Wearable display unit, headphones and system provided with these

• US 20060238878A1
• Filed: 06/23/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kato, Shigeru, Miyake, Nobuyuki, Ootsuki, Masaki
• Application Number:
  US11/473,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20060238878A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7491 of head mounted projectors

Abstract

Inclination of an image display unit is prevented at the time of using a wearable display unit in which the image display unit can move between a projection position where the image display unit comes in front of a user'"'"'s eye and a retracted position where the image display unit has been retracted from the front of the user'"'"'s eye. A display support member 27 is prevented from rotating in relation to a display support member housing part 31 in a direction included in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the display support member 27, even in a state that the display support member can move. To that end, grooves 28a, 28b extending in the longitudinal direction are formed in the display support member 27, while guide rollers 34a, 34a in contact with these grooves are provided within the display support member housing part 31.

Claims

1. A wearable display unit provided with an image display unit for displaying an image in front of an eye of a user and, the image display unit of which can be arranged near a user'"'"'s eye, comprising:

a display support member that has a bar shape and is fixed to said image display unit;

a display support member holding part that holds said display support member movably between a projecting position where said image display unit can be positioned in front of the eye of the user and a retracted position where said image display unit has been retracted from the front of the eye of the user; and

an anti-rotation means that prevents rotation of said display support member in relation to said display support member holding part in a neighborhood of, and including at least, said projecting position between said projecting position and said retracted position, with respect to rotation in a direction within a plane nearly perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the display support member, even when said display support member is in a movable state.

2. A wearable display unit according to claim 1, wherein said anti-rotation means comprises:

an anti-rotation-shape part formed, at least in a part of said display support member, to have an outer peripheral shape of a cross section having parts whose distances from a center of gravity in said cross section are different from each other, with said cross section being perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the display support member; and

an abutting part that is a part of said display support member holding part and can not be rotated in a sense of said rotation, with said abutting part abutting on said anti-rotation-shape part of said display support member at least in said neighborhood of the projecting position.

3. A wearable display unit according to claim 1, wherein said anti-rotation means comprises:

an anti-rotation-shape part formed, at least in a part of said display support member, to have an outer peripheral shape of a cross section different from a circle, with said cross section being perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the display support member; and

an abutting part that is a part of said display support member holding part and can not be rotated in a sense of said rotation, with said abutting part abutting on said anti-rotation-shape part of said display support member at least in said neighborhood of the projecting position.

4. A wearable display unit according to claim 2, wherein:

an outer peripheral shape of said cross section of said display support member is different between on a tip end side to which said image display unit is fixed and on a base end side opposite to said tip end side; and

said base end portion of the display support member forms said anti-rotation-shape part.

5. A wearable display unit according to claim 4, wherein an outer peripheral shape of said cross section on said tip end side of said display support member is a circle.

6. A wearable display unit according to claim 2, wherein:

said display support member is formed with a groove extending in said longitudinal direction;

said display su port member holding part has a guide roller that is in contact with a surface of said display support member, with said surface being formed with said groove; and

a part of said display support member, said part having said grove, is said anti-rotation-shape part, and said guide roller is said abutting part.

7. A wearable display unit according to claim 1, wherein:

said display support member holding part has a driving source that moves said display support member; and

a drive transmission part of said driving source is in contact with said display support member.

8. A wearable display unit according to claim 7, further comprising a holding means that holds said drive transmission part toward said display support member.

9. A wearable display unit according to claim 1, wherein:

said display support member has a shape curved in the longitudinal direction so that said shape extends along a head of the user; and

said image display unit can be moved in a locus corresponding to said curved shape, between said projecting position and said retracted position.

10. A wearable display unit according to claim 1, wherein said display support member holding part comprises a display support member housing that houses said display support member at the retracted position.