Head-mounted display device and control method for the head-mounted display device

• US 10,009,602 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2015
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kimura, Fusashi, Kobayashi, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Edouard, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fox, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/819,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0143 the two eyes not being equipped with identical nor symmetrical optical devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0147 comprising a device modifying the resolution of the displayed image
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/00 Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/041 Temperature compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/022 in absence of operation, e.g. no data being entered during a predetermined time
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3233 with pixel circuitry controlling the current through the light-emitting element
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays

Abstract

A head-mounted display device includes: an image-light generating unit for right eye that generates image light from image data for right eye and emits the image light; an image-light generating unit for left eye that generates image light from image data for left eye and the image light; a light guide units that guide the emitted image lights to the left and right eyes of the user; and a display control unit that transmits control signals for controlling the emission of the image lights respectively to the image-light generating unit for right eye and the image-light generating unit for left eye. The display control unit transitions, according to a condition set in advance, the head-mounted display device to a power saving state for causing one of the image-light generating unit for right eye and the image-light generating unit for left eye to stop the emission of the image light.

Claims

1. A head-mounted display device for making a user recognize a virtual image in a state in which the head-mounted display device is mounted on a head of the user, the head-mounted display device comprising:

an image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user to generate an image light from image data for right eye of the user and to emit the image light;

an image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user to generate the image light from image data for the left eye of the user and to emit the image light;

a display control unit configured to control an emission of each of the image light respectively generated by the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user and the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user;

a temperature detecting unit for the right eye of the user that detects a temperature of the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user; and

a temperature detecting unit for the left eye of the user that detects a temperature of the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user, wherein

the display control unit controls the head-mounted display device to change its operation state, according to a condition set in advance, to a power saving state, wherein in the power saving state, the display control unit transitions the image-light emission of the image-light generating units among a first state in which only the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user emits image light, a second state in which only the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user emits image light, and a third state in which both the image-light generating units for the left eye of the user and for the right eye of the user emit image light,

when a switching condition is satisfied, the display control unit is configured to transition the image-light emission of the image-light generating units from the first state to the second state through the third state,

when a first condition is selected, the display control unit is configured to transition the image-light emission of the image-light generating units from equally between the first state and the second state, and

when a second condition is selected, the display control unit is configured to transition the image-light emission of the image-light generating units from one of the first state and the second state to the other of the first state and the second state.

2. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, wherein the condition set in advance is a condition that at least one of the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit for the right eye of the user and the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit for the left eye of the user is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

3. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, wherein the condition set in advance is a condition that a target image used for display of the virtual image is a still image.

4. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, further comprising a battery that supplies electric power to the head-mounted display device, wherein

the condition set in advance is a condition that a remaining power of the battery is equal to or smaller than a predetermined remaining power.

5. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, further comprising an illuminance acquiring unit that acquires an illuminance indicating ambient brightness, wherein

the condition set in advance is a condition that the acquired illuminance is equal to or lower than a predetermined illuminance.

6. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, wherein the condition set in advance is any one of a condition that the head-mounted display device detects startup of an application designated in advance in an operating system installed in the head-mounted display device, a condition that the head-mounted display device acquires a request from an outside, and a condition that the head-mounted display device detects that a state in which operation for the head-mounted display device is not detected continues for a predetermined time.

7. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, wherein when the second condition is selected and if the temperature of the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user is lower than the temperature of the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user, the display control unit is configured to transition to the first state.

8. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, wherein when the second condition is selected and if the temperature of the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user is higher than the temperature of the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user, the display control unit is configured to transition to the second state.

9. A head-mounted display device for making a user recognize a virtual image in a state in which the head-mounted display device is mounted on a head of the user, the head-mounted display device comprising:

an image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user to generate an image light from image data for the right eye of the user and to emit the image light;

an image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user to generate the image light from image data for the left eye of the user and to emit the image light;

a display control unit configured to control an emission of each of the image light respectively generated by the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user and the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user;

a temperature detecting unit for the right eye of the user that detects a temperature of the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user; and

a temperature detecting unit for the left eye of the user that detects a temperature of the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user, wherein

the display control unit controls the head-mounted display device to change its operation state, according to conditions set in advance, between a power saving state, and a normal state which makes both of the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user and the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user execute the emission of the image light, wherein in the power saving state, the display control unit transitions the image-light emission of the image-light generating units among a first state in which only the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user emits image light, a second state in which only the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user emits image light, and a third state in which both the image-light generating units for the left eye of the user and for the right eye of the user emit image light, the conditions set in advance are a first condition that at least one of the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit for the right eye of the user and the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit for the left eye of the user is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature, the first condition causing the head-mounted display device to change its operation state to the power saving state, and a second condition that both of the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit for the right eye of the user and the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit for the left eye of the user are below the predetermined temperature, the second condition making the head-mounted display device to change its operation state to the normal state, and

when a switching condition is satisfied, the display control unit is configured to transition the image-light emission of the image-light generating units from the first state to the second state through the third state,

when a first condition is selected, the display control unit is configured to transition the image-light emission of the image-light generating units from equally between the first state and the second state, and

when a second condition is selected, the display control unit is configured to transition the image-light emission of the image-light generating units from one of the first state and the second state to the other of the first state and the second state.

10. The head-mounted display device according to claim 9, further comprising an image processing unit that receives a source image which becomes the virtual image and generates the image data for right eye of the user and the image data for left eye of the user based on the source image.

11. The head-mounted display device according to claim 9, wherein the image light emitted by the image-light generating unit that executes the emission of the image light in the power saving state is a same size as an image light emitted in a non-power saving state.

12. The head-mounted display device according to claim 9, wherein the virtual image made in the power saving state by one of the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user and the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user display in the virtual field of the user is the same as the virtual image displayed in the normal state.

13. The head-mounted display device according to claim 12, further comprising an image processing unit that receives a source image which becomes the virtual image and generates the image data for the right eye of the user and the image data for the left eye of the user based on the source image.

14. The head-mounted display device according to claim 12, wherein the image light emitted by image-light generating unit that executes the emission of the image light in the power saving state is a same size as an image light emitted in a non-power saving state.

15. A head-mounted display device for making a user recognize a virtual image in a state in which the head-mounted display device is mounted on a head of the user, the head-mounted display device comprising:

an image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user to generate an image light from image data for the right eye of the user and to emit the image light;

an image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user to generate the image light from image data for the left eye of the user and to emit the image light;

a display control unit configured to control an emission of each of the image light respectively generated by the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user and the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user;

a temperature detecting unit for the right eye of the user that detects a temperature of the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user; and

a temperature detecting unit for the left eye of the user that detects a temperature of the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user, wherein

the display control unit controls the head-mounted display device to change its operation state, according to a condition set in advance, between a power saving state and a normal state which makes both of the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user and the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user execute the emission of the image light, wherein in the power saving state, the display control unit transitions the image-light emission of the image-light generating units among a first state in which only the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user emits image light, a second state in which only the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user emits image light, and a third state in which both the image-light generating units for the left eye of the user and for the right eye of the user emit image light,

the condition set in advance is a condition that the difference between the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit for the right eye of the user and the temperature detected by the temperature detecting unit for the left eye of the user is equal to or larger than a predetermined temperature difference, and

when a switching condition is satisfied, the display control unit is configured to transition the image-light emission of the image-light generating units from the first state to the second state through the third state,

when a first condition is selected, the display control unit is configured to transition the image-light emission of the image-light generating units from equally between the first state and the second state, and

when a second condition is selected, the display control unit is configured to transition the image-light emission of the image-light generating units from one of the first state and the second state to the other of the first state and the second state.

16. The head-mounted display device according to claim 15, wherein the virtual image made in the power saving state by one of the image-light generating unit for the right eye of the user and the image-light generating unit for the left eye of the user display in the virtual field of the user is the same as the virtual image displayed in the normal state.