frames 3a ₁ and 3a ₂ provided at the incident ends of the first and second eyepiece optical units 3-1 and 3-2 are incident windows 3d ₁ and 3d configured by openings or transparent members, respectively. ₂ has eyepiece optical part side attaching parts 3e ₁ and 3e ₂ . The eyepiece optical part side attaching parts 3e ₁ and 3e ₂ can be slidably fitted along the grooves of the body side attaching part 2d, whereby the eyepiece optical parts 3-1 and 3-2 are attached to the main body. It is attached to part 2. That is, the main body side attachment portion 2d and the respective eyepiece optical portion side attachment portions 3e ₁ and 3e ₂ constitute an attachment portion 4 as attachment means. In the attached state, the exit window 2c and the entrance windows 3d ₁ and 3d ₂ face each other and come into contact with each other, and the image light of the display panel 2b can enter the eyepiece optical units 3-1 and 3-2. . Moreover, the eyepiece optical units 3-1 and 3-2 and the main body unit 2 can be detached, and the user appropriately selects the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 and the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2. Can be used.

  6 is a functional block diagram of a control system of the main body shown in FIG. The video control unit 2g supplies a video signal of a video to be displayed to the drive circuit 2f. The drive circuit 2f drives the video display unit 2e, and thereby emits video light from the display panel 2b. Furthermore, the mode switching unit 2h supplies a switching signal for switching between a see-through display mode corresponding to the first eyepiece optical unit and a non-see-through display mode corresponding to the second eyepiece optical unit to the video control unit 2g.

  For example, in the see-through display mode, images are displayed superimposed on the outside world, so brightness control is performed according to the brightness of the outside world, and it is dynamically displayed so that it is displayed at a higher brightness than non-see-through display, especially in bright days. Control to change. Further, in the non-see-through display mode, the luminance does not need to change as in the see-through display mode, and control such as switching the image display for video viewing is performed as necessary.

With the configuration as described above, the user selects, removes, and attaches an eyepiece optical unit suitable for the application from the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 and the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2. Can be switched and used. When using the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1, image light emitted from the display panel 2b passes through the inside of the light guide portion 3b ₁ of the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1, the eyepiece 3c ₁ Incident from the right front of the user's right eye. At this time, since the width of the tip of the light guide 3b ₁ is 4 mm or less, the display image is displayed as a see-through image at the right end in the right eye visual field of the user.

On the other hand, when using the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2, image light emitted from the display panel 2b passes inside the light guide portion 3b ₂ of the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2, eyepiece 3c ₂ enters the user's right eyeball 11 from the front. Since the width of the tip of the light guide 3b ₂ is larger than 4 mm, the display image is displayed as a non-see-through image in front of the right eye visual field of the user.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the eyepiece optical unit can be exchanged, the width of the projection cross section in the direction of the visual axis of the user at the distal end is smaller than the pupil diameter. When the eye optical unit is used, the image is displayed see-through, and when the second eyepiece optical unit larger than the pupil diameter is used, the image is displayed non-see-through.

  In addition, it is possible to easily switch between see-through display and non-see-through display without using a member such as a liquid crystal shutter or electrical switching control means, and the apparatus can be configured at low cost. Furthermore, since a member that covers the front of the eye is unnecessary, it can be realized as a small-sized device, and can be used in a mobile environment or can be used at all times.

  In addition, since the visual field position of the displayed video can be easily selected by exchanging the eyepiece optical unit, the video is placed in front of the visual field and priority is given to the external field of view such as a mobile environment for applications that keep watching the video. In applications where timely video is confirmed, video can be displayed at the edge of the field of view. Further, since the eyepiece optical part can be attached and detached by sliding the eyepiece optical part side mounting part with respect to the main body side attaching part, the user can easily perform it.

  Further, since the video display mode can be selected by the mode switching means 2h of the main body 2, the attached eyepiece optical unit suitably adjusts the luminance according to either see-through display or non-see-through display. The display mode can be switched to the video display method.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining respective optical systems when the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit of the head-mounted image display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention are used. FIGS. 7A and 7B show the display panel 2b and the eyepiece optical unit 3-1, with the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 and the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 attached to the glasses, respectively. , 3-2 viewed from above, and the shape of the respective light guides 3b ₁ and 3b ₂ viewed from the eyeball 11 (shown in the upper part of the figure).

First eyepiece optical unit 3-1, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), the light guide portion 3b _1, has an ocular lens 3c ₁ and entrance window 3d _1, incident on the entrance window 3d ₁ from the display panel 2b image light were the eyepiece 3c ₁ propagates while being reflected inside the light guide part 3b _1, incident from the front right side in a direction oblique to the eye.

The light guide unit 3b ₁ is configured such that the image light is reflected on the inner side surface except for the incident surface and the output surface, and the incident image light is reflected zigzag five times in the light guide unit 3b ₁ , The light is emitted toward the eyeball 11. The vertical width of the light guide 3b ₁ when viewed from the user in the visual axis direction is narrower from the incident side to the outgoing side of the image light, and is 2.6 mm at the tip.

On the other hand, the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), without providing the eyepiece to the exit surface, disposed a lens having a positive power in the middle portion of the light guide 3b ₂ doing. A lens having a positive power has a configuration in which, for example, two convex lenses 3f ₂ and 3f ₂ ′ face each other. The light guide portion 3b ₂ extends to the front of the eyeball 11 of the user, the image light emitted from the display panel 2b is incident from the front with respect to through the eye 11 of the light guide portion 3b _2.

Image light incident from the display panel 2 on the light guide portion 3b ₂ is reflected by the inclined surface of the incident side of the light guide portion 3b _2, the process proceeds to the light guide portion 3b ₂ in the longitudinal direction, by a lens _3f 2, 3f ₂ ' The light is refracted, further travels in the longitudinal direction of the light guide 3b ₂ , is reflected by the inclined surface on the exit side, and exits toward the eyeball 11. Therefore, the image light is reflected after being reflected a total of two times on the slopes of the incident side and the emission side in the light guide 3b ₂ and then emitted. As shown in FIG. 7B, the width in the vertical direction viewed from the user of the light guide 3b _{2 in} the visual axis direction is substantially equal on the incident side and the emission side, and is about 8 mm.

  Examples of the specifications of the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit in the present embodiment are shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, respectively.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the optical system of each of the eyepiece optical units 3-1 and 3-2 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 9 is a diagram of the optical system viewed from the horizontal direction and reflected on the optical path. It is displayed in a straight line without taking into account. The first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 for mobile has a small viewing angle when viewing the display panel 2 b from the eyeball, and therefore the light guide unit that is the farthest from the display panel 2 b is placed on the eyepiece 3 c ₁ having a long focal length. 3b ₁ is provided in the exit window. Furthermore, by reflecting 5 times within the light guide portion 3b _1, it is substantially longer optical path length. On the other hand, the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2, so the viewing angle overlooking the display panel 2b from the eyeball is large, a lens 3f _2, 3f 2 _'with short positive power of the focal length of the light guide 3b ₂ intermediate Placed in the department.

Moreover, the main body 2 has a control system similar to the control system of the main body 2 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. Image light in the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 is reflected five times in the light guide portion 3b _1, the image light in the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 is reflected twice inside the light guide portion 3b ₂ Therefore, the image is reversed left and right when the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 is used and when the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 is used. For this reason, when the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 is used, the mode switching unit 2h detects the eyepiece optical unit mounted by the user's operation or displays a video for see-through display. Are reversed and displayed on the display panel 2b. On the other hand, when the second eyepiece optical unit is used, the mode switching unit 2h displays the video for non-see-through display on the display panel 2b without inverting the left and right. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  With the above configuration, when the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 is used, a small screen on the right side in the field of view avoiding the center line of the field of view as illustrated in the image diagram of FIG. The video 6a is displayed. In addition, since the eyepiece optical unit 3-1 whose tip width is thinner than 4 mm, which is the pupil diameter in a normal human environment, is used, the video is displayed as a see-through video with a transparent background. On the other hand, when the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 is used, as shown in FIG. 10B, the image 6b is displayed at a position including the center line of the visual field on a larger screen. In addition, since the eyepiece optical unit 3-2 whose tip is thicker than the pupil diameter of 4 mm is used, an image that is not disturbed by the background can be observed by non-see-through display.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, one head-mounted image display device 1 can be used without carrying two types of head-mounted image display devices according to various situations and applications. By simply replacing the eyepiece optical units 3-1 and 3-2, it can be used for mobile and video viewing applications where priority is given to securing the field of view.

Furthermore, the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 adopts an optical path that reflects five times in a zigzag manner within the light guide unit 3 b ₁ , thereby making it possible to reduce the thickness of the eyepiece optical unit while increasing the exit pupil diameter. Also, there is an effect that the optical path can be lengthened by reflecting the light in a zigzag inside, and the viewing angle when the display panel is viewed from the eyeball can be reduced by using a lens having a long focal length. Furthermore, since the display image is displayed on the right side in the user's field of view while ensuring the optical path length, the total length of the eyepiece optical unit 3-1 can be shortened. On the other hand, the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 passes the optical path along the longitudinal direction in the light guide unit 3 b _{2 with the} number of reflections twice, and shortens the optical path between the incident side and the outgoing side. Thus, the total length of the eyepiece optical unit 3-2 can be made relatively long. In other words, in the present embodiment, a lens with a small viewing angle is used, where the optical path length is long when a lens with a small viewing angle is used, and the optical path length is shortened with a lens with a large viewing angle. An optical system is realized in which the length of the eyepiece optical unit is shortened while using the lens, and the length of the eyepiece optical unit is made longer while using a lens having a large viewing angle.

The number of times the image light is reflected in the light guide 3b _{1 of} the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1, is not limited to this, but is not limited thereto, and the light guide unit of the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2. If the number of reflections is greater than the number of reflections in 3b ₂ , that is, 3 times or more, the same effect can be obtained by appropriately configuring the optical system. Further, when switching the eyepiece optical units 3-1 and 3-2, it is preferable that only the eyepiece optical units 3-1 and 3-2 can be exchanged and the image can be observed while the size and position of the display panel 2 b are fixed. . In this case, the user only needs to replace the eyepiece optical unit 3 and does not need extra adjustment work. Further, it is preferable that the display area of the panel is kept as it is because the resolution is not lowered.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the configuration and operation of the second eyepiece optical unit applied to the head-mounted image display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the second eyepiece optical unit in the first embodiment is replaced with the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 in the present embodiment shown in FIG.

Second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 shown in FIG. 11 has a guide portion 3b ₂ and the eyepiece 3c _2, the width of the tip portion of the light guide portion is 4mm or more. When the light guide 3b ₂ is attached to the main body 2 at the upper part on the incident side of a bar-shaped light guide having a rectangular cross section in which the inclined surfaces (reflecting surfaces 3j ₂ and 3k ₂ ) are formed in the horizontal direction and are formed at both ends. A triangular prism-shaped portion (prism-shaped portion 3g ₂ ) having an incident surface 3h ₂ facing the display panel 2b and a reflecting surface 3i ₂ for reflecting the image light incident from the incident surface 3h ₂ downward by 90 degrees. It has an added shape.

The incident side end of the light guide 3b ₂ is fitted in a lens frame (not shown), an eyepiece optical part side mounting part (not shown) provided on the lens frame, and a main body side mounting part similar to FIG. Can be attached to the main body by sliding fitting. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

According to the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2, the image light incident horizontally from the display panel 2b is reflected downward by the reflecting surface 3i _2, reflected by the reflecting surface 3j ₂ light guide portion 3b ₂ Take the inner longitudinally, it is reflected again by the reflecting surface 3k _2, and is emitted toward the eye 11 of the user from the eyepiece lens 3c _2. Here, with the user facing the front, if the visual axis direction of the eyeball is the x axis, the longitudinal direction of the light guide 3b ₂ is the y axis, and the vertical direction is the z axis, the reflecting surface 3i ₂ is the y axis. Parallel and at an angle of 45 degrees with respect to the x-axis and z-axis, the reflective surface 3j ₂ is parallel to the x-axis and at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the y-axis and z-axis, and the reflective surface 3k ₂ is It is parallel to the z axis and forms an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the x and y axes. The image light rotates about 90 degrees by being sequentially reflected by these three reflecting surfaces 3i ₂ , 3j ₂ , 3k ₂ .

  Therefore, if the vertically long image is rotated 90 degrees in the direction opposite to the above-mentioned rotation direction as a non-see-through display image on the horizontally long display panel 2b by the mode switching means 2h, a mobile phone, a smartphone, etc. It is possible to display a vertically long image similar to that used in the information terminal.

  Therefore, when viewing a horizontally long image such as a television or a movie, the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 is used to observe it as a horizontally long image and display content for an information terminal such as a mobile phone or a smartphone. The eyepiece optical unit 3-1 is replaced with the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2, and the display is switched as described above by the mode switching unit 2h so that the entire display area of the horizontally long display panel 2b is made effective. While being used, it can be observed as a vertically long image.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the first eyepiece optical unit 3-1 that displays a horizontally long image and the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 that converts a horizontally long image into a vertically long image are switched. Can be used by switching the display of portrait and landscape images only by replacing the eyepiece optical unit without replacing the head-mounted image display device itself, and the orientation of the screen for each content. Can be displayed.

  Note that the rotation of the image light is not limited to the configuration of the reflection surface as described above, and other optical system configurations in which the image light rotates as a result may be used. Further, the rotation of the display image is not limited to the horizontally long image to the vertically long image, and may be reversed, and the rotation angle may be other than 90 degrees.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the configuration and operation of the eyepiece optical unit applied to the head-mounted image display device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the second eyepiece optical unit in the first embodiment is replaced with the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 in the present embodiment shown in FIG.

In the light guide portion 3b ₂ of the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 shown in FIG. 12, the emission-side tip portion 3m ₂ and the main portion 31 ₂ are separated as separate bodies, and the light-emitting portion 3b ₂ is separated from the emission-side tip of the main portion 31 _2. Is formed with a lens (for example, a cylindrical lens) 3n ₂ having lateral power. Further, the tip 3m ₂ has a triangular prism shape with an incident surface and an output surface forming 90 degrees, and a lens having a longitudinal power having a focal length different from that of the lens 3n ₂ on the output side of the output surface. 3p ₂ is arranged. These a main portion 3l ₂ and the tip portion 3m ₂ is fixed in position with each other in the same holding member, not shown (case, etc.) held, the width of the projected section of the visual axis direction of the user of the tip 4mm That's it. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

By using the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 of the present embodiment, the image light incident from the display panel 2b is reflected on the slope formed in the main portion entrance end of 3l ₂ of the light guide 3b ₂ And propagates in the longitudinal direction of the light guide 3b ₂ . Image light, only refracted laterally lens 3n _2, reflected by the reflecting surface formed on the inclined surface of the distal end portion 3m ₂ enters the tip 3m _2, is refracted only in the vertical direction by the lens 3p _2, It emits toward the user's eyeball 11. At this time, the lens 3n ₂ having positive power in the horizontal direction and the lens 3p ₂ having positive power in the vertical direction are arranged on the display panel 2b by changing the focal lengths and shifting the positions. It is possible to increase the magnification of the display image displayed as a virtual image with respect to the image to be larger than the vertical.

Therefore, when the aspect ratio of the display panel 2b is, for example, 4: 3, the mode switching unit 2h compresses the non-see-through display video having the aspect ratio of 16: 9 in the horizontal direction on the display panel 2b to provide an aspect ratio of 4: 3. is displayed as an image of the ratio, which utilizes the lens 3n ₂ and the second eyepiece optical unit 3-2 of the present embodiment the focal length selected appropriately in 3p _2, the aspect ratio in the visual field of the user 16 : 9 images can be displayed.

  If such aspect ratio conversion is not performed, in order to display an image with an aspect ratio of 16: 9, an image in which a black band as shown in FIG. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 13B, an image obtained by cutting the left and right of the image is displayed. However, in the case of FIG. 13 (a), all the pixels of the display panel 2b cannot be used effectively, so the resolution is lowered, and in the case of FIG. 13 (b), there is a problem that a part of the video is lost.

Note that the aspect ratio conversion is not limited to the conversion from 4: 3 to 16: 9, and a configuration in which the conversion from 16: 9 to 4: 3 or other arbitrary ratios is possible. Furthermore, by changing the lens 3n ₂ , the lens 3p ₂ and their arrangement, conversion by various vertical and horizontal magnifications is possible.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the second eyepiece optical unit for converting the aspect ratio is provided, two types of head-mounted image display devices having display panels with different aspect ratios are prepared. Instead, by replacing only the eyepiece optical unit with a single device, the user can easily switch and view an image with an appropriate aspect ratio.

  In addition, this invention is not limited only to the said embodiment, Many deformation | transformation or a change is possible. For example, the head-mounted image display device is not limited to the spectacle-mounted type, and may be one that is mounted on a helmet or one that is mounted on a spectacle frame without a lens. Further, in the case of a spectacle wearing type, it may be an integral type fixed to the spectacles or a detachable type to the spectacles. In the case of the glasses integrated type, the attachment means is configured to include a glasses frame. Further, the eye for displaying the video is not limited to the right eye, and may display the same or different images for the left eye or both eyes. Fixing the main body is not limited to the temples of the glasses, but may be other parts such as a hinge. In addition, the mechanism of the mounting portion is not limited to the method of slidingly fitting the main body having a groove and the eyepiece optical portion, but various methods such as mounting brackets or fitting methods can be used. It is.

1 Head-mounted image display device (glasses type)
2 body part 2a glasses fixing part 2b display panel 2c exit window 2d body side mounting part 2e video display part 2f drive circuit 2g video control part 2h mode switching means 3 eyepiece optical part 3-1 first eyepiece optical part 3-2 second eyepiece optical unit 3a barrel 3b ₁ of 2, 3b ₂ light guide portion 3c _1, 3c ₂ eyepiece 3d _1, 3d ₂ entrance window 3e _1, 3e ₂ eyepiece optical unit side attachment portion 3f _2, 3f ₂ 'lens 3 g ₂ Prism-shaped part 3h ₂ entrance surface 3i ₂ , 3j ₂ , 3k ₂ reflecting surface 3l ₂ main part 3m ₂ tip 3n ₂ lens 4 mounting part 6 display image 6a display image (mobile image)
6b Display video (for video viewing)
7 Blocked background 10 Glasses 10a Glasses frame (Temple)
10b Eyeglass lens 11 Eyeball 11a Pupil 31 Eyepiece optical part for see-through display 32 Eyepiece optical part for non-see-through display

Claims (11)

A support for fixing to the user's head;
A main body having a video emitting unit that is fixed to the support and emits video light of a video to be displayed;
In the state where the image light emitted from the image emitting unit is incident and the support unit is fixed to the user's head, the incident image light is guided to the corresponding eyeball of the user, An eyepiece optical unit that displays a magnified image of the image of the image emitting unit as a virtual image;
An attachment means for attaching the eyepiece optical part to the body part in a replaceable manner,
The eyepiece optical unit is one eyepiece optical unit selected from at least a first eyepiece optical unit and a second eyepiece optical unit having different optical characteristics, and the first eyepiece optical unit has a distal end portion. The width of the projection cross section in the direction of the user's visual axis is narrower than the pupil diameter, and the second eyepiece optical unit has a width of the projection cross section in the direction of the user's visual axis of the distal end that is wider than the pupil diameter. A head-mounted image display device characterized by the above.   The average pupil diameter of a human is 4 mm, the first eyepiece optical unit has a width of a projection cross section in the direction of the visual axis of the user at the distal end smaller than 4 mm, and the second eyepiece optical unit is The head-mounted image display device according to claim 1, wherein a width of a projected cross section of the distal end portion in the visual axis direction of the user exceeds 4 mm.   The first eyepiece optical unit displays a virtual image at a position that does not overlap the vertical centerline of the visual field of the eyeball of the user, and the second eyepiece optical unit displays a virtual image at a position that overlaps the vertical centerline. The head-mounted image display device according to claim 1, wherein the head-mounted image display device is configured as described above.   4. The head according to claim 1, wherein a length in a longitudinal direction of the first eyepiece optical unit is shorter than a length in a longitudinal direction of the second eyepiece optical unit. Wearable image display device.   5. The viewing angle at which the image emitting unit is viewed from the first eyepiece optical unit is smaller than the viewing angle at which the image emitting unit is viewed from the second eyepiece optical unit. The head-mounted image display device according to one item.   The first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit each have an eyepiece lens, and the focal length of the eyepiece lens of the first eyepiece optical unit is the focal point of the eyepiece lens of the second eyepiece optical unit. The head-mounted image display device according to claim 1, wherein the head-mounted image display device is longer than the distance.   The first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit are configured to reflect the image light incident from the image emission unit to the eyeball after being reflected a different number of times inside. The head-mounted image display device according to claim 1, wherein the head-mounted image display device is a head-mounted image display device.   The at least one of the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit is configured to rotate image light incident from the image emitting unit by a predetermined angle. The head-mounted image display device according to claim 7.   The at least one of the first eyepiece optical unit and the second eyepiece optical unit has different magnification ratios of the virtual image in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. The head-mounted image display device described.   The said main-body part has a mode switching means which switches the display mode of the image | video in the said image | video emission part according to a said 1st eyepiece optical part and a said 2nd eyepiece optical part. The head-mounted image display device according to any one of the above.   The mode switching means is configured to set a see-through display mode in which a width of a luminance change corresponding to at least the first eyepiece optical unit is set to be large and a width of a luminance change corresponding to the second eyepiece optical unit to be small. The head-mounted image display device according to claim 10, wherein the head-mounted image display device is configured to perform switching to the non-see-through display mode.

Images