JPH08248347A - Head mounting type display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To make the device suitable to use it in the site where production activity and transport work, etc., are performed by separately providing a specified image display part and a hold part holding the display part. CONSTITUTION: The display part is attached to a helmet only by elastically deforming the bend part 3a of the hold part 3 to tighten the outer periphery of the helmet, and further, the tightening of the outer periphery of the helmet is released to separate the display part 2 from the helmet only by pulling the bent part 3a out of the helmet and elastically deforming it to be restored. Thus, the display part 2 is attached/detached to/from the ordinary helmet simply and stably only when display information is required, and a display image is viewed, and various information are obtained without using the expensive exclusive helmet incorporated with the display part 2. Further, by changing the position of the display part 2 to a display release position, the display image is arranged out of the visual filed of the observer and no display image hinders an observer from viewing.

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 device suitable for use in the field of production activities, transportation work, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional head-mounted display device is a band which is integrally mounted on an observer's head with a built-in image display unit or which is directly mounted on the observer's head. The image display section was integrally incorporated into the above.

[0003]

It is often obligatory to wear a helmet for safety reasons at the site where production activities, transportation work and the like are performed. In such a field,
Information is provided to the worker using the head-mounted display device, the information is displayed and recognized by the worker in a hands-free state,
In order to improve work efficiency by performing work according to the display information, it is conceivable to use a conventional helmet having an image display unit integrally incorporated in a dedicated helmet.

However, in the field where a helmet must be worn, each worker generally carries a dedicated helmet. A large cost is required to convert all such helmets into a dedicated helmet incorporating an image display unit. Although it is conceivable to attach the display unit to a normal helmet with bolts or the like, it is necessary to provide a bolt through hole in the helmet or to tighten the bolt or the like with a tool, which is not easy to attach and detach. Further, depending on the type of work, the image display unit is not always necessary, and the displayed image may be an obstacle to the eyes.

An object of the present invention is to provide a head-mounted display device that can solve the above problems.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a head-mounted display device which is mounted on the head of an observer via a helmet, the display unit for displaying an image and a holding unit for holding the display unit. The display part is attached to the holding part so that the position can be changed between the display position and the display release position, and the display image can be arranged in the observer's visual field at the display position. The display image can be placed outside the field of view of the observer, its holding portion is deformable so that the outer periphery of the helmet can be tightened, and its deformation can be restored so that the tightening can be released. It is characterized by being

[0007]

According to the structure of the present invention, by simply deforming the holding portion and tightening the outer periphery of the helmet,
The display unit can be attached to the helmet, and the tightening can be released only by restoring the deformation to separate the display unit and the helmet. This allows
You can easily and stably attach and detach the display part to the normal helmet only when you need the display information, and you can obtain various information by visually observing the display image without using an expensive dedicated helmet incorporating the display part become. Further, by changing the position of the display unit to the display cancel position, it is possible to arrange the display image outside the field of view of the observer and prevent the display image from obstructing the eyes. Furthermore, it becomes possible to arrange the components of the display unit on the outer periphery of the helmet with good weight balance.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The head-mounted display device 1 shown in FIG. 1 comprises an image display section 2 and a head-mounted holding section 3 for holding the display section 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the holding portion 3 is attached to the head of the observer 4 via a helmet 5. The holding portion 3 is formed of a material such as an elastically deformable synthetic resin having rigidity enough to support the weight of the display portion 2,
The helmet 5 has a curved portion 3a that curves along the rear portion and the left and right side portions of the outer periphery, and connecting portions 3b and 3c that project forward from both ends of the curved portion 3a. The curved portion 3a
The inner peripheral surface of is, for example, U-shaped or O-shaped in a plan view.
The dimension of the curved portion 3a is set such that the inner peripheral surface is located slightly inward of the rear portion and the left and right side portions of the outer periphery of the helmet 5 in a normal state.

The display unit 2 includes the connecting units 3 of the holding unit 3.
The yokes 11a and 11b attached to b and 3c have a display unit 13 rotatably attached to the center of the left-right axis via a rotary knob 12 and an image signal processing unit 14 attached to the rear portion of the bending portion 3a. The holding portion 3 and the display unit 13 form a ring, and when the ring is fitted into the outer periphery of the helmet 5, the curved portion 3a elastically deforms to tighten the outer periphery of the helmet 5, and the ring is attached to the helmet. When the curved portion 3 a is pulled out from the outer periphery of the helmet 5, the curved portion 3 a elastically restores and deforms to release the tightening of the outer periphery of the helmet 5.

The display unit 2 can be rotated between the display position and the display cancel position by rotating about the horizontal axis via the rotary knob 12. The display unit 13 and the image signal processing unit 14 are connected by a cable 15, and the image signal processing unit 14 is connected by a cable 16 to a transmission source of an image signal.

The housing of the display unit 13 includes a backlight built-in portion 24, a liquid crystal panel built-in portion 25, a liquid crystal driver built-in portion 26, a lens system built-in portion 27, a mirror built-in portion 28, and a pair of combiner holders 29a. Two
9b. An exit lens 30 is provided at the exit of the mirror built-in part 28, and both combiner holders 29a, 2
The combiner 31 is held by 9b.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the backlight built-in portion 24, a backlight 32 composed of a halogen lamp with a reflecting mirror, a dimming voltage regulator 33 for the backlight 32, and the backlight 32 are provided. And a heat absorption filter 34 that absorbs the heat of. The liquid crystal panel 35 and the backlight 3 are provided in the liquid crystal panel built-in portion 25.
A diffusing plate 36 for making the unevenness of the second light uniform and guiding it to the liquid crystal panel 35 is built in. In the LCD driver built-in section 26,
A driver 40 for driving the liquid crystal panel 35 is built in. A lens system 37 that focuses the display light of the image displayed by the liquid crystal panel 35 is built in the lens system built-in portion 27. The mirror built-in section 28 has a built-in mirror 38 that reflects the image display light and guides it to the emission lens 30.

The image display light emitted from the emission lens 30 is reflected by the combiner 31, and the display unit 2
Is located in the display position, it is within the visual field of one eye of the observer 4 as indicated by the broken line L in the figure, and is located outside the display field of the observer 4 when it is in the display cancellation position. Further, the combiner 31 can transmit the light from the front and direct the image display light to the visual recognition position. As a result, the observer 4 can visually recognize both the displayed image and the object that actually exists in front.

The image signal processing unit 14 constitutes a control circuit 41 and a display circuit 42. The control circuit 41
Receives via a communication interface 43 an image signal sent from a host computer that stores the image signal or a photographing device that transmits the image signal, and processes the image signal by the computer 45 according to a program stored in the memory 44. . For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the image signal displays information about the product 46 to be transported, the computer 45 displays the information image 46 ″ of the item number, item, destination, etc. of the product 46 in the front view. Process it so that it is displayed.

The display circuit 42 writes the image signal sent from the control circuit 41 into the image memory 48 by the image controller 47, reads the image signal in the image memory 48 by the image controller 47, and outputs the image output interface 49. To the driver 40 for driving. According to the output, the liquid crystal panel 35
Causes the image 46 ″ to be displayed.

According to the above construction, the curved portion 3a of the holding portion 3
The display part 2 can be attached to the helmet 5 simply by elastically deforming and tightening the outer periphery of the helmet 5.
Further, the fastening of the outer periphery of the helmet 5 can be released and the display unit 2 and the helmet 5 can be separated only by pulling out the curved portion 3a from the helmet 5 and elastically restoring and deforming it. As a result, the display part 2 can be easily and stably attached / detached to / from the normal helmet 5 only when the display information is required,
Various kinds of information can be obtained by visually recognizing the displayed image without using an expensive dedicated helmet incorporating the display unit 2. Further, by changing the position of the display unit 2 to the display cancel position, it is possible to arrange the display image outside the field of view of the observer and prevent the display image from obstructing the eyes. further,
By disposing the display unit 13 and the image signal processing unit 14, which are components of the display unit 2, on the outer periphery of the helmet 5 with good weight balance, it is possible to prevent the observer 4 from feeling uncomfortable.

FIG. 4 shows a head-mounted display device 101 according to a modified example of the present invention, which comprises an image display section 102 and a head-mounted holding section 103 for holding the display section 102.

The holder 103 is attached to the head of the observer 4 via the helmet 5 as in the above embodiment. The holding portion 103 is formed of a material such as an elastically deformable synthetic resin having rigidity enough to support the weight of the display portion 102, and bends along the rear portion and the left and right side portions of the outer periphery of the helmet 5. Portion 103a and its curved portion 10
3a, connecting portions 103b, 103 protruding forward from both ends
with c and. The inner peripheral surface of the curved portion 103a is, for example, U-shaped or O-shaped in a plan view. The curved portion 103a
The dimension of is set so that the inner peripheral surface is located slightly outward of the rear portion and the left and right side portions of the outer periphery of the helmet 103 in a normal state.

A pair of tightening force adjusting bands 106a, 106 which can be connected to each other is connected to each of the connecting portions 103b, 103c.
b is attached. Any of the plurality of irregularities in the connecting portion 106a 'of the one band 106a is hooked on the inner circumference of the annular connecting portion 106b' of the other band 106b, so that the relative connecting positions of the two bands 106a, 106b are changed. It is possible. As a result, the curved portion 103a is fitted onto the outer periphery of the helmet 5, and both bands 1
06a and 106b tighten the space between both ends of the curved portion 103a to elastically bend and deform the curved portion 103a,
By the curved portion 103a, the outer periphery of the helmet 5 can be tightened so that the tightening force can be adjusted.
By releasing the tightening between both ends of the curved portion 103a by 6a and 106b, it is possible to elastically restore and deform the curved portion 103a and release the tightening of the outer periphery of the helmet 5.

The display section 102 has a display unit 113 attached to one of the left and right sides of the bending section 103a of the holding section 103, and an image signal processing unit 114 attached to the other of the left and right sides of the bending section 103a. The display unit 113 and the image signal processing unit 114 are connected via a cable 115, and the image signal processing unit 11
4 is a cable 116 connected to the rear of the curved portion 103a.
Is connected to the source of the image signal. The housing of the display unit 113 has a built-in backlight, a dimming voltage regulator, a heat absorption filter, a liquid crystal panel, a scattering plate, a liquid crystal driver, a lens system, a mirror and an emission lens, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, and The combiner 131 is swingably supported about the vertical axis between the position shown by the solid line and the position shown by the chain double-dashed line in the figure via the hinge 129. By swinging the combiner 131, the position of the display unit 102 can be changed between the display position and the display cancel position. Others are the same as the above-mentioned embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and modifications. For example, although the holding portion is made of an elastically deformable material in the above-described embodiment, it is made of a flexibly deformable material such as a flexible metal tube, and is flexibly deformed through bands like the modification example attached to both ends thereof. By doing so, the outer periphery of the helmet may be tightened and released. The constituent elements of the display section are not particularly limited, and for example, a CRT may be used to form an image, or a cold cathode tube, a metal halide lamp, or the like may be used as a backlight. Further, a combiner may be provided so that the image can be arranged in the visual fields of both eyes of the observer at the display position. Further, two display units may be provided so that different images can be visually recognized by the left eye and the right eye. The overall layout of the configuration of the lens system and the like in the display unit is not particularly limited.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION In the present invention, the holding portion has an elastically deformable curved portion along the outer circumference of the helmet so that the holding portion and the display portion can form a ring.
The curved portion has a portion connecting both ends of the curved portion, and the curved portion is elastically deformed when the ring is fitted on the outer periphery of the helmet to tighten the outer periphery of the helmet, and elastically by being pulled out from the outer periphery of the helmet. It is preferable to restore and deform to release the tightening of the outer periphery of the helmet.
With this, the display unit can be attached to the helmet only by fitting the holding unit to the helmet, and the display unit can be removed from the helmet by simply pulling out the holding unit from the helmet.

In the present invention, the holding portion has a bending portion which is elastically deformable or flexibly deformable along the outer periphery of the helmet, and a tightening force adjusting means for tightening the ends of the bending portion. It is preferable that the outer circumference of the helmet is fitted into the outer circumference of the helmet and tightened between both ends so that the outer circumference of the helmet is tightened so that the tightening force can be adjusted, and that the tightening is released to release the tightening of the outer circumference of the helmet. Thereby, the tightening force of the outer periphery of the helmet by the holding portion can be adjusted, and the display portion can be attached to the helmet of any size.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a head-mounted display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a usage state of the head-mounted display device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a structural explanatory view of a head-mounted display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a head-mounted display device according to a modified example of the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 101 Head-mounted display device 2 Display unit 3 Holding unit 4 Observer 5 Helmet

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 13, 1995

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be amended] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Claims]

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0006

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a head-mounted display device which is mounted on the head of an observer via a helmet, the display unit for displaying an image and a holding unit for holding the display unit. The display part is attached to the holding part so that the position can be changed between the display position and the display release position, and the display image can be arranged in the observer's visual field at the display position. The display image can be placed outside the field of view of the observer, its holding portion is deformable so that the outer periphery of the helmet can be tightened, and its deformation can be restored so that the tightening can be released. It is characterized by being It is also attached to the observer's head
A head-mounted display device comprising an image display unit and this table
And a display unit that holds the display unit.
Mounted so that the display position and the display release position can be changed.
At the display position, the displayed image is within the observer's field of view.
Can be placed in the display image at the display cancellation position.
Is characterized in that it can be placed outside the field of view of the observer.
I do. Furthermore, a head-mounted type table mounted on the observer's head
A display device for holding an image display part and this display part.
Holding part that can be tightened.
It can be deformed so that it can be released and its tightening can be released
The feature is that the deformation can be restored.
I do.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A head-mounted display device mounted on a head of an observer via a helmet, comprising an image display unit,
And a holding unit for holding the display unit, the display unit,
It is attached to the holding part so that the position can be changed between the display position and the display cancellation position, the display image can be arranged in the observer's visual field at the display position, and the display image is outside the observer's visual field at the display cancellation position. The head mounting is characterized in that it can be arranged, and that its holding portion is deformable so that the outer periphery of the helmet can be tightened, and that the deformation can be restored so that the tightening can be released. Type display device.