DISPLAY DEVICE AND DISPLAY METHOD

• US 20100013739A1
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• 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 8,368,794 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/112 for measuring diameter of pupils
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/12 for looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes A61B3/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4261 Evaluating exocrine secretion production A61B3/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• 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 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 : Head mounted
• 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: G06F 3/0484 : for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 : for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 : for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

The present invention provides a display apparatus and a display method for realizing control for display operations by a user precisely reflecting the user'"'"'s status, i.e., the user'"'"'s intentions, visual state and physical conditions. By worn as part of an eyeglass-like or head-mount wearable unit for example, the display apparatus of the present invention enables the user to recognize visibly various images on the display unit positioned in front of the user'"'"'s eyes thereby providing the picked up images, reproduced images, and received images. Here, as control for various display operations such as switching between the display state and the see-through state, display operation mode and selecting sources, the display apparatus of the present invention acquires information about either behavior or physical status of the user, and determines either intention or status of the user in accordance with the acquired information, thereby controlling the display operation appropriately on the basis of the determination result.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

display means for displaying images as it is positioned in front of the eyes of a user;

user information acquisition means for acquiring information about either behavior or physical status of said user; and

control means for determining either intention or status of said user in accordance with the information acquired by said user information acquisition means, said control means further controlling display operations of said display means in a manner reflecting the result of the determination.

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

image pickup means for picking up images.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control means controls said display means to display image data picked up by said image pickup means in accordance with the information acquired by said user information acquisition means.

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

reproduction means for reproducing data from a recording medium.

5. The display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control means controls said display means to display the data reproduced by said reproduction means in accordance with the information acquired by said user information acquisition means.

6. The display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said control means controls reproduction operations of said reproduction means in accordance with the information acquired by said user information acquisition means while the data reproduced by said reproduction means is being displayed by said display means.

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

reception means for receiving data through communication with an external apparatus.

8. The display apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said control means controls said display means to display the data received by said reception means in accordance with the information acquired by said user information acquisition means.

9. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display means is capable of switching between a see-through state and a display state, said see-through state being a state in which said display means remains either transparent or translucent, said display state being a state in which said display means displays supplied data.

10. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user information acquisition means is a sensor configured to detect acceleration, angular velocity, or vibration.

11. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user information acquisition means is a sensor configured to detect movements of the head, arms, hands, legs, or whole body of said user.

12. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user information acquisition means is a sensor configured to detect a stationary state, a walking state, and a running state of said user.

13. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user information acquisition means is a visual sensor configured to detect visual information about said user.

14. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user information acquisition means is a sensor configured to detect, as visual information about said user, the line of sight, focal distance, pupil dilation, retinal pattern, or blinks of said user.

15. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user information acquisition means is a biometric sensor configured to detect biometric information about said user.

16. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user information acquisition means is a sensor configured to detect, as biometric information about said user, the heart rate, pulse rate, perspiration, brain wave, galvanic skin reflex, blood pressure, body temperature, or breathing rate of said user.

17. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said user information acquisition means is a biometric sensor configured to detect information about a tense state or an excited state of said user.

18. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said display means to start and end the display operations thereof.

19. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display means is capable of switching between a see-through state and a display state, said see-through state being a state in which said display means remains either transparent or translucent, said display state being a state in which said display means displays supplied data;

and

wherein said control means controls said display means to switch between said see-through state and said display state.

20. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls switching between sources which supply data to said display means for display.

21. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said display means to scale up and down a display image.

22. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said display means to split an onscreen display.

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

24. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls signal processing of an image signal to be displayed by said display means.

25. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls said display means to scroll images or to feed pages.

26. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means determines an input operation regarding the image displayed by said display means in accordance with the information acquired by said user information acquisition means.

27. A display method for use with a display apparatus including display means for displaying images as it is positioned in front of the eyes of a user, and user information acquisition means for acquiring information about either behavior or physical status of said user, said display method comprising the steps of:

acquiring information about the behavior or physical status of said user; and

determining either intention or status of said user in accordance with the information acquired in said information acquiring step, said determining step further controlling display operations of said display means in a manner reflecting the result of the determination.