HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD FOR THE HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20130234914A1
• Filed: 03/04/2013
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Fujimaki, Yutaka
• Granted Patent: US 9,557,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/8
• 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

Abstract

A head-mounted display device with which a user can visually recognize a virtual image and an outside scene simultaneously includes an image pickup unit configured to pick up an image of the outside scene and acquire an outside scene image, an augmented-reality processing unit configured to analyze the acquired outside scene image and generate additional image data for augmented reality according to a result of the analysis, a display element configured to generate image light using the generated additional image data, and a light guide unit configured to form a virtual image before the eyes of the user using the generated image light. The augmented-reality processing unit acquires an overlapping region where a display region for the virtual image and an image pickup region of the image pickup unit overlap in the outside scene image and generates the additional image data using the overlapping region.

Claims

1. A head-mounted display device with which a user can visually recognize a virtual image and an outside scene simultaneously, the head-mounted display device comprising:

an image pickup unit configured to pick up an image of the outside scene and acquire an outside scene image;

an augmented-reality processing unit configured to analyze the acquired outside scene image and generate additional image data for augmented reality according to a result of the analysis;

a display element configured to generate image light using the generated additional image data; and

a light guide unit configured to form a virtual image before eyes of the user using the generated image light, wherein

the augmented-reality processing unit acquires an overlapping region where a display region for the virtual image and an image pickup region of the image pickup unit overlap in the outside scene image and generates the additional image data using the overlapping region.

2. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, further comprising a storing unit having stored therein guide image data for showing the display region for the virtual image to the user, wherein

the augmented-reality processing unit causes the display element to generate image light using the guide image data, guides the user to show a predetermined indicator in the display region for the virtual image, causes the image pickup unit to acquire the outside scene image, and acquires, as a boundary between the overlapping region and other regions, a position of the indicator obtained by analyzing the acquired outside scene image.

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

the guide image data has a rectangular shape having an aspect ratio same as an aspect ratio of the display element and includes guide marks arranged in at least two places among four corners of the rectangular shape, and

the augmented-reality processing unit guides the user to show the indicator by pointing at the guide mark with a finger.

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

the guide image data has a rectangular shape having an aspect ratio same as an aspect ratio of the display element and includes frame-like guide marks arranged in at least two places among four corners of the rectangular shape, and

the augmented-realty processing unit guides the user to show the indicator by arranging an object having rectangular sides to be fit in the frame of the guide marks.

5. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second image pickup unit arranged in a position corresponding to a right eye or temple of the user or a periphery of the eye or the temple during wearing of the head-mounted display device and configured to pick up an image of the outside scene and acquire a second outside scene image; and

a third image pickup unit arranged in a position corresponding to a left eye or temple of the user or a periphery of the eye or the temple during wearing of the head-mounted display device and configured to pick up an image of the outside scene and acquire a third outside scene image, wherein

the augmented-reality processing unit further calculates a shift amount between a specific object included in the second outside scene image and the specific object included in the third outside scene image and acquires information concerning depth of the object in an external environment from the calculated shift amount.

6. A control method for a head-mounted display device with which a user can visually recognize a virtual image and an outside scene simultaneously, the control method comprising:

picking up an image of the outside scene and acquiring an outside scene image;

analyzing the acquired outside scene image and generating additional image data for augmented reality according to a result of the analysis;

generating image light using the generated additional image data; and

forming a virtual image before eyes of the user using the generated image light, wherein

in the generating the additional image data, an overlapping region where a display region for the virtual image and an image pickup region for picking up the image of the outside scene overlap in the outside scene image is acquired and the additional image data is generated using the overlapping region.