HEAD MOUNTED DISPLAY AND OPTICAL POSITION ADJUSTMENT METHOD OF THE SAME

• US 20110248904A1
• Filed: 04/01/2011
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Matsumura, Ikuo, Miyawaki, Tetsuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,907,865 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0109 comprising details concerning the making of holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• 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 2027/0161 characterised by the relative positioning of the constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0174 holographic
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2356/00 Detection of the display position w.r.t. other display screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display, the head mounted display including (a) an eyeglass type frame worn on the head of a viewer, and (b) two image display devices for the right and left eyes attached to the frame, and each of the image display devices including (A) an image forming device, and (B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device, wherein the optical position adjustment method includes the step of: controlling an image signal that is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices so as to control the position of the image displayed on the optical device making up at least one of the image display devices and adjust the mutual positions of the two images.

Claims

1. An optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display, the head mounted display including

(a) an eyeglass type frame worn on the head of a viewer, and

(b) two image display devices for the right and left eyes attached to the frame, and

each of the image display devices including

(A) an image forming device, and

(B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device,

wherein the optical position adjustment method comprises the step of:

controlling an image signal that is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices so as to control the position of the image displayed on the optical device making up at least one of the image display devices and adjust the mutual positions of the two images.

4. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 1, wherein

the adjustment of the mutual positions of the two images is accomplished by an arbitrary combination of horizontal and vertical movements and rotation of the image displayed on the optical device making up at least one of the image display devices.

5. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 4, wherein

the optical devices are see-through.

2. An optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display, the head mounted display including

(a) an eyeglass type frame worn on the head of a viewer, and

(b) two image display devices for the right and left eyes attached to the frame, and

each of the image display devices including

(A) an image forming device, and

(B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device,

wherein the optical position adjustment method comprises the steps of:

capturing an image displayed on each optical device with an associated imaging device;

finding the displacement of the image obtained by each of the imaging devices from a reference position; and

controlling an image signal that is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices so as to eliminate the displacement and adjust the mutual positions of the two images.

3. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 2, wherein

the reference position is an imaging position of a subject in an imaging device obtained when the subject, located at a given position forward of the two optical devices, is imaged by the imaging device.

6. An optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display, the head mounted display including

(a) an eyeglass type frame worn on the head of a viewer, and

(b) two image display devices for the right and left eyes attached to the frame, and

each of the image display devices including

(A) an image forming device, and

(B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device,

wherein the optical position adjustment method comprises the steps of:

controlling an image signal that is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices so as to control the position of the image displayed on the optical device making up at least one of the image display devices and adjust the mutual positions of the two images; and

based on the distance from the head mounted display to the target, further controlling the image signal that is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices so as to adjust the convergence angle commensurate with the distance from the head mounted display to the target.

9. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 6, wherein

the adjustment of the mutual positions of the two images is accomplished by an arbitrary combination of horizontal and vertical movements and rotation of the image displayed on the optical device making up at least one of the image display devices.

10. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 9, wherein

the optical devices are see-through.

11. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 10, wherein

distance information from the head mounted display to the target is transmitted to the head mounted display from external equipment in addition to the image signal supplied to the image forming devices.

12. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 10, wherein

the head mounted display further comprises a distance measurement device adapted to measure the distance to the target from the head mounted display so that distance information is obtained by the distance measurement device.

13. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 12, wherein

a luminance signal of an image to be displayed on the optical devices is transmitted to the head mounted display from external equipment in addition to the image signal supplied to the image forming devices.

14. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 12, wherein

the head mounted display further comprises a light reception sensor so that the luminance of the image to be displayed on the optical devices is controlled based on luminance information of the environment obtained by the light reception sensor.

15. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 6, wherein

the image displayed on the optical devices by the image signal is made up of text when, based on the distance from the head mounted display to the target, the image signal is further controlled that is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices.

16. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 6, wherein

the position of a virtual image formed by the two optical devices is changed over time.

17. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 6, wherein

the distance to the virtual image formed by the two optical devices from the two optical devices is changed over time.

7. An optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display, the head mounted display including

(a) an eyeglass type frame worn on the head of a viewer, and

(b) two image display devices for the right and left eyes attached to the frame, and

each of the image display devices including

(A) an image forming device, and

(B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device,

wherein the optical position adjustment method comprises the steps of:

capturing an image displayed on each optical device with an associated imaging device;

finding the displacement of the image obtained by each of the imaging devices from a reference position;

controlling an image signal that is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices so as to eliminate the displacement and adjust the mutual positions of the two images; and

based on the distance from the head mounted display to the target, further controlling the image signal that is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices so as to adjust the convergence angle commensurate with the distance from the head mounted display to the target.

8. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 7, wherein

the reference position is an imaging position of a subject in an imaging device obtained when the subject, located at a given position forward of the two optical devices, is imaged by the imaging device.

18. A head mounted display comprising:

two image display devices for the right and left eyes, wherein

each of the image display devices includes

(A) an image forming device, and

(B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device, and

the position of a virtual image formed by the two optical devices is changed over time.

19. A head mounted display comprising:

two image display devices for the right and left eyes, wherein

each of the image display devices includes

(A) an image forming device, and

(B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device, and

the distance to the virtual image formed by the two optical devices from the two optical devices is changed over time.

20. A head mounted display comprising:

two image display devices for the right and left eyes, wherein

each of the image display devices includes

(A) an image forming device, and

(B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device, and

the horizontal position of the image on the image forming device is changed over time.