Automatic image regulating arrangement for head-mounted image display apparatus

• US 5,485,172 A
• Filed: 05/17/1994
• Issued: 01/16/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Muraoka, Yoshiro, Sawachika, Isao, Torizuka, Masami
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US08/243,705
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: 345/8, 345/7, 345/9, 345/212, 345/14, 345/102, 348/115, 340/980, 359/630, 359/49
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular 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: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels

Abstract

An automatic image regulating arrangement for a head-mounted image display device includes a sensor for detected conditions, such as outside ambient light, or vibration, applied to display elements of the display device and a regulating portion to control display of the images so as to compensate for conditions detected by the sensor so as to maintain good image visibility in various viewing environments.

Claims

1. An automatic image regulating arrangement for an enclosed image display device, comprising:

a light opaque casing;

a display portion disposed in said casing and receivable of a video signal, said display portion including means for producing an image and a selectively energizable backlighting source which exclusively illuminates the image;

a first reflective member disposed in said casing for reflecting the image produced by said display portion in a first direction;

a single second semi-reflective member disposed statically in said casing for reflecting said image in a second direction different from said first direction, said second semi-reflective member exclusively permitting ambient light to be transmitted therethrough in said second direction into said casing;

sensor means for detecting a condition affecting visibility of said image displayed on said display portion and outputting a signal indicative thereof; and

regulating means for receiving said sensor output and including means for varying visibility of an image displayed at said display portion in response to said sensor signal, and for compensating for the visibility reducing effect of excess ambient light which is transmitted through said second semi-reflective member in said second direction.

2. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said detected condition is an ambient light level outside said enclosed image display device.

3. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 2, wherein said means for varying visibility is a light source disposed so as to illuminate said display portion, said regulating means varying an output of said light source in response to said sensor signal.

4. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 3, wherein when a higher level of ambient light is detected by said sensor means, said regulating means increases an output of said light source and, when a lower level of ambient light is detected by said sensor means, said regulating means reduces said output of said light source.

5. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for varying visibility comprises means for varying a tranmissivity of a display element of said display portion, said regulating means varying said transmissivity in response to said sensor signal.

6. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 5, wherein when a higher level of ambient light is detected by said sensor means, said regulating means increases transmissivity of said display element and, when a lower level of ambient light is detected by said sensor means, said regulating means reduces said transmissivity of said display element.

7. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein a tinted semi-transparent cover is disposed between said second semi-reflective member and an outer side of said image display device, said tinted semi-transparent cover being movable at least between open and closed positions adjusting an amount of ambient light admitted by said semi-reflective member.

8. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said display portion is capable of producing color images and wherein said sensor means detects a level of each of a plurality of colors contained in said ambient light, said means for varying visibility being active to vary an intensity of a particular color in said displayed image in response to said signal output by said sensor means.

9. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein said sensor means is responsive to vibration and wherein said display portion includes a display element having an imaging area of a predetermined size, said imaging area being established on an image surface of said display element having a predetermined size greater than said imaging area, and wherein said visibility varying means is active to vary a position of said imaging area on said image surface in response to said signal output by said sensor means.

10. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 9, wherein said visibility varying means is further active to vary a timing signal of said image display device by generating the timing signal based on a frequency division of a main oscillation signal.

11. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 10, wherein said visibility varying means includes a microcomputer including memory data representative of image display timing values, said visibility varying means generating said timing signal based on said memory data.

12. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 11, wherein said sensing means outputs a signal proportional to the inverse of said detected vibration, said visibility varying means active to vary a location of said imaging area on said image surface of said display element in response to said signal.

13. An automatic image regulating arrangement for an enclosed image display device, comprising:

a light opaque casing adapted to be worn on the head of a viewer in a manner which encloses the viewer'"'"'s left and right eyes;

a display means disposed in said casing, said display means being adapted to receive a video signal and including a pair of image display elements which produce display images for the respective left and right eyes of the viewer, said display means including a selectively energizable backlighting source which illuminates the images produced by said pair of image display elements;

a first reflective member disposed in said casing for reflecting the images produced by said pair of display elements in a first direction;

a single static second semi-reflective member disposed in said casing for reflecting the images reflected by said first reflective member in a second direction different from said first direction, said second semi-reflective member permitting ambient light to be transmitted therethrough in said second direction into said casing;

sensor means for detecting a condition which varies with at least one of an ambient light level and a vibration which is applied to said pair of image display elements, and which deteriorates visibility of the images produced by said pair of display elements, and for outputting a signal indicative thereof; and

regulating means responsive to the signal output by said sensor and including means for varying a characteristic of the images produced by said pair of image display elements in a manner which compensates for the image deteriorating effect of the condition which is detected by said sensor means.

14. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 13, wherein said backlighting source exclusively illuminates the images produced by said pair of display elements.

15. An automatic image regulating arrangement as set forth in claim 13, wherein said second semi-reflective member exclusively permits ambient light to enter into said casing.