WO2020189595A1

WO2020189595A1 - Around-the-neck wearable computer

Info

Publication number: WO2020189595A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/011311
Authority: WO
Inventors: 疋田英朗
Original assignee: 疋田英朗
Priority date: 2019-03-15
Filing date: 2020-03-13
Publication date: 2020-09-24
Also published as: JP2020149532A; JP6529105B1

Abstract

The present invention provides an around-the-neck wearable computer that is for advanced support of all human activity and has both augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) generation functions. The around-the-neck wearable computer is characterized in that a basic portion of the body thereof is configured from: a collar-shaped neck mounting arm that has an upper-lower two-part structure; headphones that are attached at prescribed locations on the neck mounting arm; a display unit; and an information processing terminal device that has a communication function. The around-the-neck wearable computer is also characterized in that a microphone, a camera, a light, a line-of-sight detection sensor, a positioning system reception part, a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, or an operation part are provided at prescribed locations for easy, intuitive operation of the around-the neck wearable computer.

Description

Neck-mounted wearable computer

The present invention relates to a neck-mounted wearable computer for realizing mobile computing for the purpose of highly supporting human activities in general.

In recent years, smartphone-type terminal devices and tablet-type terminal devices that are premised on handhelds have become widespread as portable computers, while so-called wearable computers such as head-mounted displays that are premised on hands-free are being developed.

W02015 / 137165 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-82371

With the development of the information-oriented society, computers are required to play a role of constantly supporting all human activities, and a large screen and high functionality that can easily grasp and use a large amount of information at once. It is desired to provide a wearable computer of.

Conventionally, portable computers have conflicting interests in terms of convenience and visibility when carried due to the size of the display screen. The current mainstream is the handheld type, of which tablet-type terminals have good visibility due to their large screen but are inferior in portability, and smartphone-type terminals have excellent portability but their screen size is relatively small. There was a trade-off between visibility related to the size of the screen and the benefits of portability, such as inferior performance. Moreover, since it is necessary to use one hand or both hands for holding and operating both of these terminals, it is difficult for the user to perform other work at the same time.

On the other hand, with respect to the current head-mounted display, in the so-called goggle type as in Patent Document 1, it takes time to attach / detach because it is fixed to the head and used, and the user due to scratching at the time of attachment / detachment and compression at the time of fixation. It is inevitable that the product will be uncomfortable to use and that the hairstyle and makeup will be disturbed. Further, in the eyeglass type as in Patent Document 2, it is relatively easy to put on and take off, and the hairstyle and makeup are less disturbed. However, since the image is generated by hologram projection using a half mirror, an electronic viewfinder, etc., the screen size There was a difficulty in visibility because it was difficult to increase the size of the eyeglasses and it was easily affected by external light.

An object of the present invention is to provide a neck-mounted wearable computer in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art.

The invention according to claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned problems includes a neck-mounted neck-shaped arm having a double upper and lower structure composed of an upper neck-mounted arm and a lower neck-mounted arm connected by a universal joint. The main body is composed of a headphone, a display unit, and an information processing terminal device with a communication function, which are attached to predetermined positions of the upper and lower double-structured collar-shaped neck attachment arm, and the upper neck attachment arm is attached when the neck is attached. By pushing up, the headphones and the display unit attached to the upper neck mounting arm are arranged near the user's ear and face, respectively, and the lower neck mounting arm is pushed down to the user's neck. It is a neck-mounted wearable computer characterized in that the upper neck mounting arm is supported and the movement of the head is followed by being brought into close contact with the vicinity of the base or the vicinity of the chest.

The invention according to claim 2 supports and uses the upper neck mounting arm capable of arranging the headphones and the display unit near the user's ear and face, respectively, and the load of the upper neck mounting arm. The lower neck mounting arm that distributes the load near the base of the neck or the chest of the person and the joint portion that allows the attachment and detachment by separating and opening both neck mounting arms to the left and right in the horizontal direction. In addition to having a function, the ratchet mechanism and the rotation mechanism that employ a spring structure for urging cancel the load of the upper neck mounting arm to follow the movement of the head, and push down the lower neck mounting arm to push down the neck. A universal joint that has the function of fixing near the base of the neck or near the chest, and a release switch that is installed at a predetermined position on both neck mounting arms to release the coupling mechanism or ratchet mechanism in the flexible joint, and when mounted. To a joint portion having a bending structure or a telescopic structure installed at a predetermined position of both neck mounting arms and a predetermined position of the upper neck mounting arm to enable position adjustment or folding and storage in a bag or the like. The headphone to be attached, an ear hook portion to be installed at a predetermined position of the headphone, the display unit to be attached to a predetermined position of the upper neck mounting arm, and the lower neck wearing arm or the upper neck wearing. The neck-mounted wearable computer according to claim 1, wherein the information processing terminal device with a communication function attached to a predetermined position of an arm and an operation unit are provided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a microphone, a camera, a light, a line-of-sight detection sensor, a positioning system receiver, a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, a wireless remote controller receiver, or an operation unit is installed at a predetermined position of the main body. The present invention is configured by the information processing terminal device with a communication function, which has a function of enabling the operation of the present invention by hands-free operation, manual operation, or remote operation accompanied by support control based on artificial intelligence. 1 or the neck-mounted wearable computer according to claim 2.

The invention according to claim 4 relates to data obtained from the microphone or the camera or the line-of-sight detection sensor or the positioning system receiver or the gyro sensor or the acceleration sensor installed at a predetermined position of the main body. , Data obtained by superimposing synthesis or processing of data obtained from other resources is output to the display unit or the headphones, or the data is provided to another person or another device to collect information. Alternatively, it is possible to share or collate, make decisions, or execute computer commands, and to view, work, or remotely control audiovisual in the virtual or augmented reality generated by the display unit and the headphones. The neck-mounted wearable computer according to claim 3, further comprising the information processing terminal device with a communication function.

The invention according to claim 5 is based on an image displayed by installing one or more image display devices in a box-shaped housing of the display unit, and one or one arranged in front of the display surface of the image display device. A virtual image with a distant focus or a virtual image with a distant focus is generated through a plurality of rod-shaped lenses, and after diopter correction or depth correction processing, the virtual image is reflected or enlarged by a reflector. The first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the image can be visually recognized without being restricted by the distance and the focus from the user's eyes to the display unit by irradiating the face side. It is a neck-mounted wearable computer.

According to the invention of claim 6, the information processing terminal device with a communication function can be operated by a tablet-shaped wireless remote controller that the user holds and uses with his / her palm, and the wireless remote controller has a flat surface. The first or second aspect of the invention, wherein a touch pad to which a push switch function is added, one or more push switch buttons, and a scroll wheel are installed at an end thereof. It is a neck-mounted wearable computer.

According to the present invention, since it is a neck-mounted wearable computer, the user does not need to hold the device by hand, hands-free operation by line of sight and vocalization is possible, and it is easy to carry and attach / detach. It can be used comfortably without disturbing the hairstyle and makeup. In addition, since the display unit can be placed in front of the eyes, the user can see a clear image on a large screen, and by moving the display unit up and down, it is possible to quickly switch between the screen and the visual field. While obtaining a large amount of audiovisual information, it is possible to ensure safety during use. Further, it can be used not only as a terminal for mobile computing but also as an augmented reality (AR) generator and a virtual reality (VR) generator.

It is an external perspective view which concerns on the schematic structure of the neck-mounted wearable computer in the example of one Embodiment of this invention. It is an external front view which concerns on the schematic structure of the neck-mounted wearable computer in the example of one Embodiment of this invention. It is an external side view which concerns on the schematic structure of the neck-mounted wearable computer in the example of one Embodiment of this invention. It is an external top view which showed the outline of the state in which the neck mounting arm was separated and opened when attaching and detaching the neck-mounted wearable computer in the example of one Embodiment of this invention. (A) is an external top view and (b) is an external side view of a folded state according to a schematic configuration of a neck-mounted wearable computer in an example of one embodiment of the present invention. (A) is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of the structure of a universal joint that separates, connects, or rotates the neck-mounted arm constituting the neck-mounted wearable computer of the present invention when cut in parallel with the extension direction. (B) is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of the structure when cut perpendicularly to the extension direction. It is an exploded side view which showed the outline concerning the internal structure and the optical path of the image light ray in the state which the side sensor part of the display unit constituting the neck-mounted wearable computer of this invention is removed. It is an external front view (a) and an external side view (b) which concerns on the schematic structure of the wireless remote controller which operates a neck-mounted wearable computer of this invention. In the state where the neck-mounted wearable computer in the example of one embodiment of the present invention is attached to the user, (a) is a diagram showing an outline when used, and (b) shows an outline when not in use. It is a figure.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following shows one embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the neck-mounted wearable computer of the present invention includes a collar-shaped upper neck-mounted arm 1 and a lower neck-mounted arm 2, an upper neck-mounted arm 1 and a lower neck. A universal joint 3 that connects the mounting arms 2, a release switch 4 that is installed at a predetermined position on both neck mounting arms and releases the coupling or ratchet mechanism of the neck mounting arms in the flexible joint 3, and both neck mounting arms. A joint portion 5 installed at a predetermined position, a headphone 7 installed at a predetermined position of the upper neck mounting arm 1, an ear hook portion 8 installed at a predetermined position of the headphone 7, and an upper neck mounting arm 1. A display unit 9 attached at a predetermined position, a microphone 10 or a camera 11 or a light 12 installed in the display unit 9, a line-of-sight detection sensor 13, a positioning system receiver 14, a wireless remote control receiver 15, or a gyro sensor 16 or An acceleration sensor 17, an information processing terminal device 18 with a communication function attached to a predetermined position of the lower neck mounting arm 2, and an operation unit 19 attached to a predetermined position of the information processing terminal device 18 with a communication function are provided. It is composed. When the camera 11 has a line-of-sight detection function, the line-of-sight detection sensor 13 is unnecessary. Further, the power supply / communication line 28 may be arranged inside both neck mounting arms for power supply and signal communication to the device and the sensors.

The information processing terminal device 18 with a communication function may be installed inside the display unit 9. In that case, instead of the information processing terminal device 18 with a communication function, only the operation unit 19 is attached to the lower neck mounting arm 2. It may be mounted in place. Further, the microphone 10 or the receiving unit 14 for the positioning system or the receiving unit 15 for the wireless remote controller or the gyro sensor 16 or the acceleration sensor 17 is installed at a predetermined position of the headphones 7 or the information processing terminal device 18 with a communication function or the operation unit 19. You may.

In the above configuration, in order to attach to the user's neck, first, the upper neck attachment arm 1 and the lower neck attachment arm 2 are overlapped, and the release installed at each predetermined position of both neck attachment arms. By operating the switch 4, the connecting shaft 25 in the universal joint 3 connecting the left and right sides of both neck mounting arms is pulled out to release the connection.
Subsequently, both neck mounting arms are expanded to the left and right with respect to the horizontal plane to provide an opening, and after sandwiching the user's neck, the ends of the openings of both neck mounting arms are inserted into the universal joint 3. , Again connect the left and right of both neck mounting arms.
In addition, in order to prevent the present invention from being accidentally dropped from the neck, even when the release switch 4 is operated, the connection between the two neck mounting arms is not released unless the release switch 4 is deployed to the left and right, and the user is injured. Installed in the universal joint 3 that connects both neck mounting arms so that the left and right coupling of both neck mounting arms is automatically released when a tensile force that may be generated acts on the present invention. It is assumed that the magnetic force of the connecting magnet 20 or the friction material 21 such as the packing of the fitting portion is appropriately adjusted. Further, by installing a magnet 6 for merging near the end of the opening of both neck mounting arms so that both ends are naturally aligned at the time of coupling, it is easy to insert the magnet into the universal joint 3.

After mounting the present invention on the neck, the release switch 4 installed at a predetermined position on both neck mounting arms is operated to pull out the connecting shaft 25 in the universal joint 3 and rotate the both neck mounting arms in the vertical direction. After unlocking the ratchet mechanism that secures the ratchet mechanism, the lower neck mounting arm 2 is pushed down and firmly fixed in the vicinity of the base of the neck or the vicinity of the chest. Subsequently, the upper neck mounting arm 1 is pushed up toward the head to place the headphones 7 on the ears, the joint portion 5 of the upper neck wearing arm 1 is bent, and the display unit 9 is placed in front of the eyes.

When using the present invention, in order to always place the headphone 7 and the display unit 9 in front of the user's ears and eyes, respectively, a load is applied by the universal structure urged in the upward direction by the action of the ratchet spring 23 in the universal joint 3. It is assumed that the upper neck mounting arm 1 follows the movement of the head in the vertical and horizontal directions while canceling out the above.

An expansion / contraction mechanism may be used at the joints 5 of both neck mounting arms so that the arrangement positions of the headphones 7, the display unit 9, and the information processing terminal device 18 with a communication function can be adjusted. Further, in order to improve the followability of the headphone 7 and the display unit 9 to the movement of the head, the ear hook portion 8 installed on the headphone 7 may be rotated to the back side of the upper end of the ear to pinch the user's ear. ..

Further, when visually observing the image generated by the display unit 9, it shall have a function of manually or automatically adjusting the diopter or the depth of the image.

Further, by installing a retractable or foldable light-shielding curtain on the edge of the housing of the display unit 9 and extending the light-shielding curtain to the face when generating augmented reality or virtual reality, the image display unit transparent cover 33 The space from to the user's eyes is closed, and the immersive feeling in the image can be enhanced.

When removing the present invention from the neck, the release switch 4 installed at a predetermined position on the upper neck mounting arm 1 is operated to pull out the connecting shaft 25 in the universal joint 3 to unlock the ratchet mechanism. The upper neck mounting arm 1 is pushed down and overlapped with the lower neck mounting arm 2.
Subsequently, the release switch 4 installed at a predetermined position on both neck mounting arms is operated at the same time, and the connecting shaft 25 in the universal joint 3 connecting the left and right sides of both neck mounting arms is pulled out to connect the two neck mounting arms. Release and open both neck mounting arms by expanding them to the left and right with respect to the horizontal plane.

When the neck-mounted wearable computer of the present invention is not attached, the upper neck-mounted arm 1 and the lower neck-mounted arm 2 are overlapped with each other, and the headphones 7 and the display unit 9 are placed in the circumferential direction of both neck-mounted arms. After folding so that they are parallel and inward, the joints 5 of both neck mounting arms are bent, and both neck mounting arms are expanded and contracted by the expansion / contraction mechanism so that they can be stored in a bag or the like as shown in FIG. Can be folded compactly. It should be noted that the present invention can be used by stationary or handheld even in the folded state. Further, a touch panel function may be added to the image display unit transparent cover 33 of the display unit 9 so that an intuitive operation can be performed at that time.

Next, the structural features of the display unit 9 will be described with reference to FIG. A virtual image or parallax in which one or more image display devices 29 are extended in the long side direction inside the box-shaped housing and the focal point is distant through a rod-shaped lens 30 such as a plurality of cylindrical lenses arranged in front of the display surface thereof. Generates a virtual image ray 31 whose focal point is far away. By changing the arrangement or refractive index of the rod-shaped lens 30, the image light ray 31 is subjected to diopter correction or depth correction, and then the reflector 32 is irradiated to reflect or magnify the image light beam 31 to the face side through the image display unit transparent cover 33. By sending it out, it is possible to visually recognize an image whose focus is far away.
According to this structure, the display surface of the image display device 29 can be visually observed almost directly without being affected by external light, so that the user can obtain a very clear image and also can obtain diopter correction or diopter correction. The depth correction function makes it possible to visually recognize an image regardless of the distance from the user's eyes to the display unit 9. Therefore, regardless of the position of the display unit 9 in front of the face, or when the display unit 9 is removed from the neck and used by stationary or handheld, the user can always obtain a good image in focus. ..

When the user operates the neck-mounted wearable computer of the present invention, the touch pad or push switch button of the operation unit 19 or the touch panel of the transparent cover 33 of the image display unit is used, and a wireless remote controller 34 or a wristwatch-type computer is used. be able to. Further, the microphone 10 or the line-of-sight detection sensor 13 may be used to select the function of the present invention or input information.

The wireless remote controller 34 is equipped with a microphone, a camera, a light, a gyro sensor, or an acceleration sensor, and is used as a small camera. In addition, the present invention is operated by an operation using the user's limbs. You can also.

When operating using the wireless remote controller 34 of FIG. 8, the user holds the remote controller with his / her palm and presses the left push switch button 35 or the right push switch button 36 with his / her thumb or index finger to display the remote control on the screen. Click or select the function of the present invention. Further, the scroll wheel 37 is operated by rotating the scroll wheel 37 with the thumb or the index finger, and the upper and lower slide bars on the screen are operated, and the left and right slide bars are operated by simultaneously pressing the lower push switch button 39 with the little finger. Further, by tracing the touch pad 38 with the thumb, the pointer on the screen is operated, and by simultaneously pressing the lower push switch button 39 with the little finger, drag and drop is performed. The touch pad 38 can be clicked by tapping or pressing it.

The present invention can be used as a so-called mobile terminal device for mobile computing such as Internet browsing, data input / output, mail transmission / reception, use of social media, use of applications, and call use in daily life and business.
In addition, because it is a neck-mounted type, it is hands-free, it has a large screen display and can generate images and sounds of augmented reality or virtual reality, and real-time information processing according to the user's activity is possible with communication functions and sensors. Because it is possible and highly compatible with remote operation, it is used for production work, construction work, maintenance work, service provision, inventory management, conference, video industry, video game, medical, and educational guidance. It can also be used as a device for military activities.

1 ... Upper neck mounting arm 2 ... Lower neck mounting arm 3 ... Flexible joint 4 ... Release switch 5 ... Joint 6 ... Magnet for combination 7 ... Headphones 8 ... Ear hook 9 ... Display unit 10 ... Microphone 11 ... Camera 12 ... Light 13 ... Line-of-sight detection sensor 14 ... Positioning system receiver 15 ... Wireless remote control receiver 16 ... Gyro sensor 17 ... Acceleration sensor 18 ... Information processing terminal device with communication function 19 ... Operation unit 20 ... Connecting magnet 21 ... Friction material such as packing 22 ... Ratchet (teeth)
23 ... Ratchet (spring)
24 ... Ratchet (nails)
25 ... Connecting shaft 26 ... Spring for connecting shaft 27 ... Connecting shaft drawing wire 28 ... Power supply / communication line 29 ... Image display device 30 ... Rod-shaped lens 31 ... Video ray 32 ... Reflector 33 ... Video display unit transparent cover 34 ... Wireless remote controller 35 ... Left push switch button 36 ... Right push switch button 37 ... Scroll wheel 38 ... Touch pad 39 ... Down push switch button

Claims

Predetermined positions of the upper and lower double-structured collar-shaped neck-mounted arm consisting of the upper neck-mounted arm and the lower-lower neck-mounted arm connected by a universal joint, and the upper and lower double-structured collar-shaped neck-mounted arm. The main body is composed of a headphone, a display unit, and an information processing terminal device with a communication function, which are attached to each of the above, and the heads attached to the upper neck attachment arm by pushing up the upper neck attachment arm when the neck is attached. And the display unit is arranged near the ear and face of the user, respectively, and the lower neck mounting arm is pushed down and brought into close contact with the user's neck base or chest to bring the upper neck mounting arm into close contact with the user. A neck-mounted wearable computer that is characterized by following the movement of the head while supporting the neck.
The upper neck mounting arm capable of arranging the headphones and the display unit near the user's ear and face, respectively, and the user's neck base or chest supporting the load of the upper neck mounting arm. In addition to having the function of the lower neck mounting arm that distributes the load in the vicinity and the joint that allows the two neck mounting arms to be separated and opened to the left and right in the horizontal direction, and for urging. The ratchet mechanism and rotation mechanism that employ the spring structure of the above cancel the load of the upper neck mounting arm to follow the movement of the head, and push down the lower neck mounting arm to fix it near the base of the neck or near the chest. To a universal joint having a function to allow the neck, a release switch installed at a predetermined position on both neck mounting arms to release the coupling mechanism or the ratchet mechanism in the flexible joint, and position adjustment or a bag at the time of mounting. A joint having a bending structure or a telescopic structure installed at a predetermined position on both neck mounting arms to enable folding and storage, the headphone attached to a predetermined position on the upper neck mounting arm, and the headphone. The ear hook portion installed at a predetermined position, the display unit attached to the predetermined position of the upper neck mounting arm, and the lower neck mounting arm or the upper neck mounting arm attached to the predetermined position. The neck-mounted wearable computer according to claim 1, further comprising an information processing terminal device with a communication function and an operation unit.
A microphone or camera or light or line-of-sight detection sensor or positioning system receiver or gyro sensor or acceleration sensor or wireless remote controller receiver or operation unit is installed at a predetermined position on the main body to perform support control based on artificial intelligence. The first or second aspect of the invention, wherein the information processing terminal device with a communication function is provided with a function that enables the operation of the present invention by a hands-free operation, a manual operation, or a remote operation. Neck-mounted wearable computer.
Data obtained from the microphone or the camera or the line-of-sight detection sensor or the receiving unit for the positioning system or the gyro sensor or the acceleration sensor installed at a predetermined position of the main body was obtained from another resource. Collecting, sharing, collating, or making decisions by superimposing, synthesizing, or processing the data, outputting it to the display unit or the headphones, or providing the data to another person or another device. Information with a communication function that enables computer commands to be executed and audiovisual viewing, work, or remote control in virtual reality or augmented reality generated by the display unit and the headphones. The neck-mounted wearable computer according to claim 3, wherein the computer is composed of a processing terminal device.
From an image displayed by installing one or more image display devices in the housing of the display unit formed in a box shape, focus is passed through one or a plurality of rod-shaped lenses arranged in front of the display surface of the image display device. By generating a virtual image that is distant or a virtual image that is distant from the focal point with parallax, diopter correction or depth correction processing is performed, and then the virtual image is reflected or enlarged by a reflector and irradiated to the face side. The neck-mounted wearable computer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the image can be visually recognized without being restricted by the distance and focus from the user's eyes to the display unit.
It is possible to operate the information processing terminal device with a communication function by a tablet-shaped wireless remote controller that the user holds and uses with the palm, and the wireless remote controller has a touch with a push switch function added to a flat surface. The neck-mounted wearable computer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a pad, one or more pushswitch buttons, and a scroll wheel are installed at the ends.