JPH08339042A - Video display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a video display device capable of presenting a video with much presence by displaying the video in accordance with an observing direction and setting the direction of the displayed video regardless of the observing direction. CONSTITUTION: By providing piezoelectric vibrating gyroscopes 33X and 33Y in HMD, the rotational speed of the head of a wearer is detected; and by providing a rotating ball manually operated and photoreflector sets 65X and 65Y detecting the rotational amount of the rotating ball, the direction input is performed by the manual operation. A controller 61 sets the direction of a three-dimensional camera through a three-dimensional camera direction setting part 70 in accordance with the observing direction detected from output from the piezoelectric vibrating gyroscope or the manually inputted direction. The left and right images formed on the image pickup elements 51L and 51R of the three-dimensional camera are displayed on the liquid crystal display elements 31L and 31R of the HMD.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image display device for displaying images in different directions depending on the viewing direction of an observer, and more specifically, a display in which the direction of the image can be set by manual operation. Regarding the device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed an image display device for projecting a virtual image of an image displayed on an image display device onto an eyeball of an observer. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,955,156, a so-called HMD (Head Mounted Display), which is mounted on the head of an observer and generates a stereoscopic image by projecting a virtual image of a video display element on each of the left and right eyes, is proposed. Has been done.

Further, in Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 62-29196 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-56923, a three-dimensional camera is connected to the above HMD and the direction of the three-dimensional camera is changed according to the direction of the observer's head. Therefore, a device for changing the displayed image has been proposed. Furthermore, in recent years, game machines and the like that use a so-called virtual reality, in which a computer image is connected to an HMD and the computer image is changed according to the viewing direction, have become widespread.

According to such a technique, the observer wearing the HMD can obtain a high sense of realism, and it is as if the observer himself / herself is in the shooting space where the camera is installed or in the virtual space created by the computer. You get the feeling of being present.

[0005]

However, in the conventional display device that changes the direction of the displayed image according to the rotation of the observer's head, the observer may be physically different depending on the direction of the image to be observed. It also causes distress. For example, when observing the upper part, the observer has to face the upper part, and the neck is fatigued by observing for a long time. That is,
The observer must strictly face the observation direction and cannot observe the image in a relaxed posture.

Further, when the observer cannot freely change his / her posture, the displayed image is also limited. For example, an observer who is unable to wake up, such as a sick person, can see only an image of a sleeping state even when wearing the HMD.

The present invention provides an image display device capable of presenting a highly realistic image by displaying an image according to the viewing direction and setting the direction of the displayed image regardless of the viewing direction. The purpose is to do.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a video display device having a structure shown in the block diagram of FIG. That is, on the image display device, a display element 11 for displaying an image, an observation direction detection means 12 for detecting an amount of rotation of an observer's head and detecting an observation direction from the detected amount of rotation, and an observer manually operating the same. From the direction input means 13 for inputting a direction, the selection means 14 for selecting and outputting one of the direction detected by the observation direction detection means 12 and the direction input through the direction input means 13, and the selection means 14. An image setting unit 15 for displaying an image in a direction corresponding to the output direction on the display element 11.

In the above arrangement, the selecting means 14 selects and outputs the input direction when the direction is input via the direction inputting means 13.

Further, after the direction is input through the direction inputting means 13, the observation direction detecting means 12 adds the amount of rotation of the head detected thereafter to the input direction to make it the observation direction.

The direction input means 13 is composed of a rotating member that rotates by manual operation and a detecting member that detects the amount of rotation of the rotating member, and the input direction is determined by the amount of rotation of the rotating member.

[0012]

In the image display device having the structure shown in FIG. 11, the observation direction is always detected by the observation direction detection means 12 from the amount of rotation of the head, and the direction is input at any time via the direction input means 13. The selection unit 14 selects and outputs one of the detected direction and the input direction, and the image setting unit 15 causes the image setting unit 15 to display an image in the direction corresponding to the selected direction.
When the image is displayed at 1, the displayed image becomes an image in the direction corresponding to the observation direction of the observer or an image in the direction input by the observer. When there is no direction input through the direction input unit 13, the selection unit 14 outputs the detected observation direction, so the image changes according to the rotation of the observer's head.

When a direction input is made via the direction input means 13, if the selecting means 14 selects and outputs the input direction, the input direction is given priority over the detected observation direction and the input direction is set. The corresponding video is displayed. At this time, the viewing direction does not affect the direction of the displayed image.

Further, in the structure in which the observation direction detecting means 12 is set to the observation direction after the direction is inputted through the direction input means 13 in addition to the inputted direction of the detected rotation amount of the head. The observation direction will be determined based on the input direction. When the observer does not rotate the head after inputting the direction, the image in the input direction is continuously displayed, and when the head is rotated, the displayed image is the image in the input direction. It changes according to the amount of rotation of the head.

Further, if the direction input means 13 is composed of a rotating member that rotates by manual operation and a detecting member that detects the amount of rotation of the rotating member, and if the input direction is determined by the amount of rotation of the rotating member, the observer will see. The direction of the displayed image is changed by rotating the rotating member.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an example in which the present invention is applied to a stereoscopic system including a combination of a three-dimensional camera and an HMD. The three-dimensional camera 1 has two left and right cameras, and is installed near the subject O. The HMD 2 has a built-in left and right virtual image projection device that projects a virtual image on the left and right eyes, respectively.
The subject image captured by the left camera of the three-dimensional camera 1 is used for the left eye,
By projecting a virtual image of the subject image captured by the right camera to the right eye, the stereoscopic image S is displayed to the observer wearing the HMD2.
Provide V. The HMD 2 does not need to be arranged in the vicinity of the three-dimensional camera 1, and the HMD wearer can observe the image at a place away from the shooting site.

FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the HMD2. Reference numeral 21 denotes a main body cover that incorporates the left and right virtual image projection devices. A nose pad (not shown) is formed in the lower center of the body cover 21. Reference numerals 22L and 22R denote left and right holding levers fixed to the body cover 21, which are made of an elastic body and are curved inward. Reference numerals 23L and 23R are sliders that can move in the front-rear direction along the holding levers 22L and 22R. 24L, 24R
Is a head rest portion that abuts the side of the head of the HMD wearer.
The head rests 24L, 24R have inner surfaces that come into contact with the head made of a flexible material, and have sliders 23L that can be rotated about the vertical axis as a rotation axis so that the contact area with the head becomes wide. , 23R is attached to the inner surface.

Guide grooves 25 are formed on the outer surfaces of the holding levers 22L, 22R, while the sliders 23L, 2L are formed.
3R is provided with a button 26 that engages with the guide groove 25 inside. The sliders 23L and 23R are movable while the button 26 is pressed, and are fixed to the holding levers 22L and 22R by releasing the button 26. Thereby, the positions of the head rests 24L and 24R in the front-rear direction can be adjusted.

The HMD 2 is used by mounting it on the head so that the main body cover 21 is located in front of the eyes. At this time, HMD2
Is supported by the left and right head rests 24L, 24R and the nose rest. The head rests 24L, 24R are holding levers 22L,
Since it is pressed against the head by the elasticity of 22R, it can be securely mounted and no displacement occurs. Therefore,
The HMD2 will move in unison with the head.

Reference numeral 27 is an activation switch for starting control of the HMD 2, and 41 is a rotating ball manually operated by the HMD wearer. These are provided on the upper surface of the main body cover 21 for easy operation. The function of the rotating ball 41 will be described in detail later.

FIG. 3 schematically shows the internal structure of the HMD 2. Reference numerals 31L and 31R are left and right liquid crystal display boards (LCD) as display elements. Reference numerals 32L and 32R denote left and right eyepieces, which guide the image lights of the left and right liquid crystal display plates 31L and 31R to the left and right eyes EL and ER, respectively. The HMD wearer observes the virtual image by viewing the images on the liquid crystal display plates 31L and 31R through the eyepieces 32L and 32R. The liquid crystal display plate 31L and the eyepiece lens 32L form a left virtual image projection device, and the liquid crystal display plate 31R and the eyepiece lens 32R form a right virtual image projection device.

Reference numerals 33X and 33Y are piezoelectric vibrating gyros that sense an angular velocity and output a voltage corresponding to the sensed angular velocity. The piezoelectric vibrating gyro is formed in a column shape,
The speed in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction can be detected. Therefore, the piezoelectric vibrating gyro 33X detects the angular velocity of the horizontal rotation of the head, and the piezoelectric vibrating gyro 33Y detects the angular velocity of the vertical rotation. By integrating the angular velocities detected by the piezoelectric vibrating gyros 33X and 33Y, the amount of rotation of the head in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction can be known. In this embodiment, the horizontal direction and the vertical direction are the X direction and the Y direction, respectively.
Also called direction.

Reference numeral 40 denotes a manual direction setting unit including the above-mentioned rotating ball 41. The liquid crystal display plates 31L and 31R, the eyepieces 32L and 32R, the piezoelectric vibrating gyros 33X and 33Y, and the manual direction setting unit 40 are built in the main body cover 21 and mounted on the observer's head.

FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the manual direction setting section 40.
Reference numeral 21 denotes the main body cover 21 described above, and only a part of the periphery of the rotating ball 41 is shown here for the purpose of explaining the inside. The surface of the rotating ball 41 is covered with a material having a large friction coefficient such as rubber. 42X and 42Y are rotating rollers, which are formed in a cylindrical shape. These rotating rollers 42X and 42Y are arranged on a plane passing through the center of the rotating ball 41 so that their axes are perpendicular to each other and in contact with the rotating ball 41. Rotating roller 4
2X rotates when the rotating ball 41 rotates left and right,
The rotating roller 42Y rotates when the rotating ball 41 rotates back and forth. Therefore, the rotation direction of the rotation roller 42X corresponds to the X direction, and the rotation direction of the rotation roller 42Y corresponds to the Y direction.

Reference numerals 43X and 43Y are encoder plates, and white and black patterns are radially and alternately printed on one surface. The white part of this pattern reflects light and the black part absorbs light. The encoder plates 43X and 43Y are fixed to one ends of the rotary rollers 42X and 42Y, respectively, and rotate as the rotary rollers 42X and 42Y rotate. Two photo reflectors 44X and 43X, 43Y are respectively provided so as to face the surfaces of the encoder plates 43X, 43Y on which the black and white patterns are printed.
45X and 44Y, 45Y are provided.

Photo reflectors 44X, 45X, 44Y,
45Y includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element (not shown). The light emitting element emits light toward the encoder plates 43X and 43Y, the reflected light is detected by the light receiving element, and an electric signal is output according to the detection of the light. . When the encoder plates 43X and 43Y rotate, white portions and black portions alternately appear in the portions irradiated with the light from the light emitting element, so that the reflected light detected by the light receiving element becomes intermittent. Therefore, the photo reflector 4
The 4X, 45X, 44Y and 45Y outputs are also intermittent.

FIG. 5 shows an output example of the photo reflectors 44X and 45X. Each output is a rectangular pulse signal having a cycle corresponding to the rotation speed of the encoder plate 43X. The rotation amount in the X direction can be known from the number of pulses and the cycle of the pattern printed on the encoder plate 43X. The photoreflector 44X and the photoreflector 45X are arranged at intervals of ¼ cycle shifted from an integral multiple of the cycle of the white and black patterns of the encoder plate 43X. For this reason,
1/4 for output of two photoreflectors 44X, 45X
There is a phase shift in the cycle. When the encoder plate 43X rotates in the opposite direction, the photo reflectors 44X, 4
Since the phase difference of the 5X output is reversed and becomes 3/4 cycle, positive and negative in the rotation direction are detected from the phase difference of the output.

Similarly, the photo reflectors 44Y and 45Y are also arranged at intervals shifted by a quarter period from the integral multiple of the period of the white and black patterns of the encoder plate 43Y. From the output, the rotation amount in the Y direction and the positive and negative rotation directions are detected.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic structure of the three-dimensional camera 1.
51L and 51R are left and right CCDs as image pickup elements,
Reference numerals 52L and 52R are left and right photographing lenses. Image sensor 51
The L and the taking lens 52L constitute a left camera, which is held in a lens barrel (not shown) and mounted on the base plate 55. The image pickup element 51R and the taking lens 52R form a right camera, and are similarly held in a lens barrel (not shown) and mounted on the base plate 55. The light that has passed through the left and right photographing lenses 52L and 52R and forms an image on the light receiving surfaces of the left and right CCDs 51L and 51R, respectively, and the CCDs 51L and 51R perform photoelectric conversion. The electric signals from the left and right CCDs 51L and 51R are converted into video signals by a circuit (not shown) to become left and right video signals.

Reference numeral 53 is an inclination sensor, which detects a change in the liquid surface due to the inclination as a change in capacitance using a capacitor plate. The tilt sensor 53 determines the vertical shooting angle of the three-dimensional camera 1. 54 is an electronic compass, which detects the direction of the earth's magnetism,
The orientation of the three-dimensional camera 1 is detected. The base plate 55 is fixed on a direction setting mechanism (not shown), and the three-dimensional camera 1 is configured so that the direction can be freely set in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction.

The circuit configuration of the stereoscopic system of this embodiment is shown in FIG. Reference numeral 61 is a controller that controls the entire system, and a microcomputer is used. 6
Reference numeral 2 denotes a switch circuit connected to the above-mentioned start-up switch 27, which outputs an electric signal to the controller 61 in response to an operation of the start-up switch 27 by an observer.

33X and 33Y are piezoelectric vibrating gyros for detecting angular velocities in the horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. 63X and 63Y are analog / digital conversion circuits that digitize the outputs of the piezoelectric vibration gyros 33X and 33Y. 64X and 64Y are integrator circuits, and the piezoelectric vibration gyro 33X and 3X at rest from the digitized signal.
The values obtained by subtracting the output voltages of 3Y are integrated. Thereby, the sign of the integrated value indicates the direction of the angle change, and the absolute value indicates the magnitude of the change angle. The output of the integrating circuit 64X is H
The amount of horizontal rotation of the head of the MD wearer is calculated by the integration circuit 64.
The output of Y represents the amount of rotation in the vertical direction, and the controller 61 obtains the amount of change in the observation direction from these.

65X is a set of two photoreflectors 44X and 45X for detecting the rotation amount of the rotating ball 41 in the X direction, and 65Y is two photoreflectors 44Y for detecting the rotation amount of the rotating ball 41 in the Y direction. , 45Y set. The outputs of the photoreflector sets 65X and 65Y are input to the waveform shaping circuits 66X and 66Y, respectively, and after the waveform shaping, are input to the controller 61.

Reference numerals 31L and 31R are the left and right liquid crystal display plates of the HMD 2, and 67L and 67R are liquid crystal display plates 31L and 31R, respectively.
An LCD drive circuit that drives 31R to display left and right images.

51L and 51R are left and right C of the three-dimensional camera 1.
CDs, 68L and 68R are video processing circuits that generate video signals from the outputs of the CCDs 51L and 51R. The video signals generated by the video processing circuits 68L and 68R are input to the superimposing circuit 69.

Reference numeral 53 is an inclination sensor provided in the three-dimensional camera 1, and outputs the vertical photographing angle of the three-dimensional camera 1 to the controller 61 as an electric signal. Reference numeral 54 denotes an electronic compass, which detects the shooting direction of the three-dimensional camera and outputs it to the controller 61 as an electric signal. The controller 61 has a built-in analog / digital conversion circuit, converts the angle and azimuth detected by the tilt sensor 53 and the electronic compass 54 into a digital amount, and then generates an image signal representing a shooting direction based on these. .

The superimposing circuit 69 forcibly inserts the image signal, which is generated by the controller 61 and represents the shooting direction, into the video signal from the video processing circuits 68L and 68R and outputs it to the LCD drive circuits 67L and 67R. . As a result, the left and right CCDs 31L and 31R of the HMD 2 have 3
Information indicating the direction of the image is displayed together with the image captured by the two-dimensional camera 1.

Reference numeral 70 is a direction setting unit of the three-dimensional camera 1. The direction setting unit 70 is composed of two step motors that drive in the horizontal and vertical directions and a step motor drive circuit. The shooting direction of the three-dimensional camera 1 is changed by the direction setting unit 70, and the output values of the tilt sensor 53 and the electronic compass 54 are also changed.

The flow of control by the controller 61 is shown in FIG.
It is shown in the flowchart. When the HMD wearer operates the activation switch 27 to turn it on, the controller 6 is activated.
1 starts control (step # 105). After startup, first the circuits 64X and 64Y that integrate the output of the piezoelectric vibration gyro
To initialize the horizontal direction (X direction) and vertical direction (Y direction)
The integrated value of is set to 0 (# 110). Then, the initial direction of the three-dimensional camera 1 is set (# 115). In particular,
The direction setting unit 7 monitors the output of the tilt sensor 53 built in the three-dimensional camera 1 and shoots in the horizontal direction.
Drives a zero step motor in the vertical direction. Also, the output of the electronic compass 54 is monitored, and the horizontal step motor of the direction setting unit 70 is driven so as to photograph the north direction.

When the above initial setting is completed, it is determined whether or not the rotating ball 41 of the manual direction setting section 40 is operated (# 120). Step # 120 for the first time after startup
When performing the process of 1, the rotating ball 41 is not operated, and the preparation for the next determination is made. Specifically, the signal levels of the photo reflector sets 65X and 65Y after being shaped by the waveform shaping circuits 66X and 66Y, that is, the photoreflectors 44X, 45X, 44Y, and 45Y are stored. When the determination is performed at # 120 after the second time, the photo reflectors 44X and 45 after shaping at that time are performed.
The signal levels of X, 44Y and 45Y are compared with the stored signal level. When even one signal level is changing, it is determined that the rotating ball 41 is operated, and the signal level at that time is stored. When there is no change in the signal level, it is determined that the rotating ball 41 has not been operated.

When it is determined in # 120 that the manual operation is not performed, it is determined whether or not 50 msec has elapsed from the previous manual operation (# 125). If 50 msec has not elapsed from the previous operation, it is determined that the rotating ball 41 is being operated, and if 50 msec has elapsed, it is determined that the operation has ended.

When the operation is completed, the integrating circuit 6
An integral value is obtained from 4X and 64Y (# 130), and a constant K for converting the integral value into an angle is multiplied by the integral value to obtain a change angle of the observation direction (# 135). Further, the number of drive pulses corresponding to the detected change angle of the horizontal and vertical step motors of the three-dimensional camera direction setting unit 70 is calculated (# 140), and the direction of the three-dimensional camera 1 is set (# 1).
45). In addition, the information indicating the orientation of the three-dimensional camera 1 is generated and displayed on the captured image in an overlapping manner (# 150). The information indicating the orientation of the camera displayed here will be described in detail later. By the processing from # 130 to # 145, the HMD2
3D camera 1 linked to the viewing direction of the observer wearing
The direction of will be set.

Next, the ON / OFF state of the starting switch 27 is checked to determine whether or not continuation of control is requested (# 155). # 1 when it is kept ON
Returning to step 20, the control is continued, and when it is changed to OFF, the control is ended (# 160).

On the other hand, when it is determined in # 125 that 50 msec has not elapsed, # 130 to # 1
The process directly proceeds to # 155 without performing the processing up to 50. Therefore, the direction setting of the three-dimensional camera 1 linked to the observation direction is not performed.

When it is determined at # 120 that the rotating ball 41 has been operated, the photo reflector set 6
Based on the outputs of 5X and 65Y, the direction of rotation and the amount of rotation are obtained for each of the X and Y directions, and the drive amount of the three-dimensional camera 1 is calculated (# 165). Specifically, the angle of the three-dimensional camera 1 changes by 1 ° for each change of the signals of the photo reflector sets 65X and 65Y.
The number of drive pulses of the step motor of the three-dimensional camera direction setting unit 70 is calculated. Photo-reflector set 65X Horizontal direction against changes in signal, photo-reflector set 65
The vertical angle is changed with respect to the change in the Y signal.

Next, the integrating circuits 64X and 64Y are initialized to set the integrated value to 0 (# 170). After that, # 145
Then, the direction of the three-dimensional camera 1 is set according to the number of pulses calculated in # 165. The subsequent processing is as already described.

The loop processing from step # 120 to step # 155 is performed in a cycle of 1 msec to several msec. Therefore, the detection of the observation direction and the detection of the direction setting by the manual operation are performed at extremely short time intervals, and the displayed image constantly changes in accordance with the rotation of the head and the rotation of the rotating ball 41. .

According to the control processing described above, when the manual direction setting unit 40 is operated, the direction of the three-dimensional camera 1 is determined based on the input from the manual direction setting unit 40 regardless of the viewing direction of the HMD wearer. Is set. Therefore, the manual input is prioritized over the viewing direction and is reflected in the image displayed on the HMD 2. Further, when the manual direction setting unit 40 is not operated, an image corresponding to the observation direction, that is, the direction of the observer's head is displayed.

Furthermore, when the manual direction setting unit 40 is operated, the integrating circuits 64X and 64Y are initialized in # 170, and thereafter, the direction manually input becomes the reference direction of the observation direction. . That is, no matter what direction the head of the HMD wearer is facing when the manual direction setting unit 40 is operated, the amount of rotation of the head thereafter is three-dimensional camera 1.
It is reflected as a relative change amount from the direction set by the manual operation with respect to the direction of. Therefore, a mismatch between the viewing direction and the shooting direction, that is, the direction of the displayed image is allowed.

9A and 9B of FIGS. 9A and 9B show examples of the information on the shooting direction generated by the controller 61 and displayed in an overlapping manner with the shot video. Here, only one of the left and right images displayed on the liquid crystal display plates 31L and 31R of the HMD 2 is shown. In the figure, triangular pyramids and cylinders are objects to be observed, which are images taken by the three-dimensional camera 1. This image is taken by inclining the three-dimensional camera 1 at an angle of 45 ° from the north, which is the default azimuth, to the west, and at an angle of 10 ° downward from the horizontal, which is the initial vertical direction.
As described above, the horizontal rotation angle of the three-dimensional camera 1 is detected by the electronic compass 34 as an absolute value with reference to the north, and the vertical rotation angle is detected with the tilt sensor 33 as an absolute value with respect to the horizontal. Value is detected.

In (A), the absolute value of the detected camera orientation is graphically displayed at the bottom of the screen. The compass indicates that the 3D camera 1 faces the northwest direction, and the bar graph indicates that the 3D camera 1 has a vertical inclination of -10 ° (the depression angle is 10 °). .

In (B), the three-dimensional camera 1 is moved from north to west 55 by operating the rotating ball 41 of the manual direction setting section 40.
In the direction of ゜, and 15 degrees above the horizontal,
The state in which the MD wearer rotates his / her head and the image is taken with the three-dimensional camera 1 oriented in the same direction as (A). The direction of the three-dimensional camera 1 is displayed by numbers on the lower right of the screen.
The value displayed here is a relative value from the set direction by the manual operation, and is equal to the rotation amount of the head after the manual direction is set. Rotation in the horizontal direction (displayed with H) is positive in the clockwise direction,
Rotation in the vertical direction (denoted by V) is displayed with the upward direction as positive.

As described above, the HMD 2 of the present embodiment can display the photographing direction in the form of figures or numbers, and can represent the absolute value or the relative value of the photographing direction. The HMD 2 is provided with buttons (not shown) for switching these display methods, and the HMD wearer can select any display by operating the buttons. Further, only one of the vertical direction and the horizontal direction of the camera may be displayed if necessary.

The stereoscopic system of this embodiment can be used as a monitor device in a remote operation. For example, when performing the work of moving a dangerous material, a three-dimensional camera 1 is installed at a work site, and a worker wearing an HMD 2 operates a moving device from a remote location.
Danger can be eliminated. At this time, since information on the direction of the image is displayed in addition to the image showing the dangerous goods and the moving equipment, the worker can always maintain the sense of direction and the work efficiency is improved. In addition, erroneous operation can be prevented and safety is improved.

Moreover, since it is possible to select and display the absolute direction of the displayed image and the relative direction from the direction set by the manual operation, the direction reference should be set according to the work content. You can Since the rotating ball 41 is a member operated when manually setting the direction and is provided in the HMD 2, it is possible to perform a fumbling operation and perform an input operation without taking an eye from the image to be watched. it can. Therefore, the direction setting operation does not hinder the work.

When it is not necessary to move both hands freely,
Instead of the HMD 2, a binocular type handheld display device 3 as shown in FIG. 10 may be used. Reference numeral 81 is a main body cover, and 82L and 82R are eyepieces. Reference numeral 83 is a rotating ball, and 84 is a starting switch, which is arranged on the upper surface of the main body cover 81 at a position where it is easy to operate. A signal cable 85 is connected to the three-dimensional camera. Even in the case of the handheld display device 3 as described above, the direction of the display image can be changed according to the change of the observation direction or the direction setting by the manual operation, in the same manner as the method already described.

In the above example, the camera is used as a means for generating an image, but the present invention can be applied to a configuration in which an image is generated by a computer. In that case, the HMD 2 or the hand-held display device 3 may be connected to a computer for image generation to generate an image according to the observation direction or the manual input direction, or a wide range image may be generated in advance. Remember
It is also possible to take out a part of the image corresponding to the observation direction or the manual input direction and display it.

Further, although the HMD 2 and the handheld display device 3 are configured to observe the virtual image through the eyepiece, it is of course possible to directly observe the image on the display element.

[0059]

According to the present invention, the observation direction can be detected from the direction of the observer's head, an image in the direction corresponding to the observation direction can be displayed, and the direction input by manual operation can be displayed. It is possible to display the image in the direction of the movement. Therefore, the observer can observe images in different directions by a natural motion of rotating the head, and a high sense of realism can be obtained. Further, by inputting the direction, it is possible to observe an image in a desired direction without rotating the head. For example, even a back image can be observed without looking back. Even a person who cannot get up, such as a physically handicapped person or a sick person, can be used comfortably.

In the image display device of the second aspect, since the input direction has priority over the viewing direction, even if an unintended change occurs in the viewing direction, the displayed image is affected by the change. It is kept in the direction specified by the input without being subject to Further, the observer can observe the image in a desired direction in any posture. For example, it becomes possible to observe an image in the upper direction while facing the front, and it is possible to observe an image in a desired direction in a comfortable posture. Therefore, fatigue due to long-term image observation can be reduced.

According to the image display device of the third aspect, since the observation direction is determined with reference to the input direction,
Even if the head is rotated after the direction is manually input, the direction of the displayed image changes in accordance with the rotation amount of the head. Therefore, the observer can observe the surrounding image centered on the image in the desired direction by only slightly rotating the head. Further, a natural image observation can be performed without causing a large change in the displayed image due to a slight rotation of the head after inputting the direction.

In the video display device according to the fourth aspect, it is not necessary to input a numerical value or the like to specify the direction of the displayed video, and the input operation can be easily performed. Moreover, since the rotation amount of the rotating member changes continuously, the input value is continuous rather than discrete, and the direction of the displayed image can be set finely. Further, since the input operation can be performed while viewing the image, the direction designation does not hinder the image observation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a stereoscopic system including a three-dimensional camera and an HMD.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an HMD.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an internal configuration of an HMD.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a manual direction setting unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an output signal of a photo reflector.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a three-dimensional camera.

FIG. 7 is a circuit configuration diagram of a stereoscopic system.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of control processing by the controller.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a display example of shooting direction information.

FIG. 10 is an external view of a handheld display device.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 3D camera (image setting means) 2 HMD 3 Handheld display device 27 Startup switch 31L, 31R Liquid crystal display plate (display element) 32L, 32R Eyepieces 33X, 33Y Piezoelectric vibration gyro (observation direction detection means) 40 Manual direction setting Part (Direction input means) 41 Rotating ball (Rotating member) 42X, 42Y Rotating roller 43X, 43Y Encoder plate (Detecting member) 44X, 44Y Photoreflector (Detecting member) 45X, 45Y Photoreflector (Detecting member) 51L, 51R CCD 52L , 52R shooting lens 53 tilt sensor 54 electronic compass 61 controller (selection means) 64X, 64Y integration circuit 65X, 65Y photo reflector set 66X, 66Y waveform shaping circuit 67L, 67R LCD drive circuit 68L, 68R video processing circuit 69 superimpose Circuit 70 3 Original camera direction setting unit 82L, 82R eyepiece 83 start switch 84 rotates the ball (rotating member)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A video display device capable of displaying video in various directions, a display element for displaying video, and an observation direction for detecting the amount of rotation of the observer's head and detecting the observation direction from the detected amount of rotation. Detection means, direction input means for the observer to manually input the direction, and one of the direction detected by the observation direction detection means and the direction input via the direction input means, and output An image display device, comprising: a selection unit that controls the display device and an image setting unit that causes the display device to display an image in a direction corresponding to the direction output from the selection unit. 2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein when the direction is input through the direction input unit, the selection unit selects and outputs the input direction. 3. The observation direction detection means, after the direction is input via the direction input means, adds the rotation amount of the head detected thereafter to the input direction to set the observation direction as the observation direction. The image display device according to claim 2, wherein the image display device is a display device. 4. The direction input means includes a rotating member that rotates by a manual operation and a detecting member that detects the amount of rotation of the rotating member, and the input direction is determined by the amount of rotation of the rotating member. The image display device according to claim 1.