JP2000098291A - Head mounted display - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a head mounted display device having a wide field of view and excellent visibility. A display unit (4) held by a mount (3) that can be mounted on the head of an observer (2) emits display light for a left-eye image, and emits display light for a right-eye image. 6b, and an optical system 8 that changes the optical path of both display lights and guides them to the eyes of the observer. The optical path of each display light is changed by the optical system 8 so that the visual field in which the left-eye image is displayed and the visual field in which the right-eye image is displayed partially overlap. In each of the left-eye image and the right-eye image, there are provided means 7a and 7b for making the luminance of the portion corresponding to the overlap region of the visual field different from the luminance of the portion corresponding to the non-overlap region.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a head-mounted display device which provides an image which can be visually recognized by both eyes, for example, a helicopter, a pilot of an aircraft, a user of a training simulator, and a game for consumer use. It is suitable for providing image information to a user such as a device or an information terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A mount mountable on a head of an observer;
A display unit held by the mount,
The display unit includes a unit that emits display light for a left-eye image, a unit that emits display light for a right-eye image, and an optical system that changes the optical path of both display lights and guides the display light to the observer's eyes. A head-mounted display device is used.

Generally, the left-eye image and the right-eye image are identical to each other. Therefore, the visual field in which the left-eye image is displayed and the visual field in which the right-eye image is displayed are 100
The optical path of each display light is changed by the optical system so as to overlap by%.

However, if the field of view displaying the image for the left eye and the field of view displaying the image for the right eye overlap by 100%, the field of view displaying the image cannot be enlarged. Therefore, the optical path of each display light is changed by the optical system so that the visual field in which the left-eye image is displayed and the visual field in which the right-eye image is displayed partially overlap. . As a result, the left-eye image and the right-eye image are partially identical to each other, and the rest is different. By overlapping the fields of view corresponding to the same portion of the image, the left-eye image and the right-eye image are overlapped. The field of view can be expanded without causing a seam of the image for use.

[0005]

Conventionally, the luminance of the image for the left eye is made uniform over the entire visual field of the image for the left eye, and the luminance of the image for the right eye is also the luminance of the image for the right eye. It was uniform throughout the field of view. Therefore, when the visual field in which the image for the left eye is displayed and the visual field in which the image for the right eye are displayed partially overlap, the overlap area looks brighter than the non-overlap area, and the visibility is reduced. There was a problem. Furthermore, the boundary between the overlap region and the non-overlap region has a problem that the overlap region looks darker than it actually is because the overlap region looks bright, and visibility is reduced.

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

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a mount that can be mounted on the observer's head, and a display unit that is held by the mount. The display unit emits display light for an image for the left eye. Emission means, means for emitting display light for the right-eye image, and an optical system that changes the optical path of both display lights and guides the display light to the observer's eye, and the field of view on which the left-eye image is displayed The present invention is applied to a head-mounted display device in which the optical path of each display light is changed by the optical system such that the field of view and the view for displaying the image for the right eye partially overlap. The present invention, in each of the image for the left eye and the image for the right eye, the luminance of the portion corresponding to the overlap region of the field of view,
There is provided a means for making the luminance of a portion corresponding to the non-overlap area different from each other. According to the present invention, in each of the image for the left eye and the image for the right eye, the luminance of the portion corresponding to the overlapping region of the visual field in the head-mounted display device is lower than the luminance of the portion corresponding to the non-overlapping region. By lowering the brightness, in an image obtained by combining the left-eye image and the right-eye image, the luminance of the overlap region and the non-overlap region can be made uniform to improve the visibility.

In each of the left-eye image and the right-eye image, the luminance of the portion corresponding to the overlap region of the visual field, the luminance of the portion corresponding to the non-overlap region, and the overlap region and the non-overlap region It is preferable to provide a means for making the luminance of a portion corresponding to the boundary of the region different from each other. According to the present invention, in each of the left-eye image and the right-eye image, the luminance of the portion corresponding to the overlapping region of the visual field is lower than the luminance of the portion corresponding to the non-overlapping region, and By making the luminance of the portion corresponding to the boundary between the overlap region and the non-overlap region higher than the luminance of the portion corresponding to the non-overlap region, in the image obtained by combining the image for the left eye and the image for the right eye, The brightness can be made uniform over the entire field of view to improve the visibility.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The head-mounted display device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 includes a mount 3 that can be mounted on the head of an observer 2 and a display unit 4 held by the mount 3.

The mount 3 is formed in a ring shape so that it can be mounted on the head of the observer 2. The form of the mount 3 is not limited as long as it can be mounted on the observer's head, and is not limited to a mount directly mounted on the head.
It may be worn on the head via a helmet or the like. In the present invention, the head is a portion above the neck and includes the face.

The display unit 4 includes left and right casings 5a and 5b attached to the holder 3, a left-eye display 6a for emitting left-eye image display light La, and a right-eye image display light Lb. , A left-right signal processor 7a, 7b, and an optical system 8 that changes the optical path of both display lights La, Lb and guides the display light La, Lb to the eye of the observer 2.

In the present embodiment, each of the displays 6a and 6b is constituted by a known liquid crystal display device with a backlight, but is not particularly limited.

Each of the signal processing devices 7a and 7b is connected to a video signal generation source (not shown) via a cable or the like.
A drive signal for the display devices 6a and 6b is generated according to the video signal sent from the video signal generation source. The video signal generation source is not particularly limited as long as it can generate a video signal, and can be configured by, for example, a computer that outputs a video signal. The display devices 6a and 6b emit image display lights La and Lb according to the drive signals sent from the signal processing devices 7a and 7b.

The optical system 8 includes a main optical element 8a disposed in front of the eyes of the observer 2 and image display light La emitted from the left-eye display 6a in an optical path changing area of the main optical element 8a. It has a left lens system 8b for guiding, and a right lens system 8c for guiding the image display light Lb emitted from the right eye display 6a to the optical path changing area of the main optical element 8a. The image display lights La and Lb whose optical paths have been changed by the main optical element 8a are guided to the eyes of the observer 2, so that the observer 2 can visually recognize the image.

The main optical element 8a is constituted by a combiner in this embodiment. When the main optical element 8a is constituted by a combiner, light from the front can be transmitted and guided to the eyes of the observer 2, and the observer 2 can visually recognize both the image and the real entity in the front. The combiner can be constituted by a half mirror or a hologram element. When a half mirror is used, the optical path of the image display light is changed by reflection, and when the hologram element is used, the optical path of the image display light is changed by diffraction. In front of the main optical element 8a, a visor 9 is attached to the holding section 3 so as to be vertically movable. The visor 9 is displaced downward so that the main optical element 8
By arranging in front of “a”, the observer 2 can see only the image. By displacing the visor 9 upward, the observer 2 can visually recognize both the image and the real entity in front. The main optical element 8a may be constituted by a total reflection mirror.

The optical system 8 changes the optical paths of the display lights La and Lb so that the field of view for displaying the image for the left eye and the field of view for displaying the image for the right eye partially overlap. I do. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the optical path changing area 3 of the left-eye image display light La in the main optical element 8a.
0a and the optical path changing area 30b of the image display light Lb for the right eye,
Since they correspond to the field of view of the left-eye image and the field of view of the right-eye image, they are partially overlapped. As a result, the left-eye image and the right-eye image are partially identical to each other, and the rest is different. By overlapping the fields of view corresponding to the same portion of the image, the left-eye image and the right-eye image are overlapped. The field of view can be expanded without causing a seam of the image for use. In the present embodiment, the visual field of the left-eye image and the visual field of the right-eye image are circular regions, and the visual field angle is, for example, 40 °.

The above signal processing devices 7a and 7b provide:
In each of the left-eye image and the right-eye image, the luminance of the portion corresponding to the overlap region C in the visual field, the luminance of the portion corresponding to the non-overlap regions A and B, and the luminance of the overlap region C and the non-overlap region Overlap area A, B
Can be made different from each other at a portion corresponding to a boundary D (a region surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 3). For this reason, the left signal processing device 7a converts the video signal of the image for the left eye sent from the video signal source from the one in which the brightness of the image for the left eye is uniform over the entire visual field of the image for the left eye. The data is converted into different data according to the display position. Further, the right signal processing device 7b converts the video signal of the image for the right eye sent from the video signal source from the one in which the brightness of the image for the right eye is uniform over the entire visual field of the image for the right eye. The data is converted into different data according to the display position.

That is, the signal processing devices 7a and 7b
Is, as shown in the functional block diagram of FIG.
0, a correction data output unit 41, an adjustment unit 42, a correction signal output unit 43, and a drive signal output unit 44. The position detection unit 40 outputs a position detection signal of each pixel in the field of view corresponding to the display timing of each pixel of the display image based on the video signal S. The correction data output unit 41
Is determined according to the position detection signal so that the position of each pixel is any one of the overlap area C in the visual field, the non-overlap areas A and B, and the boundary D between the overlap area C and the non-overlap areas A and B. Judgment result of correspondence,
A correction data signal corresponding to the luminance correction amount data corresponding to the determination result is output. For example, the overlap area C, the non-overlap areas A and B, the position data corresponding to the boundary D between the overlap area C and the non-overlap areas A and B, and the position data corresponding to the respective areas C, A, B and D By writing the brightness correction amount data as map data in a memory such as an EEPROM in advance, and inputting the position signal detected by the position detection unit 40 as an address of the EEPROM, a correction data signal corresponding to the data read from the memory is obtained. Can output. The adjusting section 42 outputs a setting signal such as an external trimmer setting signal. The correction signal output unit 43 outputs a luminance correction signal generated according to the correction data signal and the setting signal. The drive signal output section 44 outputs the display 6 based on the video signal and the luminance correction signal.
a and 6b are generated and output.

FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the position detection signal S1 and the luminance correction signal S2. That is, the signal processing device 7
In each of a and 7b, the level of the luminance correction signal S2 at the time of pixel display in the overlap area C of the visual field is
The level of the luminance correction signal S2 lower than the level of the luminance correction signal S2 at the time of pixel display in the non-overlapping areas A and B and at the boundary D between the overlapping area C and the non-overlapping areas A and B. Is higher than the level of the luminance correction signal S2 during pixel display in the non-overlapping areas A and B.

According to the above configuration, in each of the left-eye image and the right-eye image, the luminance of a portion corresponding to the overlap region C of the visual field in the head-mounted display device is set to the non-overlap regions A and B. By lowering the brightness of the corresponding part, in the image obtained by combining the image for the left eye and the image for the right eye, the brightness of the overlap area C and the non-overlap areas A and B is made uniform to improve the visibility. it can. Further, in each of the left-eye image and the right-eye image, the luminance of the portion corresponding to the boundary D between the overlap region C and the non-overlap regions A and B is calculated as the luminance of the portion corresponding to the non-overlap regions A and B. By making the height higher than that, in an image obtained by synthesizing the image for the left eye and the image for the right eye, the luminance can be made uniform over the entire visual field to improve the visibility.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the field of view of the head-mounted display device is not limited to a circular field of view, but may be a rectangular field of view of 30 ° in the vertical direction and 40 ° in the horizontal direction, and the map data may be determined according to the field of view. The emission means of the image display light is not limited to the liquid crystal display device. For example, a CRT display may be used. When a scanning signal and a luminance signal for forming an image are in different systems, the luminance signal is transmitted to the left. It suffices to convert the brightness of each of the image for the eye and the image for the right eye from being uniform over the entire visual field of each image to being different from each other according to the display position in the visual field.

[0022]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a head mounted display having a wide field of view and excellent visibility.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

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

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a visual field of the head mounted display device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a main part of the head-mounted display device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship between a position detection signal and a luminance correction signal by the head-mounted display device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 head-mounted display device 2 observer 3 mount 4 display unit 6a, 6b display device 7a, 7b signal processing device 8 optical system

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A mount mountable on a head of an observer,
A display unit held by the mount, wherein the display unit emits display light for the left-eye image, emits display light for the right-eye image, and changes an optical path of both display lights. And an optical system that guides the image to the observer's eyes. The optical system is configured to partially overlap the visual field where the image for the left eye is displayed and the visual field where the image for the right eye is displayed. In the head-mounted display device in which the optical path of each display light is changed, in the left-eye image and the right-eye image, respectively, the luminance of the portion corresponding to the overlapping area of the visual field and the non-overlapping area A head-mounted display device comprising: means for making the luminance of a portion to be different from each other. 2. In each of the left-eye image and the right-eye image, the luminance of a portion corresponding to the overlap region of the visual field, the luminance of the portion corresponding to the non-overlap region, and the luminance of the overlap region and the non-overlap region The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, further comprising a unit that makes a luminance of a portion corresponding to a boundary of the overlap region different from each other.