JPH11219129A - Head-mounted display unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a light and small head-mounted display unit capable of adjusting easily a forming position of a display image. SOLUTION: This display unit has a display light emitting part mounted on the head of an observer and emitting image display light toward a front side of the observer, a connecting member 12 extended from the display light emitting part toward the front side of the observer, and an optical system 13 connected to the tip side of the connecting member 12 in the front of observer's eyes so as to change a light path of the image display light to be guided to the observer's eyes. A relative position with respect to the connecting part 12 of the optical system 13 is changeable so as to regulate the advancing direction of the image display light of which light path is changed by the optical system 13.

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 (head mounted display (HMD)).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, when information for supporting various operations is displayed as an image by a head-mounted display device provided with a display unit mounted on the observer's head, it is required to cover the entire area of the observer's visual field. When an image is displayed, the image and the optical system hinder the operation. Further, it is desired that such a head mounted display device is as small and lightweight as possible.

[0003] Therefore, the display section is provided with a display light emitting section for emitting image display light toward the front of the observer, a connecting member extending from the display light emitting section toward the front of the observer, and a display section for the image display light. An optical system connected to the distal end side of the connecting member so that the optical path can be changed and guided to the observer's eyes has been considered. This allows the display unit to be arranged on the side of the observer, so that the optical system and other devices do not obstruct the observer's forward visual field.

[0004]

The observer wearing the head-mounted display device has various head shapes, so that the display image formation position is not always the optimum position. Therefore, the display light emitting unit is connected to the holding unit mounted on the head via a part of the spherical surface so as to be relatively slidable, and the display image forming position is adjusted by the spherical movement of the display light emitting unit with respect to the holding unit. It has been proposed to.

However, when the display light emitting portion is spherically moved relative to the holding portion while the holding portion is mounted on the head to adjust the display image forming position, the holding portion of the display light emitting portion is required. And the amount of movement of the optical member connected to the distal end side of the connecting member with respect to the observer's eye is different.
Therefore, there is a problem that skill is required to adjust the formation position of the display image.

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

[0007]

A head-mounted display device according to the present invention is mounted on a head of an observer and emits image display light toward the front of the observer. A connecting member extending from the light emitting portion toward the front of the observer, and connected to a distal end side of the connecting member in front of the observer so that the optical path of the image display light can be changed and guided to the observer's eyes. And an optical system to be used. The relative position of the optical system with respect to the connecting member can be changed so that the traveling direction of the image display light whose optical path is changed by the optical system can be adjusted. According to the configuration of the present invention, by changing the relative arrangement of the optical system with respect to the connecting member, the traveling direction of the image display light whose optical path is changed by the optical system can be adjusted. Thereby, even if the shape of the observer's head is various, a display image can be formed at a position suitable for visual recognition. In addition, since the relative arrangement of the optical system with respect to the connecting member can be directly changed in front of the observer with the image display light emitting portion mounted on the head, the display image is formed at a position suitable for visual recognition. As described above, the relative arrangement of the optical system with respect to the connecting member can be easily adjusted without any skill.

The optical system is connected to the connecting member via a part of a spherical surface which slides relative to each other so as to be rotatable at least about the axis of the head of the observer along the vertical and horizontal directions. Is preferred. The optical system rotates the connecting member about at least the axis along the vertical direction and the horizontal direction of the observer's head, thereby changing the display image formation position in an arbitrary direction with respect to the observer. Becomes possible. By connecting the optical system via a part of the spherical surface that slides relatively to the connecting member, the connecting mechanism can be made as small as possible.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Head-mounted display device 1 shown in FIG.
Has a holding unit 5 that can be mounted on the head of the observer 4 and an image display unit 6, and the display unit 6 can be mounted on the waist of the observer 4 via a belt 8. 7. In the present embodiment, the head-mounted display device 1 includes:
Although the image is visually recognized only by one eye of the observer 4, the image may be visually recognized by both eyes.

The holding portion 5 includes a band-shaped main body portion 5a for sandwiching the head of the observer 4 by elasticity, and a plurality of pads 5b for pressing the display portion 6 to prevent the display portion 6 from being displaced from the head. However, the form is not limited as long as it can be worn on the head of the observer 4, and may be, for example, a helmet-like one. In the present invention, the head refers to a portion above the neck including the face.

The display section 6 is attached to the head of the observer 4 by being held by the holding section 5 and emits image display light toward the front of the observer 4 and emits image display light.
And an arm (connecting member) 12 extending from the display light emitting section 11 toward the front of the observer 4, and changing the optical path of the image display light so as to guide the image display light to the eyes of the observer 4.
And an optical system 13 connected to the distal end side of the arm 12 in front of the observer's 4 eyes. The display light emitting section 11 is connected to the image signal output device 7 via a cable 9. The display light emitting unit 11 may be removable from the holding unit 5. Further, the relative arrangement of the display light emitting unit 11 with respect to the holding unit 5 may be changeable.

The display light emitting section 11 includes a case 31 and
As shown in FIG. 2, in a case 31, a backlight 32 constituted by a halogen lamp with a reflector is provided.
A voltage regulator 33 for the backlight 32, a heat absorption filter 34 for absorbing the heat of the backlight 32,
A liquid crystal panel 35, a scattering plate 36 for guiding the light from the backlight 32 uniformly to the liquid crystal panel 35, a liquid crystal driver 38 connected to the liquid crystal panel 35, and an input / output interface connected to the liquid crystal driver 38. 3
9 is provided. Image display light is emitted from the front surface of the liquid crystal panel 35 through a window 31 ′ formed at the front end of the case 31 as shown by a broken line. Instead of the liquid crystal panel 35 with the backlight 32, for example, a CRT display may be used. Further, a cold cathode tube, a hot cathode tube, a metal halide lamp, or the like may be used as the backlight.

In the present embodiment, the optical system 13 is composed of only one member having an optical path changing surface, and the image display light is changed to the optical path by reflection or diffraction to be guided to the eyes of the observer 4 for observation. The virtual image is formed in the far front of the observer 4 so that the virtual image of the target can be easily seen. That is, in the present embodiment, the optical system 13 is configured by a combiner such as a half mirror or a hologram element that transmits light from the front and guides the light to the eyes of the observer 4, and the optical path changing surface is a curved surface. Thereby, the observer 4 can visually recognize both the virtual image and the real entity in front.

The image signal output device 7 includes the display unit 6
Image signal generated by a reproducing apparatus for image data recorded on a storage medium such as a laser disk or a mini disk, or a communication device from a computer located away from the observer 4. Can be configured by a computer that sends an image signal sent through the display unit 6 to the display unit 6. The image signal output device 7 can output an image signal via the cable 9 by the operation of the switch 7a by the observer 4 in the illustrated example, but does not require such operation by the observer 4. It may output an image signal. Further, the image signal output device may be integrated with the display unit, or may be disposed apart from the observer 4. The image signal can be output in the form of, for example, a composite video signal, a Y / C separate video signal, an RGB component video signal, or the like.

The image signal output from the image signal output device 7 is output to the liquid crystal driver 38 via the input / output interface 39. When the liquid crystal driver 38 drives the liquid crystal panel 35, image display light corresponding to the image signal is emitted from the display unit 6.

The arm 12 has a display light emitting section 11
Is attached to the case 31. The arm 12 may be removable from the case 31.

The relative arrangement of the optical system 13 with respect to the arm 12 can be changed, whereby the traveling direction of the image display light whose optical path is changed by the optical system 13 can be adjusted. That is, as shown in FIGS.
A space formed by a slit 21 that opens at the front end and the left and right side surfaces is formed on the front end side of 2 (the left and right directions are based on the observer's head in this specification). The vertical interval δ of the slit 21 is constant. Concave portions 22 are formed on the observer's side surface of the arm 12, that is, on the left side surface in the present embodiment, on the upper and lower sides of the slit 21 between the front end and the rear end of the slit 21. . The surface of the concave portion 22 is a concave curved surface 22 'forming a part of a spherical surface.

One end of a connecting piece 25 is connected to the optical system 13 via, for example, an adhesive. At the other end of the connecting piece 25, a convex curved surface 25 'forming a part of a spherical surface is formed. The diameter of the spherical surface constituting the convex curved surface 25 'is slightly larger than the diameter of the spherical surface constituting the concave curved surface 22'. The other end of the connecting piece 25 is connected to the concave portion 2 such that the convex curved surface 25 'is in contact with the concave curved surface 22'.
2 is detachably fitted. The arm 12 and the connecting piece 25 are inserted so that they can be fitted and removed.
Is formed of a material that can be elastically deformed. Thereby, the optical system 13 is connected to the arm 12. When the convex curved surface 25 ′ slides relative to the concave curved surface 22 ′, the optical system 13 moves along the spherical surface with respect to the arm 12. Also, the relative position of the optical system 13 with respect to the arm 12 is maintained unless external force acts due to friction between the two curved surfaces 25 'and 22' acting by the convex curved surface 25 'being elastically pressed against the concave curved surface 22'. It is possible.

On the outer periphery of the convex curved surface 25 ', a first movement restricting portion 26 is integrally provided along the circumference concentric with the spherical surface so as to be located in the slit 21. As shown in FIG. 4B, the thickness v of the first movement restricting portion 26 is smaller than the vertical interval δ of the slit 21. Accordingly, the movement of the optical system 13 along the spherical surface with respect to the arm 12 is based on the rotation of the head of the observer 4 about the axis P along the left-right direction, that is, the line of sight of the observer 4 toward the optical system 13. The rotation of the optical system 13 in the pitch direction is allowed until the first movement restricting portion 26 comes into contact with the upper and lower wall surfaces 21 ′ and 21 ″ in the slit 21. As shown in FIG. 4 (2), the angle is limited to a constant angle range θa.

A second movement restricting portion 27 is provided integrally on the outer periphery of the convex curved surface 25 'so as to contact the left side surface of the arm 12 outside the slit 21. Thereby, the movement of the optical system 13 along the spherical surface with respect to the arm 12 is based on the rotation of the head of the observer 4 about the axis along the front-rear direction, that is, the line of sight of the observer 4 toward the optical system 13. The rotation of the optical system 13 in the roll direction is prevented by the contact between the second movement restricting portion 27 and the arm 12.

A portion of the second movement restricting portion 27 facing the arm 12 includes a first restricting surface 27a extending from a contact portion with the arm 12 toward the head of the observer 4 and a head of the observer 4 from the first restricting surface 27a. And a second regulating surface 27b that is separated. The optical system 13
Of the observer 4 about the axis Y along the vertical direction of the observer 4, that is, the optical system 1 based on the line of sight of the observer 4 toward the optical system 13.
In the yaw direction rotation of the arm 3, the arm 12 is controlled by the respective regulation surfaces 27 a,
The rotation from the state of contact with one of the 27b to the state of the other 27b is allowed, whereby the rotation is limited to a certain angular range θb as shown in FIG.

According to the above-described configuration, the optical system 13 includes the arm 1
5, the rotation of the head of the observer 4 about the axis along the vertical direction as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG.
As shown in (2), the rotation of the head 4 of the observer 4 around the axis along the left and right direction is possible. By the rotation, the relative arrangement of the optical system 13 with respect to the arm 12 can be changed in an arbitrary direction, and the traveling direction of the image display light whose optical path is changed by the optical system 13 can be adjusted. Thereby, even if the shape of the head of the observer 4 is various, a display image can be formed at a position suitable for visual recognition. In addition, since the relative arrangement of the optical system 13 with respect to the arm 12 can be directly changed in front of the observer 4 with the display light emitting unit 11 mounted on the head via the holding unit 5, the displayed image can be viewed. Therefore, the relative arrangement of the optical system 13 with respect to the arm 12 can be easily adjusted without any skill so that the optical system 13 is formed at a suitable position. In addition, by connecting the optical system 13 to the arm 12 via a part of the spherical surface that slides relative to each other, the connecting mechanism can be made as small as possible to prevent the visual field of the observer 4 from being obstructed. . Also, since the rotation angle range of the optical system 13 with respect to the arm 12 is limited to the fixed angle ranges θa and θb,
It is possible to prevent the image display from becoming impossible due to excessive rotation when adjusting the image forming position. Further, since the optical system 13 is composed of only one member having an optical path changing surface, the size and weight can be reduced as much as possible. Further, in the above embodiment, since the optical system 13 is detachable from the arm 12, even if the optical system 13 is damaged or damaged, only the optical system 13 needs to be replaced, so that the handling becomes easy. Repair costs are also reduced. Further, the application range can be expanded by using a plurality of combiners having different transmittances.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the optical system 13 may be configured by a mirror or the like that changes the optical path by totally reflecting the image display light, or may include a condensing lens system.

[0024]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small and light head-mounted display device capable of easily adjusting the position where a display image is formed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a configuration explanatory view of the head-mounted display device.

FIG. 3 is a partial side view of the connecting member according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view, (2) is a side view, and (3) is a front view of a main part of the connecting piece according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view and FIG. 5B is a side view of a main part of the head mounted display device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 4 observer 5 holding unit 6 display unit 11 display light emitting unit 12 arm (connection member) 13 optical system

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A display light emitting unit mounted on a head of an observer and emitting image display light toward the front of the observer, a connecting member extending from the display light emitting unit toward the front of the observer, An optical system connected to the distal end side of the connecting member in front of the observer so that the optical path of the image display light can be changed and guided to the observer's eyes. Wherein the relative arrangement of the optical system with respect to the connecting member can be changed so that the traveling direction of the image display light can be adjusted. 2. The optical system is connected to the connecting member via a part of a spherical surface that slides relative to each other so as to be rotatable at least about an axis along the vertical and horizontal directions of the observer's head. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, wherein: