JP2013171074A - Automatic display adjustment apparatus and automatic display adjustment method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic display adjustment apparatus and an automatic display adjustment method, capable of easily adjusting a display to proper brightness according to brightness of background.SOLUTION: An automatic display adjustment apparatus enabling communication with a head-mounted display 5 provided with a transmission type display unit includes: imaging means 2 of imaging background that can be visualized via the display unit by a user wearing the head-mounted display 5: determination means 3 of determining the brightness of the background imaged by the imaging means 2, on the basis of imaging information held by the imaging means 2 and video data acquired by the imaging means 2; and setting means 4 of determining a brightness setting value for adjusting the brightness of the display unit, on the basis of the brightness of the background, and transmitting a control signal including the brightness setting value to the head-mounted display 5.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic display adjustment device and an automatic display adjustment method for adjusting the brightness of a display.

  There is a head mounted display (HMD) (hereinafter referred to as a transmissive HMD) provided with a transmissive (see-through) display unit. The user wearing the transmissive HMD can check the surrounding situation via the display unit. When a video is displayed on the display unit of the transmissive HMD, the surroundings (hereinafter referred to as the background) that can be seen through the display unit overlap with the video displayed on the display unit. Therefore, when the background is a bright color or when the surroundings of the user are bright, the display on the display unit may be difficult to see due to the background that can be seen through the display unit.

  There are cases in which an operator wears a transmission type HMD to perform work at a product manufacturing site or a maintenance site. In that case, an image or video including a work instruction is displayed on the display unit, and the worker performs work according to the work instruction. Therefore, if the display on the display unit becomes difficult to see due to the background color or the surrounding brightness seen through the display unit, the work efficiency of the operator is lowered.

  There is a see-through type HMD provided with an optical system (such as a prism and a lens) that superimposes an image displayed on an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a view of the user's field of view to the user's eyes (for example, Patent Documents) 1). The HMD described in Patent Document 1 changes an image displayed on an LCD based on visual field information detected by a luminance sensor that detects the luminance of a user's visual field.

  When displaying a still image or video on the see-through display, part or all of the background image, which is the external landscape in the direction of the user's line of sight, is achromatic, and the still image or video is displayed in the achromatic area. There is a see-through type HMD that allows a user to sufficiently view a display image by displaying the above (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  There is a technique for improving the visibility of a display image in a see-through type HMD (see, for example, Patent Document 3). The HMD described in Patent Document 3 detects the brightness and color temperature based on the image signal obtained by the imaging operation of the camera unit, adjusts the display light quantity of the LCD according to the detected brightness, and detects it. The display color of the image is adjusted according to the set color temperature.

JP 2009-92810 A JP 2010-177788 A JP 2007-121625 A

  The HMD described in Patent Document 1 changes the color of characters and figures in a display image according to the brightness of the user's visual field. When the user uses the HMD while moving, it is necessary to change the color of characters and graphics in accordance with the background that changes as the user moves. Therefore, there is a possibility that the processing load on the CPU provided in the HMD increases.

  The HMD described in Patent Document 2 generates a background cancellation image for canceling the background image. Therefore, when the user uses the HMD while moving, a background cancellation image must be generated according to the background that changes with the movement. Therefore, like the HMD described in Patent Document 1, there is a possibility that the processing load of the CPU provided in the HMD increases.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic display adjustment device and an automatic display adjustment method that can easily adjust the display to an appropriate brightness in accordance with the brightness of the background.

  An automatic display adjustment device according to the present invention is capable of communicating with a head mounted display including a transmissive display unit, and an imaging unit that captures a background that can be visually recognized through a display unit by a user wearing the head mounted display. The determination means for determining the brightness of the background imaged by the imaging means based on the shooting information held by the imaging means or the video data acquired by the imaging means, and the brightness of the display unit based on the brightness of the background And setting means for determining a brightness setting value for adjusting the brightness and transmitting a control signal including the brightness setting value to the head mounted display.

  An automatic display adjustment method according to the present invention is an automatic display adjustment method in an automatic display adjustment device capable of communicating with a head-mounted display having a transmissive display unit, and a user wearing the head-mounted display passes through the display unit. The brightness of the background is determined based on the shooting information held by the imaging means that captures the visible background or the video data acquired by the imaging means, and the brightness of the display is adjusted based on the brightness of the background. A brightness setting value for determining the brightness setting value is determined, and a control signal including the brightness setting value is transmitted to the head mounted display.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily adjust the display to an appropriate brightness according to the brightness of the background.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the automatic display adjustment apparatus by this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of 1st Embodiment of an automatic display adjustment apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of 2nd Embodiment of an automatic display adjustment apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part of the automatic display adjustment apparatus by this invention.

Embodiment 1. FIG.
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an automatic display adjustment apparatus according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic display adjustment device 20 is connected to the display device 13 so as to be communicable. The self-display adjusting device 20 and the display device 13 are connected so as to be communicable by short-range wireless communication, for example. The automatic display adjustment device 20 and the display device 13 may be connected by communication other than short-range wireless communication, for example, wired communication.

  The display device 13 is a transmissive head mounted display including a see-through display unit (not shown).

  The display device 13 is mounted near the user's head. The user can visually recognize the periphery of the display device 13 via the see-through display unit.

  The automatic display adjustment device 20 includes an imaging device 10, a video color determination unit 11, and a brightness setting unit 12.

  The automatic display adjustment device 20 is installed in the vicinity of the display device 13. For example, when the display device 13 is a glasses type, the automatic display adjustment device 20 may be installed on the vine of the display device 13 or the like. The automatic display adjustment device 20 may be incorporated in the display device 13 and integrated with the display device 13.

  The imaging device 10 is a camera, for example. The imaging device 10 captures the periphery of the display device 13 and acquires video data. In the present embodiment, the imaging device 10 captures a background that is visible to the user via the see-through display unit of the display device 13.

  The video color determination unit 11 determines whether the background photographed by the display device 13 is bright or dark, that is, the degree of brightness of the background.

  The video color determination unit 11 outputs brightness information indicating the brightness level of the background to the brightness setting unit 12.

  The brightness setting unit 12 adjusts the brightness of the display device 13, for example, the brightness, based on the brightness information input from the video color determination unit 11. In the present embodiment, the brightness setting unit 12 determines a brightness setting value for setting the brightness of the display device 13 based on the brightness information. Then, the brightness setting unit 12 transmits a control signal including the determined brightness setting value to the display device 13.

  The video color determination unit 11 and the brightness setting unit 12 are realized by a CPU provided in the automatic display adjustment device 20.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment of the automatic display adjustment apparatus 20.

  The video color determination unit 11 acquires shooting information from the imaging device 10 (step S201), and determines the brightness of the background based on the acquired shooting information (steps S202 and S203). The shooting information is, for example, a white balance value and an exposure control value that are currently set in the imaging apparatus 10 and is stored in a storage unit (not shown) included in the imaging apparatus 10.

  Here, the background brightness determination processing of the video color determination unit 11 will be described.

  First, the video color determination unit 11 recognizes the color temperature of the subject (background) from the white balance value. Then, the video color determination unit 11 determines the brightness of the background based on the background color temperature and the exposure control value.

  When the color temperature is high and the exposure control value is a negative value (Yes in step S202), the video color determination unit 11 determines that the background is bright. If the color temperature is low and the exposure control value is a positive value (Yes in step S203), it is determined that the background is dark. If the color temperature is low and the exposure control value is a negative value, or if the color temperature is high and the exposure control value is a positive value (No in step S203), it is determined that the brightness of the background is medium. To do.

  In the present embodiment, the color temperature is determined in three stages of “high”, “low”, and “medium”, but is not limited to three stages and may be an arbitrary number of stages. Further, although the exposure control value is determined in two steps, a positive value and a negative value, the exposure control value is not limited to two steps and may be any number of steps. In addition, the degree of background brightness is determined in three stages of “high”, “low”, and “medium”, but is not limited to three stages, and is a stage corresponding to the number of stages of color temperature and exposure control value. It may be a number.

  After the processes of steps S202 and S203 are executed, the video color determination unit 11 outputs brightness information including the determination result of the background brightness to the brightness setting unit 12.

  The brightness setting unit 12 adjusts the brightness of the display device 13 according to the degree of background brightness indicated by the input brightness information.

  When the degree of the background brightness is high, the video on the display unit of the display device 13 is displayed lightly, so the brightness setting unit 12 sets the brightness of the display device 13 high (step S204). Specifically, the brightness setting unit 12 transmits to the display device 13 a control signal including a brightness setting value that is set to a high value. The display device 13 adjusts the luminance of the display unit based on the luminance setting value included in the received control signal.

  When the degree of background brightness is low, the video on the display unit of the display device 13 is too bright, and the brightness setting unit 12 sets the brightness of the display device 13 low (step S205). Specifically, the brightness setting unit 12 transmits to the display device 13 a control signal including a brightness setting value that is set to a low value.

  When the degree of background brightness is medium, the brightness setting unit 12 sets the brightness of the display device 13 to medium (step S206). Specifically, the brightness setting unit 12 transmits to the display device 13 a control signal including a brightness setting value in which a medium value is set.

  After executing the processes of steps S204, S205, and S206, the automatic display adjustment apparatus 20 returns to the process of step S201.

  In the present embodiment, the luminance setting value is set in three stages of “high”, “low”, and “medium”, but is not limited to three stages, and may be an arbitrary number of stages.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the automatic display adjustment device 20 adjusts the brightness of the display device 13 based on the shooting information of the imaging device 10. Accordingly, since the brightness of the display device 13 can be easily adjusted without image processing or the like, the processing load on the automatic display adjustment device 20 can be reduced. Therefore, even when the user uses the display device 13 while moving, the display device 13 can be appropriately used without increasing the processing load on the automatic display adjustment device 20 according to the brightness of the background that changes as the user moves. The brightness can be set to make the display on the display device 13 easier to see.

  Further, since the brightness of the background is determined based on the shooting information, it is not necessary to newly install a sensor for detecting the brightness of the background in the automatic display adjustment device 20. Therefore, the cost of the automatic display adjustment device 20 can be reduced.

  Further, since the automatic display adjustment device 20 adjusts the brightness of the display device 13, the display device 13 can be set to an appropriate brightness without requiring a user operation.

  In this embodiment, the brightness of the background is determined based on the white balance value and the exposure control value. However, the brightness of the background is determined based on only the white balance value or only the exposure control value. You may make it determine. The video color determination unit 11 may acquire values other than the white balance value and the exposure control value from the imaging device 10 as shooting information.

  Alternatively, only the imaging device 10 may be incorporated in the display device 13, or only the imaging device 10 may be installed in the vicinity of the display device 13, and the user may carry the automatic display adjustment device 20 as a small computer. In that case, the video color determination unit 11 may acquire shooting information from the imaging device 10 by short-range wireless communication or the like.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The configuration of the automatic display adjustment device 20 of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. However, the video color determination unit 11 of the automatic display adjustment device 20 determines the brightness of the background based on the video data input from the imaging device 10.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second embodiment of the automatic display adjustment apparatus 20.

  The processes in steps S303 and S304 are the same as the processes in steps S204 and S205 of the first embodiment, respectively, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  The imaging device 10 always shoots the surroundings (background) and outputs the acquired video data to the video color determination unit 11.

  The video color determination unit 11 inputs shooting data from the imaging device 10 (step S301).

  The video color determination unit 11 of the automatic display adjustment device 20 determines the background color (hereinafter referred to as background color) based on the video data input from the imaging device 10 (step S302).

  When the background color includes many bright colors, for example, white or yellow (Yes in step S302), the video color determination unit 11 determines that the background is bright. Further, when the background color includes many dark colors, for example, black and blue (No in step S302), it is determined that the background is dark. The video color determination unit 11 outputs brightness information including the determination result of the background brightness to the brightness setting unit 12.

  The automatic display adjustment apparatus 20 returns to the process of step S301 after executing the processes of steps S303 and S304.

  In the present embodiment, the brightness of the background is determined in two stages of “bright” and “dark”, but the number of stages is not limited to two and may be any number.

  According to the present embodiment, the automatic display adjustment device 20 adjusts the brightness of the display device 13 based on the video data input from the imaging device 10. Accordingly, as in the first embodiment, it is not necessary to newly install a sensor for detecting the brightness of the background in the automatic display adjustment device 20. Further, it is not necessary for the user to manually adjust the brightness of the display device 13.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, only the imaging device 10 is incorporated in the display device 13, or only the imaging device 10 is installed in the vicinity of the display device 13, and the user uses the automatic display adjustment device 20 as a small computer. You may make it carry. In that case, the imaging device 10 may transmit the video data to the video color determination unit 11 by short-range wireless communication or the like.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a main part of the automatic display adjusting apparatus according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the automatic display adjustment device 1 (corresponding to the automatic display adjustment device 20 shown in FIG. 1) is equivalent to the head mounted display 5 (corresponding to the display device 13 shown in FIG. 1) provided with a transmissive display unit. ) And an imaging unit 2 that captures a background that a user wearing the head mounted display 5 can visually recognize via the display unit (corresponding to the imaging device 10 in the automatic display adjustment device 20 shown in FIG. 1). And determining means 3 (automatic display adjusting device 20 shown in FIG. 1) for determining the brightness of the background imaged by the imaging means 2 based on the shooting information held by the imaging means 2 or the video data acquired by the imaging means 2. And a brightness setting value for adjusting the brightness of the display section based on the brightness of the background, and a control signal including the brightness setting value is transmitted to the head mounted display. 5 setting means for transmitting to 4 (corresponding to the brightness setting portion 12 in the automatic display adjustment device 20 shown in FIG.) And a.

  In the above embodiment, the following automatic display adjustment device is also disclosed.

(1) An automatic display adjustment device in which shooting information includes a white balance value and an exposure control value.

(2) The determination unit 3 recognizes the background color temperature captured by the imaging unit based on the white balance value, and determines that the background is dark when the color temperature is low and the exposure control value is a positive value. An automatic display adjustment device that determines that the background is bright when the color temperature is high and the exposure control value is a negative value.

(3) An automatic display adjustment device that receives the background video data captured by the imaging unit 2 and determines the background brightness according to the amount of bright colors included in the video data.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,20 Automatic display adjustment apparatus 2 Imaging means 3 Judgment means 4 Setting means 5 Head mounted display 10 Imaging apparatus 11 Image | video color determination part 12 Brightness setting part 13 Display apparatus

Claims (5)

It can communicate with a head-mounted display with a transmissive display unit,
An imaging unit that captures a background that a user wearing the head-mounted display can visually recognize via the display unit;
Determination means for determining brightness of the background imaged by the imaging means based on shooting information held by the imaging means or video data acquired by the imaging means;
Setting means for determining a brightness setting value for adjusting the brightness of the display unit based on the brightness of the background and transmitting a control signal including the brightness setting value to the head mounted display. Automatic display adjustment device characterized. The automatic display adjustment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shooting information includes a white balance value and an exposure control value. The judging means is
Recognize the color temperature of the background imaged by the imaging means based on the white balance value,
When the color temperature is low and the exposure control value is a positive value, it is determined that the background is dark,
The automatic display adjustment device according to claim 2, wherein the background is bright when the color temperature is high and the exposure control value is a negative value. The judging means is
4. The background video data captured by the imaging unit is input, and the brightness of the background is determined according to the amount of bright colors included in the video data. 5. The automatic display adjustment device described. An automatic display adjustment method in an automatic display adjustment device capable of communicating with a head-mounted display having a transmissive display unit,
The brightness of the background is determined based on shooting information held by an imaging unit that captures a background that can be viewed through the display unit by a user wearing the head-mounted display or video data acquired by the imaging unit. And
A brightness setting value for adjusting the brightness of the display unit is determined based on the brightness of the background, and a control signal including the brightness setting value is transmitted to the head mounted display. Adjustment method.

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