DISPLAY APPARATUS AND DISPLAY METHOD

• US 20090278766A1
• Filed: 08/17/2007
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsuruta, Masaaki, Sako, Yoichiro, Ito, Taiji, Asukai, Masamichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,982,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0185 Displaying image at variable distance
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/80 Shading
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0233 Improving the luminance or brightness uniformity across the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0686 with two or more screen areas displaying information with different brightness or colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

An adequate display operation control in accordance with the external world situation is realized. For example, where a user wears the wearing unit of a spectacle-shaped or head-worn unit, the user is made to be able to view any type of image on the display section immediately in front of the eyes, and provided with taken images, reproduced images, and received images. At the point, a control relative to various display operations such as on/off of the display operation, display operation mode, and source change is carried out based on external world information.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

display means to be arranged in front of an eye of a user for displaying an image;

outside world information acquisition means for acquiring outside world information; and

control means for controlling an operation of said display means based on the information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

imaging means for photographing an image.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, based on the information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means, said control means controls the image data photographed by said imaging means to be displayed on said display means.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

reproduction means for reproducing data from a storage medium.

5. The display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein, based on the information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means, said control means controls the data reproduced by said reproduction means to be displayed on said display means.

6. The display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

reception means for communicating with an external device to receive data from the external device.

7. The display apparatus according to claim 6, wherein, based on the information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means, said control means controls the data received by said reception means to be displayed on said display means.

8. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display means is capable of switching between a transparent or translucent through state and a displaying state in which data supplied is displayed.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said outside world information acquisition means is a sensor for detecting a situation of a surrounding environment as the outside world information.

10. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said outside world information acquisition means is a sensor for detecting information concerning an imaging object of said imaging means as the outside world information.

11. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said outside world information acquisition means acquires current position information as the outside world information.

12. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said outside world information acquisition means acquires a current date and time as the outside world information.

13. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said outside world information acquisition means acquires the outside world information via communication with an external device.

14. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said outside world information acquisition means acquires the outside world information via image analysis performed on input image data.

15. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outside world information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means is information on a brightness, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, or weather of surroundings.

16. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outside world information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means is information on a place corresponding to a current position.

17. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outside world information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means is information on a structure or natural object in an area corresponding to a current position.

18. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outside world information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means is information for identifying a specified object included in input image data.

19. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outside world information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means is information for identifying a person, an animal, a structure, a natural object, or a device as a specified object included in input image data.

20. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outside world information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means is information on a motion of an object image included in input image data.

21. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outside world information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means is information for identifying an individual person included in input image data.

22. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outside world information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means is information for determining whether or not input image data includes a letter image.

23. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outside world information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means is information on brightness or clearness of input image data.

24. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outside world information acquired by said outside world information acquisition means is information on brightness or clearness of a part of an image of input image data.

25. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls start/termination of a display operation in said display means.

26. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said display means is capable of switching between a transparent or translucent through state and a displaying state in which data supplied is displayed, and

said control means controls said display means to switch between the through state and the displaying state.

27. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls switching of a source from which data to be displayed on said display means is supplied.

28. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls magnification/reduction of the image displayed on said display means.

29. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls highlighting of a part of a screen displayed on said display means.

30. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls split screen display performed in said display means.

31. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls display brightness in said display means.

32. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls signal processing performed on a signal of the image to be displayed by said display means.

33. The display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

speech synthesis means for performing speech synthesis based on a letter included in the image to be supplied to said display means; and

audio output means for outputting audio generated by said speech synthesis means.

34. A display method employed in a display apparatus including display means to be arranged in front of an eye of a user for displaying an image, the method comprising:

outside world information step for acquiring outside world information; and

control step for exercising control related to a display operation performed in the display means based on the information acquired in said outside world information acquiring step.