JP2008295064A - Head-mounted display device - Google Patents

Abstract

A head-mounted display device that can reduce a feeling of pressure on a head by a holder and can prevent displacement with respect to the head by fitting the holder to the head.
A head holding holder to which a display unit is connected includes a front part 2a along at least a part of the frontal head, a rear part 2b along at least a part of the back of the head, Side part 2c along one side. The front part 2a and the rear part 2b of the holder 2 are continuous via the side part 2c on one side of the left and right side heads. The front part 2a and the rear part 2b of the holder 2 are separated from each other on the other side of the left and right side heads so that at least a part of the other of the left and right side heads is not held by the holder 2. Can be folded around the hinge axis along the vertical direction between the left region and the right region of the back of the head, and the holder is composed of two members that can rotate 180 degrees around the transverse axis with respect to each other at the side. .
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a head-mounted display device suitable for visually recognizing an output image of a wearable computer or a personal computer, a television image, various images for performing various operations, and the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Head mounted display devices that include a head holding holder and a display unit coupled to the holder are known. Conventionally, as the holder, a headphone-shaped type having a portion along the top of the head and the left and right heads, a hairband type having a portion along the frontal head and the left and right heads, around the entire head An annular type is known.

  Conventional holders have a large feeling of pressure on the head and do not correspond to individual differences in the shape of the head, so it is not enough to prevent displacement with respect to the head, and further compactness when carrying is not sufficient .

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

The head-mounted display device of the present invention includes a head-holding holder and a display unit that is connected to the holder so as to be adjustable in the yaw direction and the pitch direction. A front portion along at least a part, a rear portion along a left region and a right region at least in the center of the back of the head, and a side portion along one of the left and right side heads, and the front of the holder; The rear part is continuous through the side part on one side of the left and right side heads, and at least part of the other side of the left and right side head parts is not held by the holder. Are separated from each other on the other side of the left and right side heads, and the rear part of the holder can be folded around a hinge axis along the vertical direction between the left and right regions of the back of the head. Holder on the side Having 180 degrees rotatable second member about the transverse axis relative to each other.

  According to the present invention, the feeling of pressure on the head by the holder can be reduced, and the holder can be fitted to the head to prevent displacement with respect to the head, and is compact and easy to carry when not in use. A display device can be provided.

A monocular head-mounted display device 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 includes a head holding holder 2,
The display unit 3 disposed in front of either the left or right eye E, the connecting mechanism 4 that connects the display unit 3 to the holder 2 so as to be rotatable about the vertical direction, and the rotation of the display unit 3 relative to the holder 2 is released A rotation prevention mechanism 5 that prevents the rotation is provided. Note that the front, back, top, bottom, left and right directions of the head-mounted display device 1 in this specification are based on an upright user wearing the head-mounted display device 1.

  The holder 2 has a front part 2a along at least a part of the frontal head, a rear part 2b along at least a part of the back of the head, and a side part 2c along one of the left and right side heads. The front part 2a and the rear part 2b are continuous via the side part 2c on one side of the left and right side heads. The front part 2a and the rear part 2b are spaced apart from each other on the other side of the left and right heads so that at least a part of the other of the left and right heads is not held by the holder 2. Moreover, the front part 2a is supposed to be along only a part of the forehead so that a part of the forehead is not held by the holder 2. The rear part 2b is along the left region and the right region of the center position of the back of the head. Thereby, the holder 2 is made into the substantially C shape which lacked a part of ellipse by planar view. The curvature radius of the front part 2a in the holder 2 is preferably about 40 to 90 mm, and the curvature radius of the rear part 2b is preferably about 60 to 100 mm. Moreover, it is preferable that the range close to the head of the holder 2 is about 50 to 85% of the head peripheral length, because stable wearability is obtained. Pads 41a, 41b, 41c made of an elastic material such as urethane sponge, elastomer, rubber or the like are attached to the inner periphery of the holder 2.

  As a result, at least a part of the left or right head and a part of the frontal head (for example, one of the left and right temples) are not held by the holder 2. The feeling of pressure can be reduced.

  Moreover, since the rear part 2b of the holder 2 is along the left region and the right region at the center position of the back of the head, the holder 4 can be prevented from being displaced from the head. The holder 2 is substantially C-shaped, and the display unit 3 is a monocular type in which the display unit 3 is arranged in front of either the left or right eye, thereby reducing weight and size. Moreover, even if the holder 2 is turned upside down, it is designed so that the same shape and substantially the same holding force can be obtained even if the holder 2 is turned upside down. This holding force is preferably about 1.96 to 6.86 N. Furthermore, by forming the holder 2 so that the display unit 3 can be mounted in any one of the vertical directions, the head-mounted display device of the present embodiment can be displayed only by using the same components. The unit 3 can be used for both the left eye side and the right eye side.

The holder 2 of the present embodiment has first to fifth members 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. The first member 11 is formed of a synthetic resin material and constitutes a part of the front part 2a and the side part 2c. The second member 12 is formed by a leaf spring that can be elastically deformed in the left-right direction of the head, and constitutes a part of the side portion 2c. The third member 13 is formed of a synthetic resin material and constitutes a part of the side portion 2c. The fourth member 14 is formed of a synthetic resin material and constitutes a part of the rear part 2b and a part of the side part 2c. The fifth member 15 is formed of a synthetic resin material,
It constitutes a part of the rear part 2b. The one end side of the leaf spring forming the second member 12 is the first
It is fixed to the member 11. As shown in FIG. 5, the other end side of the leaf spring is inserted into the third member 13 so as to be movable back and forth. The third member 13 is connected to a portion constituting the side portion 2 c of the fourth member 14 by a screw 16 together with a leaf spring constituting the second member 12. The axis of the screw 16 is along the lateral direction. The fourth member 14 and the fifth member 15 are connected via a hinge 17. The axis of the hinge 17 extends in the vertical direction. The leaf spring constituting the second member 12 can be easily elastically deformed according to individual differences in the shape of the head to reliably prevent displacement with respect to the head. The first, third to fifth members 11, 13, 14, 15 other than the second member 12 are also made of synthetic resin, so that they can be elastically deformed along the head shape. .

The side part 2c can be expanded and contracted so that the distance between the front part 2a and the rear part 2b of the holder 2 can be adjusted. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of holes 12 a into which the screws 16 can be inserted are formed so as to be parallel to the leaf springs forming the second member 12 at equal intervals in the front-rear direction. Thereby, the mechanism which expands / contracts the side part 2c by changing the attachment position with respect to the 3rd, 4th members 13 and 14 of the 2nd member 12 via the screw | thread 16 is comprised. Thereby, the space | interval of the front part 2a and the rear part 2b of the holder 2 can be adjusted according to the individual difference of head shape, and the prevention with respect to a head can be performed reliably. An image signal is sent from the computer (not shown) or the like to the display unit 3 through the cable 9 inserted through the third member 13. The cable 9 may be exposed to the outside of the holder 2.

  The rear portion 2b of the holder 2 has a hinge axis extending in the vertical direction between the left region and the right region of the back of the head by connecting the fourth member 14 and the fifth member 15 via the hinge 17 as described above. It can be folded. The fourth member 14 and the fifth member 15 do not rotate relative to each other in the opening direction as compared with the state shown in FIG. 1 by being in contact with each other. The holder 2 has a third member 13 and a fourth member 14 that can rotate 180 degrees relative to each other around the lateral axis of the screw 16 at the side 2c. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6, the rear portion 2b of the holder 2 can be folded when not in use, and the third member 13 and the fourth member 14 constituting the side portion 2c can be rotated 180 degrees relative to each other to be compact.

The third member 13 and the fourth member 14 are slightly rotated with respect to each other around the axis of the screw 16, and the holder 2 is attached to the head with the rear portion 2b slightly inclined with respect to the front portion 2a. However, the wearability can be improved according to individual differences in the head shape.
7 and 8 show modifications of the mechanism for expanding and contracting the side portion 2c. In this modification, the screw 16 is not used. The columnar convex portion 13a formed on the third member 13 of the holder 2 is press-fitted into the concave portion 14a formed in the portion constituting the side portion 2c of the fourth member 14, so that the third member 13 is the fourth member. 14. Through the outer periphery of the convex part 13a and the inner periphery of the concave part 14a, the third member 13 and the fourth member 14 can rotate 180 degrees with respect to each other around the horizontal axis. A compression coil spring 18 is inserted into the third member 13. The spring 18 is sandwiched between the inner circumferential step 13 b of the third member 13 and the bent portion 12 b at the end of the leaf spring constituting the second member 12.
The spring 18 generates elasticity that pushes the second member 12 backward relative to the third member 13, that is, elasticity that reduces the side 2 c of the holder 2. When the holder 2 is mounted on the head, the front portion 2a and the rear portion 2b of the holder 2 are pressed against the front and back heads by the elasticity of the spring 18, respectively. Thereby, the shift | offset | difference of the holder 2 with respect to a head can be prevented by elasticity. Further, when not in use, the side portion 2c of the holder 2 can be reduced by elasticity to be compact.

  The display unit 3 is connected to the front part 2 a of the holder 2. A known display unit 3 can be used, for example, an image display light generating means such as a liquid crystal display, and an aspheric lens system that guides the image display light to the eye E so that an image is formed on the retina. It is comprised by the optical system.

As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the coupling mechanism 4 includes a support member 21 attached to the holder 2 and a hollow receiving member 22 attached to the display unit 3. The support member 21 has a prism portion 21a and a spherical portion 21b integrated with one end of the prism portion 21a. The outer periphery of the spherical portion 21b is a guide surface 21c along a spherical surface. The display unit 3 is connected to the holder 2 through the guide surface 21c. That is, the prism portion 21a is inserted into the front portion 2a of the holder 2 so as not to rotate relatively,
The spherical portion 21 b is covered with the receiving member 22. The display unit 3 is fixed to the lower surface of the receiving member 22. A receiving surface 22a is formed inside the receiving member 22 so as to contact the guide surface 21c in a relatively slidable manner. The receiving member 22 is configured by adhering two upper and lower members, for example. Thereby, the display unit 3 is guided with respect to the holder 2 by the guide surface 21.
9 can be rotated in the direction of arrow A (yaw direction) in FIG. The rotation range is, for example, about ± 10 °. Further, the display unit 3 can rotate with respect to the holder 2 in the arrow B direction (pitch direction) in FIG. The rotation range is, for example, about ± 15 °.

By rotating the display unit 3 up and down with respect to the holder 2 via the guide surface 21c, the arrangement of the holder 2 with respect to the head is not changed from an appropriate state, and the eye E of the display unit 3 is not affected. The arrangement around the vertical direction can be adjusted.
Further, by rotating the display unit 3 in the left-right direction with respect to the holder 2,
Without changing the arrangement of the holder 2 with respect to the head from the appropriate state, the arrangement of the display unit 3 around the eye E can be adjusted.

  Furthermore, the display unit 3 can rotate at least 180 degrees with respect to the holder 2 around the axis passing through the center of the spherical surface constituting the guide surface 21c and along the front-rear direction. In the present embodiment, the display unit 3 can rotate 360 degrees. . Accordingly, the display unit 3 can be arranged outside the field of view when not in use by rotating the display unit 3 around the front-rear direction. In addition, since the display unit 3 can be rotated about the vertical direction, the left-right direction, and the front-rear direction with respect to the holder 2 around an axis passing through one spherical center, the structure can be simplified. Furthermore, the holder 2 can be used upside down. As a result, the display unit 3 is rotated 180 degrees around the holder 2 in the front-rear direction, and the holder 2 is turned upside down, so that the display unit 3 is placed in front of the left and right eyes and used in the other direction. It can be changed to a state where it is placed and used in front of the eyes.

  The prismatic part 21a is inserted into a connecting hole 19 formed in the holder 2 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction, whereby the connecting mechanism 4 is attached to the holder 2 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. A movement blocking mechanism is provided for blocking the forward and backward movement of the connecting mechanism 4 with respect to the holder 2 so as to be releasable at two positions. In the present embodiment, the prism portion 21 a is provided with a protrusion 21 d that protrudes from the outer periphery, and grooves 19 a and 19 b are provided at two positions on the inner periphery of the connection hole 19 that are spaced apart from each other. The protrusions 21d are fitted in the grooves 19a and 19b, whereby the connecting mechanism 4 is prevented from moving back and forth with respect to the holder 2. The protrusion 21d is made of, for example, an elastic material, and is elastically deformed by a longitudinal force of a certain level or more and is extracted from the grooves 19a and 19b. This prevents the forward and backward movement of the coupling mechanism 4 relative to the holder 2 from being released. The The distance between the grooves 19a and 19b corresponds to the difference in the distance between the eye E and the display unit 3 when the glasses are used and when they are not used. As a result, the display unit 3 can be arranged close to the eye E when the glasses are not used and away from the eye E when the glasses are used. In addition, the position of the display unit 3 can be adjusted so that the user can easily see. Instead of the protrusion 21d, the ball may be protruded from the prism portion 21a by the elasticity of the spring, and the ball may be immersed in the prism portion 21a by elastic deformation of the spring by a predetermined longitudinal force. Moreover, the position which prevents the back-and-forth movement may be three or more positions.

The rotation prevention mechanism 5 includes a pair of pressing members 31a and 31b and elastic members 32a and 32b that apply elasticity to the pressing members 31a and 31b. Each pressing member 31a, 31b is attached to the receiving member 22 so as to be rotatable about the vertical direction through a support shaft 33 having an axial center in the vertical direction inside the receiving member 22. One end of each pressing member 31 a, 31 b is constituted by rubber pads 31 a ′, 31 b ′, and the other end is an operation part 31 a ″, 31 b ″ protruding outside the receiving member 22. The pressing members 31a and 31b are relatively displaced between the rotation prevention position and the rotation prevention release position by rotation around the vertical direction. Each elastic member 32a, 32b is constituted by a torsion spring, and exerts an elastic force to be positioned at the rotation preventing position by pressing each pressing member 31a, 31b against the guide surface 21c. The pressing members 31a and 31b located at the rotation prevention position press the guide surface 21c, whereby the display unit 3 is prevented from rotating with respect to the holder 2. By pressing both pressing members 31a and 31b with fingers, the pressing members 31a and 31b can be moved away from the guide surface 21c by being displaced to the rotation prevention release position against the elasticity of the elastic members 32a and 32b. . When the pressing members 31a and 31b are separated from the guide surface 21c, the rotation prevention of the display unit 3 with respect to the holder 2 is released. Thereby, the rotation with respect to the holder 2 of the display unit 3 can be prevented only by pressing the pressing members 31a and 31b against the guide surface 21c with elasticity, and the rotation prevention mechanism 5 can be configured with a simple structure. Moreover, by simply pressing the pressing members 31a and 31b with a finger, the position can be displaced to the rotation prevention release position, and the rotation prevention can be easily released with one hand.
The arrangement of the display unit 3 with respect to the eyes can be easily adjusted. The pressing member may be single.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the front part and the rear part of the holder are continuous to one side of the left and right side heads via the side part, and at least one of the other of the left and right side heads. The front part and the rear part may be separated from each other on the other side of the left and right side heads so that the part is not held by the holder.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a head-mounted display device in an embodiment of the present invention. The left view of the head mounted display apparatus in embodiment of this invention The right view of the head mounted display apparatus in embodiment of this invention Front view of a head-mounted display device in an embodiment of the present invention Partial plan sectional view of a head-mounted display device in an embodiment of the present invention The top view at the time of non-use of the head mounted display in the embodiment of the present invention Partial plane sectional view of a head-mounted display device in a modification of the present invention Partial side sectional view of a head-mounted display device in a modification of the present invention FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional plan view of a coupling mechanism and a rotation prevention mechanism of a head-mounted display device in a modification of the present invention Side sectional view of a coupling mechanism and a rotation prevention mechanism of a head-mounted display device in a modification of the present invention. Front sectional view of coupling mechanism and rotation prevention mechanism of head mounted display device in modification of the present invention

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Head-mounted display apparatus 2 Holder 2a Front part 2b Rear part 2c Side part 3 Display unit 12 2nd member 13 3rd member 14 4th member 17 Hinge 18 Spring

Claims (1)

A head holding holder and a display unit coupled to the holder, the holder including a front part along at least a part of the frontal head, a rear part along at least a part of the back of the head, and left and right side heads And the holder has a front portion and a rear portion that are continuous through the side portion on one side of the left and right side heads and on the other side of the left and right side heads. The front part and the rear part of the holder are separated from each other on the other side of the left and right side heads so that at least a part of the holder is not held by the holder, A head-mounted display device having two members which are foldable around a hinge axis extending in the vertical direction with respect to the region, and whose holder is rotatable at a side portion by 180 degrees about a lateral axis with respect to each other.

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