CONTROL DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE, HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY DEVICE, IMAGE DISPLAY SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD FOR THE IMAGE DISPLAY DEVICE, AND CONTROL METHOD FOR THE HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20120200592A1
• Filed: 01/17/2012
• Published: 08/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: KIMURA, Fusashi
• Granted Patent: US 10,083,639 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0156 with optionally usable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/006 Electronic inspection or testing of displays and display drivers, e.g. of LED or LCD displays testing individual LED's G01R31/2635; testing lamps G01R31/44; testing of optical features of LCD displays G02F1/1309

Abstract

A control device that controls an image display device that forms an image on the basis of an image signal includes: an acquiring unit that acquires, from the image display device, individual information for specifying a control form of the image display device connected to the control device; and a control unit that controls the image display device on the basis of the acquired individual information.

Claims

1. A control device that controls an image display device that forms an image on the basis of an image signal, the control device comprising:

an acquiring unit that acquires, from the image display device, individual information for specifying a control form of the image display device connected to the control device; and

a control unit that controls the image display device on the basis of the acquired individual information.

2. A head-mounted display device comprising:

an image display unit including an image-light generating unit that generates image light representing an image and a light guide unit that guides the generated image light to eyes of a user, the image display unit causing the user to visually recognize a virtual image in a state in which the head-mounted display device is mounted on a head of the user and including a storing unit that stores individual information for specifying a control form of the image display unit by a control device; and

the control device according to claim 1, wherein

the control device is detachably connected to the image display unit, reads out the individual information from the storing unit of the image display unit actually connected to the control device, and controls image display by the image display unit in a form corresponding to the read-out individual information.

3. The head-mounted display device according to claim 2, wherein

the individual information includes model identification information for identifying a model of the image display unit,

the control device includes a storing unit that stores control information by model indicating correspondence between models and control forms of the image display unit, and

the control device specifies, on the basis of the model identification information, a model of the image display unit actually connected to the control device and controls image display by the image display unit in a control form associated with the specified model.

4. The head-mounted display device according to claim 2, wherein

the individual information includes adjustment information for specifying an image quality adjustment form of a virtual image recognized by the user, and

the control device causes the image display unit to adjust image quality in a form corresponding to the adjustment information.

5. The head-mounted display device according to claim 4, wherein

the adjustment information includes adjustment information by user indicating correspondence between users and image quality adjustment forms of the image display unit,

the control device includes an information acquiring unit that acquires information for specifying a user of the image display unit actually connected to the control device, and

the control device causes the image display unit to adjust image quality in a form associated with the user specified by the information acquiring unit.

6. The head-mounted display device according to claim 2, wherein the control device checks an image display state of the image display unit at predetermined timing and, when the image display state is not normal, updates the control form of the image display unit by the control device on the basis of the individual information.

7. The head-mounted display device according to claim 2, wherein, when the control device cannot normally perform control of the image display of the image display unit actually connected to the control device, the control device notifies the user to that effect directly or via the image display unit.

8. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying unit that notifies, when the control device cannot normally cause the user to visually recognize an image via the image display device, the user to that effect.

9. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit can switch, according to operation, a form for causing the user to two-dimensionally visually recognize an image, which the control unit causes the user to visually recognize via the image display device, and a form for causing the user to three-dimensionally visually recognize the image and, when determining on the basis of the individual information that the image display device is not adapted to the form for causing the user to three-dimensionally visually recognize the image, causes the user to two-dimensionally visually recognize the image irrespective of the operation.

10. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the control device is integrated with the image display device.

11. The control device according to claim 8, wherein

the individual information includes device identification information for identifying the type of the image display device and a model identification information for identifying a model of the image display device,

the control device includes a storing unit that stores control information by device indicating correspondence between types and control forms of the image display device and control information by model indicating correspondence between models and control forms of the image display device, and

the control device specifies, on the basis of the device identification information and the model identification information, a type and a model of the image display device actually connected to the control device and controls the image display device in a control form associated with the specified type and model of the image display device.

12. The control device according to claim 8, wherein the image display device is one of a head-mounted display device, a projection display device, and a navigation display device.

13. An image display system comprising:

an image display device that causes a user to visually recognize an image; and

the control device according to claim 8, wherein

the image display device receives a signal transmitted by the control device when the control device determines on the basis of the individual information that the control device is not adapted to the image display device, and

the image display device causes the user to visually recognize an error image prepared in advance in order to notify the user that the control device is not adapted to the image display device.

14. An image display system comprising:

an image display device that causes a user to visually recognize an image; and

the control device according to claim 8, wherein

the image display device includes a power supply unit that supplies electric power to the image display device and the control device.

15. An image display system comprising:

the control device according to claim 8 including an image-display-device authenticating unit that performs authentication of the image display device connected to the image display system; and

an image display device including a control-device authenticating unit that performs authentication of the control device connected to the image display system.

16. A control method for an image display device that forms an image on the basis of an image signal, the control method comprising:

acquiring individual information for specifying a control form of the image display device; and

controlling the image display device on the basis of the acquired individual information.

17. A control method for a head-mounted display device including:

an image display unit including an image-light generating unit that generates image light representing an image and a light guide unit that guides the generated image light to eyes of a user, the image display unit causing the user to visually recognize a virtual image in a state in which the head-mounted display device is mounted on a head of the user; and

a control device that is detachably connected to the image display unit and controls image display by the image display unit actually connected to the control device,

the image display unit including a storing unit that stores individual information for specifying a control form of the image display unit by the control device,

the control method comprising the control device reading out the individual information from the storing unit of the image display unit actually connected to the control device and controlling image display by the image display unit in a form corresponding to the read-out individual information.