WO2016104279A1

WO2016104279A1 - Display apparatus and wearable device

Info

Publication number: WO2016104279A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/085200
Authority: WO
Inventors: 慶二廣澤; 道章佐藤; 博史田代
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2014-12-26
Filing date: 2015-12-16
Publication date: 2016-06-30

Abstract

A light adjustment control unit (50) controls a light adjustment unit (30) when an image is displayed in a partial range of a display region of a display unit (20), thereby making the transmittance of at least one block corresponding to the partial range in which the image is displayed within the display region lower than the transmittance of an entire light adjustment region except the at least one block. Consequently, a real image can be recognized more easily while deterioration in the display quality of the image is prevented.

Description

Display device and wearable device

The present invention relates to a display device and a wearable device.

In recent years, various display devices suitable for wearable devices such as a head-mounted display (HMD, Head Mounted Display) have been developed. Patent Document 1 discloses a display device that aims to reduce discomfort given to an observer (a user of the display device) even when the amount of external light incident on the display device changes.

Specifically, the display device of Patent Document 1 is provided with a light control device that controls the transmittance of incident light, in addition to an image display device that displays an image to be visually recognized by an observer. And the external light which permeate | transmitted the light control apparatus injects into an observer's pupil through the light guide plate of an image display apparatus. This makes it possible to adjust the amount of external light incident on the observer's pupil from the outside of the display device.

Japanese Patent Gazette “Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2014-160169 (published on September 4, 2014)”

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a problem in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 1. In FIG. This prior art uniformly controls the light transmittance of all the light control regions in the light control device in order to prevent the display quality of the image from being deteriorated by external light. Therefore, when an image is displayed only in a part of the display area of the image display device as shown in FIG. 13, it is possible to prevent the display quality of the image from being deteriorated by darkening the entire display area. The problem arises that it becomes difficult for a person to visually recognize a real image.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. And the objective is to provide the display apparatus and wearable device which can make a real image easy to visually recognize, preventing the fall of the display quality of an image.

A display device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a display device provided in a wearable device, and includes a display unit that displays an image to be viewed by an observer in a display region, and external light that is incident on the display unit from outside. A dimming unit that adjusts the amount of light, and a region corresponding to the display region among all dimming regions, the dimming unit including a plurality of partial regions capable of individually adjusting the transmittance of the external light, and When the image is displayed in a partial range within the display area, the transmittance of at least one partial area corresponding to the partial range is controlled by controlling the light control unit. And a control unit that lowers the transmittance of the region other than the at least one partial region in the light control region.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that a real image can be easily visually recognized while preventing deterioration in display quality of an image.

It is a functional block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the principal part of the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. (A)-(e) is a figure which shows schematic structure of the wearable device which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the display area and light control area | region in the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the light control part in the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention in detail. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 1st electrode and 2nd electrode in the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 1st electrode and 2nd electrode in the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the light control process which the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention performs. It is a figure explaining the advantage of the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the principal part of the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows schematic structure of the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the light control process which the display apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention performs. It is a figure explaining the problem in the prior art disclosed by patent document 1. FIG.

[Embodiment 1]
A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(Wearable device 100)
3A to 3E are diagrams showing a schematic configuration of the wearable device 100 according to the present embodiment. The wearable device 100 is a device that can be worn on the observer's head, and is, for example, a glasses-type wearable device.

3A to 3E are diagrams showing illustrations when the wearable device 100 is observed from various viewpoints, and FIG. 3A is a perspective view from the upper surface direction. ) Is a perspective view obliquely from above, (c) is a front view, (d) is a side view, and (e) is a cross-sectional view in the vicinity of the lower part.

As shown in FIGS. 3A to 3E, the wearable device 100 includes (i) the display device 1 and (ii) a frame 90 that can be attached to the head of an observer (user of the display device 1). (Mounting part). The frame 90 functions as a mounting portion that can be mounted on the observer's head. The frame 90 may have a structure similar to that of a known eyeglass frame, and may be made of a material similar to that of the known eyeglass frame.

The display device 1 functions as an image display device that displays an image to be viewed by an observer. The display device 1 is attached to the frame 90. In the wearable device 100, the display device 1 may be disposed at the same position as a known eyeglass lens. The detailed configuration of the display device 1 will be described later (see FIG. 2).

Further, the number of display devices 1 provided in the wearable device 100 may be one or two. As shown in FIG. 3, when the number of display devices 1 is one, a one-eye wearable device 100 is realized. In this case, projection light that forms an image to be visually recognized by the observer is incident only on one of the observer's pupils (for example, the pupil of the right eye). On the other hand, when the number of display devices 1 is two, a two-eye wearable device 100 is realized. In this case, the projection light is incident on each of both pupils of the observer.

(Schematic description of the display device 1)
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a display device 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the display device 1 includes a projection unit 10, a display unit 20, a dimming unit 30, a projection control unit 40, and a dimming control unit 50 (control unit). 2, the display device 1 further includes a holder 60 for fixing the display unit 20 and the light control unit 30.

First, the function of the display device 1 will be briefly described with reference to FIG. The projection unit 10 emits projection light L1 that forms an image to be viewed by an observer to the display unit 20 (see FIG. 2). The projection light L1 enters the observer's pupil E1 via the display unit 20. The display unit 20 guides the projection light L1 emitted from the projection unit 10 and causes the projection light L1 to enter the pupil E1.

The light control unit 30 is arranged so as to receive external light L2 incident on the display unit 20 from the outside prior to the display unit 20 (see FIG. 2). The light control unit 30 functions as an optical shutter (light control device) that adjusts the amount of external light L2. By providing the light control unit 30, it is possible to reduce discomfort given to the observer even when the amount of the external light L2 changes.

Projection control unit 40 controls the operation of projection unit 10. The projection control unit 40 further notifies the dimming control unit 50 whether or not an image is displayed on the display unit 20. The dimming control unit 50 controls the dimming unit 30 based on the notification.

(Configuration of main part of display device 1)
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part of the display device 1 according to the present embodiment. Hereinafter, the detailed configuration of the display device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows one display device 1 and one pupil E1 of the observer. In FIG. 2, a projection unit 10, a display unit 20, a light control unit 30, and a holder 60 are illustrated as components of the display device 1. Note that the above-described projection control unit 40 and dimming control unit 50 may be provided at a position other than the vicinity of the pupil E1 (for example, near the front end of the frame 90), and thus are not shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the detailed configuration of each member excluding the holder 60 will be described.

First, the configuration of the projection unit 10 will be described. The projection unit 10 includes a light source 11, a beam splitter 12, an image forming unit 13, and a collimator lens 14. The projection unit 10 and the pupil E1 are located on the same side as viewed from the display unit 20. On the other hand, the light control unit 30 is located on the side opposite to the projection unit 10 and the pupil E1 when viewed from the display unit 20.

The light source 11 is a white LED (Light Emitting Diode), for example, and emits unpolarized white light toward the beam splitter 12. The light source 11 may be a three-color LED or a laser in addition to a white LED. The beam splitter 12 may be a known one. The beam splitter 12 polarizes white light from the light source 11 incident thereon and separates it into a P component (component parallel to the incident surface) and an S component (component perpendicular to the incident surface). The P component of white light passes through the beam splitter 12 and is emitted to the outside of the display device 1. On the other hand, the S component of white light is reflected by the beam splitter 12 and emitted to the image forming unit 13.

The image forming unit 13 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and includes a plurality of (for example, 640 × 480) pixels (liquid crystal cells) arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. The S component of the white light incident on the image forming unit 13 is reflected inside the image forming unit 13 and is emitted from the image forming unit 13 toward the beam splitter 12 as reflected light.

Here, among the above reflected light, (i) the light emitted from the pixel displaying “white” contains a lot of P component, and (ii) the light emitted from the pixel displaying “black”. Contains a large amount of S component. Therefore, the P component of the reflected light passes through the beam splitter 12 and enters the collimator lens 14. The P component of the reflected light is the projection light L1.

The projection light L1 plays a role of forming an image (that is, an image corresponding to the distribution of pixels in the image forming unit 13) that is a visual recognition target of the observer. On the other hand, the S component of the reflected light is reflected by the beam splitter 12 and returned to the light source 11. The collimator lens 14 may be a convex lens, for example. The collimator lens 14 makes the projection light L1 parallel light. The projection light L 1 converted into parallel light by the collimator lens 14 enters the light guide plate 21 of the display unit 20.

In addition to the LCD, various display devices such as a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) display or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display can be used as the image forming unit 13. When using these display devices, an optical system suitable for each display device may be used as the optical system of the projection unit 10.

Subsequently, the configuration of the display unit 20 will be described. The display unit 20 includes a light guide plate 21, a first prism 22 a, a second prism 22 b, and a protection plate 23. Here, in the light guide plate 21, a surface facing the projection unit 10 and the pupil E1 is referred to as a first surface, and a surface opposite to the first surface is referred to as a second surface. The first prism 22 a and the second prism 22 b are disposed on the second surface of the light guide plate 21. Further, the second surface of the light guide plate 21 and the protective plate 23 are bonded by an adhesive member 24. The adhesive member 24 may be a known adhesive.

The light guide plate 21 may be a known one. Inside the light guide plate 21, an optical path for guiding the projection light L1 incident from the collimator lens 14 while totally reflecting is provided. The first prism 22 a reflects the projection light L 1 incident on the first surface of the light guide plate 21. Thereby, the projection light L1 incident on the light guide plate 21 can be reliably totally reflected in the optical path of the light guide plate 21. The second prism 22b receives the projection light L1 that is reflected by the first prism 22a and then guided while being totally reflected in the optical path of the light guide plate 21. The second prism 22b reflects or diffracts the projection light L1 a plurality of times, and emits the projection light L1 from the first surface of the light guide plate 21 toward the pupil E1. Thereby, the image represented by the projection light L1 is displayed on the display unit 20 in a semi-transmissive state.

In the present embodiment, a configuration in which two prisms, the first prism 22a and the second prism 22b, are provided to emit the projection light L1 emitted from the projection unit 10 to the pupil E1, is exemplified. One prism may have the functions of the first prism 22a and the second prism 22b. The first prism 22a and the second prism 22b may be configured by a known light reflecting film or diffraction grating.

Furthermore, the first prism 22a may be eliminated by setting the incident angle of the projection light L1 incident through the collimator lens 14 to an angle (oblique direction) that causes total reflection within the light guide plate 21.

Subsequently, the configuration of the light control unit 30 will be described. The light control unit 30 includes a light transmission control material layer 31, a first substrate 32, and a second substrate 33. The light transmission control material layer 31 is sealed between the first substrate 32 and the second substrate 33. Further, a sealing material 34 is interposed between the first substrate 32 and the second substrate 33. The sealing material 34 may be a known material.

As shown in FIG. 2, the dimming unit 30 is disposed almost in front of the pupil E 1 via the display unit 20. As described above, the light control unit 30 is arranged to receive the external light L2 prior to the display unit 20. The light control unit 30 of the present embodiment is disposed so as to cover a part of the surface of the display unit 20 that faces the light control unit 30.

The light transmission control material layer 31 includes, for example, a TN (Twisted Nematic) type liquid crystal material layer. Each of the first substrate 32 and the second substrate 33 is provided with an electrode (see FIG. 5) for applying an external voltage. As an example, the first substrate 32 and the second substrate 33 are made of a plastic material, and the electrodes are made of ITO (IndiumInTin Oxide).

Thus, the voltage V = V1−V2 applied to the light transmission control material layer 31 is appropriately changed by appropriately changing the values of the voltage V1 applied to the first substrate 32 and the voltage V2 applied to the second substrate 33. The value can be adjusted. For example, when the electrode of the second substrate 33 is grounded and V2 = 0 is fixed, V = V1. In this case, the value of the voltage V can be adjusted by only one voltage V1.

The alignment state of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal material layer in the light transmission control material layer 31 changes according to the value of the voltage V. In other words, the light transmittance of the liquid crystal material layer can be changed according to the value of the voltage V. For example, by reducing the value of the voltage V, the light transmittance of the liquid crystal material layer can be increased. On the other hand, by increasing the value of the voltage V, the light transmittance of the liquid crystal material layer can be reduced. In this way, the light transmission control material layer 31 functions as a liquid crystal shutter that adjusts the amount of external light L2 that passes through the light transmission control material layer 31.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the display area 25 and the light control area 35 in the display device 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown to (a) of FIG. 4, the display part 20 has the rectangular display area 25 on which an image is displayed. The display area 25 occupies a part of the entire surface of the light guide plate 21. The display area 25 corresponds to the entire display area in the image forming unit 13.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the dimming unit 30 has a rectangular dimming area 35 composed of a plurality of rectangular blocks 36 (partial areas) capable of individually adjusting the transmittance of the external light L2. ing. In the present embodiment, the dimming area 35 is divided into nine equal-sized blocks 36. The dimming area 35 occupies a part of the entire surface (all dimming areas) in the dimming unit 30.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the dimming area 35 in the entire surface (total dimming area) in the dimming unit 30 corresponds to the display area 25 in the entire surface in the display unit 20. Due to the schematically illustrated restriction, the light control area 35 is displayed larger than the display area 25 in FIG. However, in practice, the size of the display area 25 and the size of the light control area 35 are substantially the same.

The size, shape, and position of the display area 25 and the dimming area 35 shown in FIG. 4 are merely examples. The shapes of the display area 25 and the light control area 35 may be any shape other than a rectangle. By reducing the size of the block 36, the number of blocks 36 constituting the dimming area 35 may be increased. Conversely, by increasing the size of the block 36, the number of blocks 36 constituting the dimming area 35 may be reduced. Moreover, the shape of the block 36 can also be made into arbitrary shapes other than a rectangle.

(Method of realizing block 36)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing in more detail the internal structure of the light control unit 30 in the display device 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, the light control unit 30 further includes a first electrode 37 and a second electrode 38. The first electrode 37 is formed on the surface of the first substrate 32. The second electrode 38 is formed on the surface of the second substrate 33. A voltage is applied to the light transmission control material layer 31 through the first electrode 37 and the second electrode 38. That is, the dimming control unit 50 controls the dimming unit 30 by applying a predetermined voltage to the light transmission control material layer 31 through the first electrode 37 and the second electrode 38.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of the first electrode 37 and the second electrode 38 in the display device 1 according to the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 6A, the first electrode 37 has three vertically long partial electrodes 371 and other partial electrodes 372 arranged side by side. These three partial electrodes 371 and one partial electrode 372 are electrically independent from each other. The position of each partial electrode 371 overlaps the position of the display area 25. More specifically, the portion corresponding to the display area 25 in the first electrode 37 is constituted by three partial electrodes 371 that are individually separated.

In the example shown in FIG. 6B, the second electrode 38 is composed of three horizontally long partial electrodes 381 and other partial electrodes 382 that are arranged in the vertical direction. These three partial electrodes 381 and one partial electrode 382 are electrically independent from each other. The position of each partial electrode 381 overlaps the position of the display area 25. More specifically, the portion corresponding to the display region 25 in the second electrode 38 is constituted by three partial electrodes 381 that are individually separated.

By adopting the first electrode 37 and the second electrode 38 having the structure shown in FIG. 6, the light control region 35 can be divided into nine blocks 36 that can individually control the transmittance of the external light L2. That is, an arbitrary partial electrode 371 and an arbitrary partial electrode 381 are selected, and a voltage is applied to the light transmission control material layer 31 through these, thereby existing at a position overlapping both the selected partial electrode 371 and the partial electrode 381. The transmittance in the block 36 to be controlled can be controlled. For example, if only the rightmost partial electrode 371 in FIG. 6A and the uppermost partial electrode 381 in FIG. 6B are selected, the upper right corner in FIG. Only the transmittance of block 36 is controlled according to the applied voltage.

The light control unit 30 may include a first electrode 37a and a second electrode 38a having the structure shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the structure of the first electrode 37a and the second electrode 38a in the display device 1 according to the present embodiment. In the example shown in FIG. 7A, the first electrode 37 a has nine partial electrodes 373 arranged in a 3 × 3 matrix and other partial electrodes 372. These nine partial electrodes 373 and one partial electrode 372 are electrically independent from each other. The shape and size of each partial electrode 373 are the same as the shape and size of the block 36. The position of each partial electrode 373 corresponds to the position of the display area 25. That is, the portion corresponding to the display region 25 in the first electrode 37a is configured by nine partial electrodes 373 that are individually separated.

In the example shown in FIG. 7B, the second electrode 38a is composed of one flat-shaped partial electrode 383 and other partial electrodes 382. These one partial electrode 383 and one partial electrode 382 are electrically independent from each other. The shape, size, and position of the partial electrode 383 correspond to the shape, size, and position of the display region 25. That is, the portion corresponding to the display region 25 in the second electrode 38 a is configured by one partial electrode 383.

By adopting the first electrode 37a and the second electrode 38a having the structure shown in FIG. 7, the dimming region 35 can be divided into nine blocks 36 that can individually control the transmittance of the external light L2. That is, by selecting one of the partial electrodes 373 and the partial electrode 383 and applying a voltage to the light transmission control material layer 31 through these, the transmission in the block 36 existing at the position overlapping the selected partial electrode 373 is performed. The rate can be controlled. For example, if only the partial electrode 373 at the upper right corner and the partial electrode 383 in FIG. 7A are selected, only the transmittance of the block 36 at the upper right corner in FIG. 4 is controlled according to the applied voltage. Is done.

(Dimming control processing)
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the dimming control process executed by the display device 1 according to the present embodiment. When the process shown in this figure is started, the projection control unit 40 first determines whether an image is displayed in the display area 25 of the display unit 20 (step S1). If the determination result in step S1 is No, the projection control unit 40 notifies the dimming control unit 50 to that effect. In response to this notification, the dimming control unit 50 controls the dimming unit 30 so that the transmittance of all the blocks 36 constituting the dimming region 35 is set to the maximum transmittance possible in the dimming unit 30. Control (step S2). At this time, the dimming control unit 50 similarly controls the dimming unit 30 so that the area other than the dimming area 35 in the entire dimming area is set to the maximum transmittance possible in the dimming unit 30. .

In the case where the light transmission control material layer 31 is made of a material whose transmittance decreases as a higher voltage is applied, the dimming control unit 50 performs the first electrode 37 and the second electrode 38 in step S2. Application of the voltage to the light transmission control material layer 31 through is completely stopped. Thereby, the transmittance of all the light control regions including the light control region 35 is maximized.

Next, the dimming control unit 50 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step S5). If the determination result in step S5 is NO, the process shown in FIG. 8 returns to step S5. Thus, the process shown in FIG. 5 repeats step S5 until the determination result in step S5 becomes YES. Thereby, the light control unit 50 stands by until the control of the transmittance in the light control unit 30 is completed. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S5 is YES, the process shown in FIG. 8 returns to step S1, and the projection control unit 40 determines again whether an image is displayed in the display area 25.

If the determination result in step S 1 is YES, the dimming control unit 50 adjusts the image data displayed on the entire display area 25 including the image displayed on a part of the display area 25. Output to the light controller 50. The dimming control unit 50 identifies at least one block 36 corresponding to the display range of the image displayed in the screen in the dimming area 35 using the input image data (step S3).

An example of a method for specifying the block 36 corresponding to the image display range will be described below. The dimming control unit 50 adds the brightness values of all the pixels (for example, R, G, or B) included in the area overlapping the block 36 on the screen for each block 36 constituting the dimming area 35 ( Histogram) is calculated. At this time, it is assumed that the values of the respective pixels included in the area where no image exists in the screen are all zero. The dimming control unit 50 identifies the block 36 in which the calculated sum is equal to or greater than the predetermined value as the block 36 corresponding to the image display range.

For example, when a certain block 36 completely overlaps the display range of the image, many of the pixels included in the area overlapping the block 36 have a value greater than zero. The total of becomes a predetermined value or more. Therefore, the block 36 that completely overlaps the display range of the image is specified as the block 36 corresponding to the display range of the image.

When a certain block 36 partially overlaps the image display range, whether or not the block 36 corresponds to the image display range is determined depending on the overlapping range of the block 36 in the image display range. For example, when the block 36 overlaps only a pixel column whose width in the image is only one pixel, the total pixel value for the block 36 is the sum of each pixel included in this pixel column. Therefore, it is below the predetermined value. Therefore, this block 36 is not specified as the block 36 corresponding to the image display range.

After specifying the block 36 corresponding to the display range of the image, the dimming control unit 50 controls the dimming unit 30 to control the dimming region when the image is displayed in a partial range in the display region 25. The transmittance of at least one block 36 corresponding to the image display range at 35 is made lower than the transmittance of the other blocks 36 (step S4).

In step S4, the dimming control unit 50 preferably sets the transmittance of at least one block 36 corresponding to the display range of the image in the dimming region 35 to the minimum transmittance that can be adjusted by the dimming unit 30. . As a result, the influence of the external light L2 on the image is reduced to the minimum, so that the display quality of the image can be maximized.

In step S 4, the light control unit 30 is configured to adjust the transmittance of all regions other than the at least one block 36 corresponding to the image display range in all light control regions to the maximum transmittance that can be adjusted by the light control unit 30. It is preferable to make it. In this case, the transmittance of all the blocks 36 that do not correspond to the display range of the image and the transmittance of all the regions other than the light control region 35 in all the light control regions are controlled to the maximum transmittance. Accordingly, the external light L2 can be transmitted through the entire region that does not overlap with the image in the light control unit 30, so that the real image can be easily visually recognized.

After step S4, the dimming control unit 50 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step S5). Details of the processing in step S5 have already been described, and are omitted here.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining advantages of the display device 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in this figure, when the image G1 is displayed in a partial range in the display area 25, the transmittance of one block 36 corresponding to the display range of the image G1 in the dimming area 35 is the entire dimming area. The transmittance in all regions other than the block 36 in FIG. As a result, the light amount of the external light L2 incident on the display range of the image G1 on the display unit 20 is relatively reduced, while the light amount of the external light L2 incident on the display unit 20 where the image G1 is not displayed is relative. Therefore, the real image can be easily visually recognized while preventing the display quality of the image G1 from being deteriorated.

(Calibration)
The specifying method of the block 36 in step S3 is based on the premise that the display area 25 overlaps the light adjustment area 35 without being shifted in a plane. However, in actuality, there is a possibility that the display area 25 and the light control area 35 are shifted in a plane as viewed from the user's pupil according to the position of the user's pupil. Therefore, it is preferable that the display device 1 performs calibration for adjusting the deviation.

The calibration procedure is described below. The user wears wearable device 100 on his / her head. Next, the user inputs a calibration instruction to the wearable device 100. In response to this, the dimming control unit 50 controls the dimming unit 30, so that all of the nine blocks 36 in the dimming region 35 have the transmittances of the four corners and the central block 36 (five in total). Minimize and maximize the transmittance of the other blocks 36. As a result, the user visually recognizes five dark quadrangular light-shielding regions corresponding to the five blocks 36 having the minimum transmittance in the visual field.

Next, the projection control unit 40 controls the projection unit 10 to cause the projection unit 10 to emit the projection light L 1 representing a square image having the same shape and size as the one block 36 to the display unit 20. As a result, a square test image is displayed at any position in the display area 25 in the display unit 20.

The user moves the display position of the test image by operating an operation unit (not shown) provided in the wearable device 100. When the user moves the test image to a position that completely overlaps one of the light shielding areas, information specifying the light shielding area overlapping the test image is input to the wearable device 100 through the operation unit. For example, in a state where the test image is completely overlapped with the light shielding area at the upper left corner in the light control area 35, information for identifying the light shielding area at the upper left corner (for example, an identification number of the light shielding area) is input. In response to this input, the projection control unit 40 specifies the display position (for example, display coordinates) of the test image in the display area 25 and outputs it to the dimming control unit 50. The dimming control unit 50 associates the display position of the test image received from the dimming unit 30 with the block 36 corresponding to the light shielding area specified by the information input by the user, and stores the block in a memory (not shown).

The user performs the above-described operation for each visually shielded area. As a result, for each block 36 corresponding to the light shielding area, the dimming control unit 50 associates the display position of the test image that actually overlaps the light shielding area with the block 36 and stores it in the memory. In addition, the dimming control unit 50 corresponds to a plurality of other blocks 36 (for example, the blocks 36 arranged at the front and back) stored in the memory for the remaining blocks 36 whose transmittance has not been adjusted to the minimum. The corresponding display position is calculated by predetermined interpolation calculation using a plurality of display positions, and stored in the memory in association with the corresponding block 36. Calibration ends here.

If calibration has been performed, the dimming control unit 50 identifies the block 36 corresponding to the display range of the image as follows in step S3. First, when the dimming control unit 50 calculates the sum of the pixel values in a certain block 36, the dimming control unit 50 acquires the display position of the test image corresponding to the block 36 from the memory. The dimming control unit 50 considers the area specified by the acquired display position in the screen as an area overlapping the block 36 on the screen. Thereby, since the sum of the pixel values in the region that actually overlaps the block 36 in the user's field of view is calculated, each block 36 that actually corresponds to the display range of the image can be accurately specified.

[Embodiment 2]
Embodiment 2 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a main part of the display device 2 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 10, the projection unit 10, the display unit 20, the light control unit 30 a, the holder 60, and the spacer 70 are illustrated as components of the display device 2. The display device 2 of the present embodiment is obtained by replacing (i) the light control unit 30 with the light control unit 30a and (ii) replacing part of the holder 60 with the spacer 70 in the display device 1 of the first embodiment. It is a configuration.

The light control part 30a of this embodiment is arrange | positioned so that only a part of surface facing the light control part 30a in the display part 20 may be covered. In this respect, the light control unit 30a of the present embodiment is different from the light control unit 30 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the light control unit 30 a includes a light transmission control material layer 31 a, a first substrate 32 a, and a second substrate 33 a. Since these members are the same as the members of the light control unit 30 of the first embodiment except for the size, the description thereof is omitted.

The spacer 70 may be understood as a member provided to prevent contact between the display unit 20 and the light control unit 30a. The spacer 70 is preferably formed of a transparent plastic material.

Note that the display device 2 may not include the holder 60.

In the present embodiment, the size of the entire dimming area in the dimming unit 30a is substantially the same as the size of the display area 25. That is, the total light control area in the light control section 30 a is substantially equal to the light control area 35. Accordingly, the overall size of the first electrode 37 and the overall size of the second electrode 38 are both the same as the size of the dimming region 35. The entire first electrode 37 is divided into three partial electrodes 371, and the entire second electrode 38 is further divided into three partial electrodes 381.

Since the dimming control process in the display device 2 according to the present embodiment is the same as the dimming control process in the display device 1 according to the first embodiment, the display quality of the image is prevented from being deteriorated as in the display device 1. The real image can be easily recognized.

[Embodiment 3]
The third embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the first or second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the display device 3 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, the display device 3 includes a projection unit 10, a display unit 20, a dimming unit 30, a projection control unit 40, a dimming control unit 50, and an illuminance sensor 80. As described above, the configuration of the display device 3 is obtained by adding the illuminance sensor 80 to the display device 1 according to the first embodiment.

The illuminance sensor 80 measures the illuminance in the environment where the display device 3 is placed, and notifies the dimming control unit 50 of the measurement result. The dimming control unit 50 controls the transmittance of the block 36 corresponding to the image display range to a transmittance corresponding to the measured illuminance.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of dimming control processing executed by the display device 3 according to the present embodiment. When the process shown in this figure is started, the projection control unit 40 first determines whether an image is displayed in the display area 25 of the display unit 20 (step S11). If the result of determination in step S11 is No, the projection control unit 40 notifies the dimming control unit 50 to that effect. In response to this notification, the dimming control unit 50 controls the dimming unit 30 so that the transmittance of all the blocks 36 constituting the dimming region 35 is set to the maximum transmittance possible in the dimming unit 30. Control (step S12). The content of step S12 is the same as the content of S2 shown in FIG. Next, the light control unit 50 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step S16). The content of step S16 is the same as the content of S5 shown in FIG.

If the result of the determination in step S11 is YES, the dimming control unit 50 determines whether or not the current illuminance measured by the illuminance sensor 80 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step S13). If the determination result in step S13 is No, the dimming control unit 50 sets the transmittance of all the blocks 36 constituting the dimming region 35 to the maximum possible transmittance in the dimming unit 30. Then, the light control unit 30 is controlled (step S12). Thereby, even if an image is displayed on the display unit 20, when the measured illuminance falls below a predetermined value, the transmittance of the block 36 corresponding to the display range of the image is maximized. At this time, since the environment in which the display device 3 is placed is sufficiently dark, even if the transmittance of the block 36 corresponding to the image display range is maximum, only a small amount of external light L2 enters the image display range. It is. Therefore, there is no possibility that the display quality of the image is deteriorated.

When the light transmission control material layer 31 is made of a material whose transmittance decreases as the applied voltage increases, the dimming control unit 50 stops all the blocks by stopping the control of the dimming unit 30 in step S12. The transmission of 36 is maximized. In this case, since it is not necessary to apply a voltage to the light transmission control material layer 31, power consumption in the display device 3 can be reduced.

If the determination result in step S 13 is YES, the projection control unit 40 dimmes the image data displayed on the entire display area 25 including the image displayed on a part of the display area 25. Output to the controller 50. The dimming control unit 50 specifies at least one block 36 corresponding to the display range of the image displayed in the screen in the dimming area 35 using the input image data (step S14). The content of step S14 is the same as step S3 shown in FIG.

After specifying the block 36 corresponding to the image, the dimming control unit 50 controls the dimming unit 30 when the image is displayed in a partial range in the display region 25, thereby controlling the image in the dimming region 35. The transmittance of at least one block 36 corresponding to the display range is set to be lower than the transmittances of the other blocks 36 other than that and according to the measured illuminance (step S15).

The display device 3 is prepared in advance with table data in which each illuminance and each transmittance are associated in a one-to-one relationship such that the transmittance decreases as the illuminance increases. The dimming control unit 50 refers to this table data, identifies the transmittance corresponding to the measured illuminance, and identifies the transmittance of at least one block 36 corresponding to the display range in the image from the table data. The light control unit 30 is controlled so as to obtain the transmittance. As a result, the transmittance of the block 36 corresponding to the display range of the image is appropriately adjusted according to the illuminance of the environment. That is, the transmittance of the block 36 corresponding to the image increases as the measured illuminance decreases, and decreases as the measured illuminance increases.

When the environment in which the display device 3 is placed is dark, the transmittance of the block 36 corresponding to the image display range is controlled to a relatively high value, so that a low amount of external light L2 enters the image display range. Only incident. Therefore, the display quality of the image does not deteriorate. On the other hand, when the environment in which the display device 3 is placed is bright, the transmittance of the block 36 corresponding to the display range of the image is controlled to a relatively low value, and thus a low amount of external light L2 is similarly generated from the image. It is only incident on the display range. Therefore, the display quality of the image does not deteriorate.

After step S15, the dimming control unit 50 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step S16). The content of step S16 is the same as the content of S5 shown in FIG.

In the first to third embodiments described above, the display unit 20 includes the light guide plate 21, the first prism 22a, the second prism 22b, the protective plate 23, and the like, but the display unit 20 has this configuration. It is not limited to. For example, as the display unit 20, an optical device in which the display region 25 is formed by a reflective optical material such as a half mirror or a concave mirror instead of the light guide plate 21 may be used. Alternatively, a semi-transmissive flat display having the size of the display area 25 may be disposed as the display unit 20 in the display device 1.

[Example of software implementation]
Each functional block (the dimming control unit 50 and the projection control unit 40) of the display device 1 shown in FIG. 1 or each functional block (the dimming control unit 50 and the projection control unit 40) of the display device 3 shown in FIG. It may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed on a circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

In the latter case, the display device 1 and the display device 3 include a CPU that executes instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function, a ROM (Read CPU) in which the program and various data are recorded so as to be readable by a computer (or CPU). Only Memory) or a storage device (these are referred to as “recording media”), a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program, and the like. And the objective of this invention is achieved when a computer (or CPU) reads the said program from the said recording medium and runs it.

As the recording medium, a “non-temporary tangible medium” such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. The program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (such as a communication network or a broadcast wave) that can transmit the program. The present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Summary]
A display device according to aspect 1 of the present invention is a display device provided in a wearable device, and includes a display unit that displays a display region of an image that is to be viewed by an observer, and external light that is incident on the display unit from the outside. A dimming unit that adjusts the amount of light, and an area corresponding to the display area (a dimming area) of all dimming areas includes a plurality of partial areas in which the transmittance of the external light can be individually adjusted. When the dimming unit and the image are displayed in a partial range in the display area, the dimming unit is controlled to control at least one partial area (block 36 corresponding to the partial range). And a control unit (a dimming control unit 50) that lowers the transmissivity of all of the dimming regions than the transmissivity of the region other than the at least one partial region. .

According to said structure, while the light quantity of the external light which injects into the display range of the image in a display part reduces relatively, the light quantity of the external light which injects into the location where the image in a display part is not displayed is relatively Since it increases, it is possible to make it easy to visually recognize a real image while preventing deterioration in display quality of the image.

In the display device according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in the aspect 1, the control unit controls the dimming unit when the image is displayed in a partial range in the display area. The transmittance of at least one of the partial regions corresponding to a part of the range is set to a minimum transmittance that can be adjusted by the light control unit.

According to the above configuration, the image display quality can be maximized.

In the display device according to aspect 3 of the present invention, in the

aspect

1 or 2, the control unit controls the dimming unit when the image is displayed in a part of the display area. The transmittance of the region other than the at least one partial region in the total light control region is set to a maximum transmittance adjustable in the light control unit.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to make the real image visible to the maximum extent.

In the display device according to aspect 4 of the present invention, in the

aspect

1 or 2, the dimmer is disposed between the first electrode, the second electrode, the first electrode, and the second electrode. A material that changes the transmittance according to a voltage to be applied, and at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode, a portion corresponding to the display region is individually separated from each other. It consists of a partial electrode, The said control part controls the said light control part by applying a voltage to the said material through the said 1st electrode and the said 2nd electrode, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize a plurality of partial areas in which the transmittance of external light in the light control unit can be individually adjusted with a simple configuration.

A display device according to aspect 5 of the present invention further includes an illuminance sensor that measures illuminance in an environment in which the display device is placed in the aspect 4, and the control unit corresponds to the partial range. The transmittance of at least one of the partial regions is controlled to a transmittance corresponding to the measured illuminance.

According to the above configuration, the transmittance of the partial area corresponding to the display range of the image can be adjusted appropriately according to the illuminance of the environment.

A wearable device according to aspect 6 of the present invention includes any one of the display devices described above and a mounting unit that can be mounted on the head of the observer, and the display device is attached to the mounting unit. It is characterized by having.

According to the above configuration, a glasses-type wearable device can be realized.

The display device according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, a control program for the display device 1 that causes the display device 1 to be realized by the computer by operating the computer as a control unit included in the display device, and a computer-readable recording medium that records the control program are also included in the present invention. Enter the category.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope shown in the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, a new technical feature can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

The present invention can be used for a display device provided in a wearable device.

1, 2, 3 display device, 10 projection unit, 20 display unit, 25 display area, 30 dimming unit, 35 dimming region, 36 blocks (partial region), 40 projection control unit, 50 dimming control unit (control unit) ), 60 holder, 70 spacer, 80 illuminance sensor, 90 frame (mounting part), 100 wearable device, 37 first electrode, 37 second electrode, 371, 372, 373, 381, 382, 383 partial electrode, L1 projection light , L2 outside light, E1 pupil, G1 image

Claims

A display device provided in a wearable device,
A display unit that displays an image to be viewed by an observer in a display area;
A dimming unit that adjusts the amount of external light incident on the display unit from the outside, wherein a plurality of dimming regions that correspond to the display region can individually adjust the external light transmittance A dimming part consisting of a partial area of
When the image is displayed in a partial range within the display area, the transmittance of at least one partial area corresponding to the partial range is controlled by controlling the light control unit. A display device comprising: a control unit that lowers the transmittance of a region other than the at least one partial region in the light control region.
When the image is displayed in a partial range in the display area, the control unit controls the dimmer to control the transmission of at least one partial area corresponding to the partial range. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the rate is set to a minimum transmittance that can be adjusted in the dimming unit.
The control unit controls the dimming unit when the image is displayed in a partial range in the display area, thereby controlling the at least the partial range in the entire dimming area. 3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the transmittance of a region other than the one partial region is set to a maximum transmittance that can be adjusted by the light control unit.
The dimming unit includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a material that is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode and changes the transmittance according to an applied voltage. ,
A portion corresponding to the display area in at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode is composed of a plurality of individually separated partial electrodes,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the dimming unit by applying a voltage to the material through the first electrode and the second electrode.
An illuminance sensor that measures illuminance in an environment in which the display device is placed;
5. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the transmittance of at least one of the partial regions corresponding to the partial range to a transmittance corresponding to the measured illuminance. The display device according to claim 1.
A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
A mounting portion that can be mounted on the observer's head,
The wearable device, wherein the display device is attached to the mounting portion.