JPH0713123A - Head mounted display - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a head mounted display to which is inexpensive and whose power consumption is low by making the number of liquid crystal display which are needed by two for both left and right eyes one. CONSTITUTION:The picture of the liquid crystal display 4 is reflected and transmitted so as to be divided into two sections by a half mirror 5, and the respective pictures are guided to oculars 2 and 3 by the mirror so that the length of optical path may be equal. As a result, the picture of one liquid crystal display can be seen by left and right eyes in the same size and the same direction. The conventional head mounted display needs two liquid crystal displays, which are very expansive, for both left and right eyes, but the head mounted display which is inexpensive and whose power consumption is low can be provided by making the number of the liquid crystal displays one.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a head-mounted display used as a display device for virtual reality or the like, or as a monitor for a video camera or a portable television.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A head-mounted display currently used as a display device for virtual reality (artificial reality) has a feature that a large screen can be viewed with a small external size. Further, in recent years, with the rapid development of liquid crystal technology, an ultra-compact and high-definition liquid crystal display, which has never been thought of before, has come to be used for a viewfinder of a video camera. A head-mounted display using such a liquid crystal display can be made extremely lightweight and compact, and is therefore in the spotlight as a future portable display.

As shown in FIG. 2, the internal structure of the conventional head-mounted display includes a liquid crystal display 15 for the left eye and a liquid crystal display 13 for the right eye. The images displayed on the respective liquid crystal displays are reflected by the mirrors 14 and 16 and focused on the eyes by the eyepieces 2 and 3. This method has long been known as the Wheatstone stereoscope method, and is suitable for displaying stereoscopic images. However, in a head-mounted display for a planar image instead of a stereoscopic image, since the left and right eyes see the same image, one liquid crystal display is more advantageous than two in terms of cost and power consumption.

[0004]

As described above, the conventional head-mounted display requires two liquid crystal displays for the left and right eyes even when seeing a planar image, which is very cost and power consuming. It was a disadvantage to.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and to provide a head mounted display which requires only one liquid crystal display.

[0006]

According to the present invention, an image displayed on one liquid crystal display is divided into two by transmission and reflection by using a half mirror, and a mirror is used so that the optical path lengths are equalized from there. It guides to the left and right eyepieces and forms images on the left and right eyes.

According to the present invention, the images of one liquid crystal display can be viewed with the same size and orientation by both eyes, and the cost reduction is greatly achieved by using one expensive liquid crystal display. Head mounted display can be provided.

[0007]

1 is a block diagram of a head-mounted display according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a frame for fixing the apparatus to the head, 2 is an eyepiece for the left eye, 12 is the left eye, 3 Is an eyepiece for the right eye, 8 is the right eye, and 4 is a liquid crystal display with the display surface facing downward. The image on the liquid crystal display enters the half mirror 5 and is divided into two directions. One is transmitted through the half mirror, is reflected to the right by the mirror of 6, and is further reflected to the front by the mirror of 7 to be imaged on the right eye through the eyepiece for the right eye. One half mirror reflects to the left, further 9 mirrors reflect downward, 10 mirrors reflect this time right, and finally 11 mirrors reflect front to the left eyepiece. It forms an image through the left eye.

In the optical system constructed as described above, 4
The liquid crystal display is arranged so as to be shifted from the middle of the left and right eyepieces to one side so that the optical path length from the liquid crystal display to the left eyepiece to the left eyepiece is equal to the optical path length from the liquid crystal display to the right eyepiece. By arranging in this way, the images formed on the left and right eyes are exactly the same, and the eyes do not feel uncomfortable.

Next, the directional relationship between the image displayed on the liquid crystal display and the image formed on the eye will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 17 is an image displayed on the liquid crystal display. Considering the image formed on the right eye, the image of 17 is reflected by the mirror of 6 like the image of 18, the image of 7 is reflected by the mirror of 19 like the image of 20, and the image like 20 is formed on the right eye. To be imaged. On the other hand, considering the image formed on the left eye, the half mirror of 5 reflects as an image of 21, the mirror of 9 reflects as an image of 22, and the mirror of 10 reflects as 23. , 11 mirrors are reflected like the image of 24, and an image like 25 is formed in the left eye.

As a result, the images formed on the left and right eyes have exactly the same direction and size,
It is clear and clear with both eyes.

[0011]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION In a head-mounted display, by combining such a liquid crystal display and a half mirror, and a mirror and an eyepiece, it becomes possible to use one liquid crystal, and a head-mounted display that consumes less power and is inexpensive. Can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Conventional head-mounted display

FIG. 3 is an image reflection in the block diagram of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Frame 2 ... Eyepiece for left eye 3
… Eyepiece for right eye 4… Liquid crystal display 5… Half mirror 6
… Mirror 7… Mirror 8… Right eye 9
Mirror 10 Mirror 11 Mirror 12
... Left eye 13 ... Right eye liquid crystal display 14
… Mirror 15… Left eye LCD display 16
Mirror 17 Image displayed on liquid crystal 18 Image reflected by 6 mirror 19 Image reflected by 7 mirror 20 Image formed on right eye 21 Image reflected by 5 half mirror 22 Image reflected by the mirror of 9 23 Image reflected by the mirror of 10 24 Image reflected by the mirror of 11 25 Image formed on the left eye

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A frame for mounting the device on a head, a liquid crystal display, a half mirror for dividing an image of the liquid crystal display into two images by reflection and transmission, and an optical path length of each image so as to be equal to each other. A head-mounted display characterized by a mirror that reflects and guides it to the left and right eyepieces, and an eyepiece that enlarges the liquid crystal screen to form an image.