BEAM-SCAN DISPLAY APPARATUS, DISPLAY METHOD, AND VEHICLE

• US 20100045571A1
• Filed: 11/19/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Kakuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,390,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0062 Arrangements for scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0174 holographic
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/105 with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors G02B26/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features

Abstract

A beam-scan display apparatus (10) that displays an image by scanning a beam on a retina of a user, the beam-scan display apparatus (10) comprising: a case (11) for housing (i) a light source (101) which emits a beam for drawing each of pixels constituting the image, and (ii) a scan unit (103) configured to two-dimensionally scan the beam emitted from the light source (101); and a contact lens (12) having a deflection unit (104) configured to deflect, toward the retina of an eye of the user wearing the case (11), the beam scanned by the scan unit (103), the contact lens (12) being separate from the case (11).

Claims

1. A beam-scan display apparatus that displays an image by scanning a beam on a retina of a user, said beam-scan display apparatus comprising:

a case for housing (i) a light source which emits a beam for drawing each of pixels constituting the image, and (ii) a scan unit configured to two-dimensionally scan the beam emitted from said light source; and

a contact lens having a deflection unit configured to deflect, toward the retina of an eye of the user wearing said case, the beam scanned by said scan unit, said contact lens being separate from said case.

2. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said deflection unit is a hologram formed on a surface of said contact lens.

3. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein said hologram has:

a first interference pattern for deflecting, toward the user'"'"'s retina, a beam incident from a first direction; and

a second interference pattern for deflecting, toward the user'"'"'s retina, a beam incident from a second direction different from the first direction.

4. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the first and second directions are directions from said scan unit toward said hologram before and after said contact lens rotates along a surface of an eyeball of the user by a predetermined angle.

5. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the first and second directions are directions from said scan unit toward said hologram before and after said contact lens revolves around a center of an eyeball of the user by a predetermined angle.

6. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said contact lens includes a rotation suppressing part which suppresses rotation of said contact lens along a surface of an eyeball of the user.

7. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein said rotation suppressing part is a part of said contact lens, and has a density different from a density of an other part of said contact lens.

8. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a light detection unit configured to detect reflection, from said contact lens, of the beam emitted from said light source;

a relative position detection unit configured to detect a change in relative positions of said scan unit and said deflection unit with respect to each other, based on the detection by said light detection unit; and

a scan angle control unit configured to control a scan angle of said scan unit based on the detection by said relative position detection unit such that the beam incident on said deflection unit travels toward the user'"'"'s retina.

9. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 8,

wherein said contact lens includes a characteristic point having a reflection property different from a reflection property of an other part of said contact lens,

said light detection unit is configured to detect light reflected from said characteristic point, and

said relative position detection unit is configured to detect a change in the relative positions of said scan unit and said deflection unit based on a difference between a predetermined reference position of said characteristic point and a position of said characteristic point detected by said light detection unit.

10. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein said characteristic point is provided closer to said scan unit than a vertex of said contact lens.

11. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said scan unit is provided more forward than said deflection unit with respect to the user.

12. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said scan unit is provided more downward than said deflection unit with respect to the user.

13. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said scan unit is provided between an ear of the user and said deflection unit in a horizontal direction of a head of the user.

14. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein said case is supported only by a temporal region of the user.

15. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein said case includes:

a first part located in front of a contact position, the contact position being in contact with the user'"'"'s temporal region; and

a second part located behind the contact position such that about the contact position, a moment of said first part and a moment of said second part are substantially in equilibrium.

16. The beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the contact position is at a base of an ear of the user, and

said second part is provided with a battery for driving said beam-scan display apparatus.

18. A vehicle mounted with the beam-scan display apparatus according to claim 1, said vehicle comprising:

a driver seat on which a driver wearing the contact lens is seated; and

a case holding unit configured to hold the case at a position where a beam can be scanned on the contact lens worn by the driver.

17. A method for displaying an image using a beam-scan display apparatus,

wherein the beam-scan display apparatus includes:

a case for housing a light source and a scan unit; and

a contact lens which includes a deflection unit and is separate from the case, and

said method comprises;

emitting, from the light source, a beam for drawing each of pixels constituting the image;

two-dimensionally scanning the beam emitted in said emitting;

deflecting, toward a retina of an eye of a user, the beam scanned in said scanning, said deflecting being performed by the deflection unit;

detecting reflection, from the contact lens, of the beam emitted in said emitting;

detecting a change in relative positions of the scan unit and the deflection unit with respect to each other, based on the detection in said detecting of reflection; and

controlling a scan angle of the scan unit based on the detection in said detecting of a change in relative positions such that the beam incident on the deflection unit travels toward the user'"'"'s retina.