Retina direct display device and television receiver using the same

• US 5,703,637 A
• Filed: 10/26/1994
• Issued: 12/30/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Kinseki Corporation (Kyocera Corporation), Nippon Hoso Kyokai
• Original Assignee: Kinseki Ltd. (Kyocera Corporation), Nippon Hoso Kyokai
• Inventors: Miyazaki, Shigeyuki, Yokokawa, Hiroshi, Ninomiya, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Application Number:
  US08/328,647
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 345/9, 345/8, 348/53, 348/744
• US Class Current: 348/53
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/011 comprising device for correcting geometrical aberrations, distortion
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0136 with a single image source for both eyes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0198 System for aligning or maintaining alignment of an image in a predetermined direction
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/025 with scanning or deflecting the beams in two directions or dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7491 of head mounted projectors

Abstract

A retina direct display device provides an observer with the display of a plane image or a stereoscopic image. The retina direct display device is, for example, incorporated with an acoustic device to constitute a television receiver. The retina direct display device comprises a visible light conversion means, a retina projection means and an eye movement tracking means. The visible light conversion means converts an input video signal to a beam of visible light. The retina projection means deflects the beam horizontally and vertically so that retinas are raster scanned through pupils of both eyes by the deflected beam. The eye movement tracking means detects the movement direction of the pupils and permits the direction of the beam emitted from the retina projection means to track the movement of the pupils based on the result of the detection. Accordingly, the device enables the video display of high resolution without deteriorating picture quality of the input video signal of high quality and also enables the reduction of the size and manufacturing cost of the device.

Claims

1. A retina direct display device comprising:

a visible light conversion means for converting a video signal including a horizontal synchronous signal and a vertical synchronous signal into a beam of visible light;

a retina projection means having;

a two-dimensional scanning means for deflecting the beam which is converted by the visible light conversion means in horizontal and vertical directions in response to a horizontal deflection signal and a vertical deflection signal, and

an optical system for projecting a beam of visible light which is deflected by the two-dimensional scanning means on both eyes of a viewer so that retinas are raster scanned through pupils of the both eyes by the projected beam; and

an eye movement tracking means having

a synchronous circuit for extracting the horizontal synchronous signal and the vertical synchronous signal included in the video signal,

a photoelectric conversion device for converting a reflection light beam or an irradiation light beam which is sent from the eye side of one of or both of the right and left eye into an electric signal,

a picture processing device for comparing an image data of one of or both of the right and left pupil of the present frame and an image data of the pupil of one previous frame in response to the electric signal which is converted by the photoelectric conversion device and detecting the direction and quantity of the movement of the pupil and then outputting horizontal and vertical movement detection signals of the pupil, and

an eye movement tracking controller for outputting the horizontal deflection signal and vertical deflection signal to the retina projection means in response to the horizontal synchronous signal and vertical synchronous signal which is extracted by the synchronous circuit and the movement detection signals output from the picture processing device and permitting the direction of the beam emitted from the retina projection means to track the movement of the pupil; and

said visible light conversion means, retina projection means and eye movement tracking means being disposed at a position remote from the viewer at a given interval.

3. A retina direct display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said optical system permits the diameter of the beam emitted from the retina projection means to be equal or larger than the diameter of the pupil and to be smaller than the diameter of a crystalline lens of the viewer'"'"'s eyeball.

4. A retina direct display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said beam comprises a coherent laser beam or an incoherent optical beam.

5. A television receiver provided with said retina direct display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said retina direct display device includes an acoustic device for converting a sound signal to a sound.

6. A retina direct display device according to claim 3, wherein said beam comprises a coherent laser beam or an incoherent optical beam.

7. A television receiver provided with said retina direct display device according to claim 3, wherein said retina direct display device includes an acoustic device for converting a sound signal to a sound.

8. A television receiver provided with said retina direct display device according to claim 4, wherein said retina direct display device includes an acoustic device for converting a sound signal to a sound.

2. A retina direct display device comprising:

a visible light conversion means for a right eye for converting a video signal for the right eye including a horizontal synchronous signal and a vertical synchronous signal into a beam of visible light for the right eye;

a visible light conversion means for a left eye for converting a video signal for the left eye including a horizontal synchronous signal and a vertical synchronous signal into a beam of visible light for the left eye;

said video signals for the right and the left eyes being produced by photographing in different angles;

a retina projection means for the right eye having;

a two-dimensional scanning means for the right eye for deflecting the beam for the right eye which is converted by the visible light conversion means for the right eye in horizontal and vertical directions in response to a horizontal deflection signal and a vertical deflection signal, and

an optical system for the right eye for projecting a beam of visible light which is deflected by the two-dimensional scanning means for the right eye on the right eye so that a right retina is raster scanned through a pupil of the right eye by the projected beam for the right eye of a viewer;

a retina projection means for the left eye having;

a two-dimensional scanning means for the left eye for deflecting the beam for the left eye which is converted by the visible light conversion means for the left eye in synchronization with the deflection of beam by the two-dimensional scanning means for the right eye in response to the horizontal deflection signal and the vertical deflection signal, and

an optical system for the left eye for projecting a beam of visible light which is deflected by the two-dimensional scanning means for the left eye on the left eye so that a left retina is raster scanned through a pupil of the left eye by the projected beam for the left eye;

an eye movement tracking means having;

a synchronous circuit for extracting the horizontal synchronous signal and the vertical synchronous signal included in the video signal,

a photoelectric conversion device for converting a reflection light beam or an irradiation light beam which is sent from the eye side of one of or both of the right and the left eye into an electric signal,

a picture processing device for comparing an image data of one of or both of the right and the left pupils of the present frame and an image data of one of or both of the right and the left pupils of one previous frame in response to the electric signal which is converted by the photoelectric conversion device and detecting the direction and quantity of the movement of one of or both of the right and the left pupils and then outputting horizontal and vertical movement detection signals of one of or both of the right and the left pupils, and

an eye movement tracking controller for outputting the horizontal deflection signal and vertical deflection signal to the retina projection means for the right and the left eyes in response to the horizontal synchronous signal and vertical synchronous signal which is extracted by the synchronous circuit and the movement detection signals output from the picture processing device and permitting the directions of beams emitted from the retina projection means for the right and the left eyes to track the movement of the pupil; and

said visible light conversion means for the right and the left eyes, retina projection means for the right and the left eyes and eye movement tracking means being disposed at a position remote from the viewer at a given interval.

9. A retina direct display device comprising:

a visible light conversion means for converting a video signal into a beam of visible light;

a retina projection means having;

scanning means for deflecting the beam of visible light and

an optical system for projecting the deflected beam of visible light on both eyes of a viewer so that retinas are raster scanned through pupils of both eyes by the projected beam; and

an eye movement tracking means for detecting movement of one of or both of the pupils and permitting the direction of the beam emitted from the retina projection means to track the movement of the pupils based on the result of the detection, said eye movement tracking means having a picture processing device for comparing an image data of one of or both of the right and left pupil of the present frame and an image data of the pupil of a previous frame to detect a direction and quantity of movement of the pupil.

11. A retina direct display device according to claim 9 or wherein said optical system permits the diameter of the beam projected from the retina projection means to be equal or larger than the diameter of the pupil and to be smaller than the diameter of a crystalline lens of the viewer'"'"'s eyeball.

14. A retina direct display device according to claim 11, wherein said beam of visible light comprises a coherent laser beam or an incoherent optical beam.

15. A television receiver provided with said retina direct display device according to claim 11, wherein said retina direct display device further comprises an acoustic device for converting a sound signal to a sound.

10. A retina direct display device comprising:

a visible light conversion means for a right eye for converting a video signal for the right eye into a beam of visible light for the right eye;

a visible light conversion means for a left eye for converting a video signal for the left eye into a beam of visible light for the left eye;

said video signals for the right and the left eyes being produced by photographing in different angles;

a retina projection means for the right eye having;

scanning means for the right eye for deflecting the beam of visible light for the right eye and

an optical system for the right eye for projecting the deflected beam of visible light for the right eye on the right eye of a viewer so that the right retina is raster scanned through the pupils of the right eye by the projected beam;

a retina projection means for the left eye having;

scanning means for the left eye for deflecting the beam of visible light for the left eye and

an optical system for the left eye for projecting the deflected beam of visible light for the left eye on the left eye of a viewer so that the left retina is raster scanned through the pupils of the left eye by the projected beam; and

an eye movement tracking means for detecting movement of one of or both of the pupils and permitting the direction of the beam emitted from the retina projection means for the right and left eye to track the movement of the pupils based on the result of the detection, said eye movement tracking means having a picture processing device for comparing an image data of one of or both of the right and left pupil of the present frame and an image data of the pupil of a previous frame to detect a direction and quantity of movement of the pupil.

12. A retina direct display device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said beam of visible light comprises a coherent laser beam or an incoherent optical beam.

13. A television receiver provided with said retina direct display device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said retina direct display device further comprises an acoustic device for converting a sound signal to a sound.

16. A television receiver provided with said retina direct display device according to claim 12, wherein said retina direct display device further comprises an acoustic device for converting a sound signal to a sound.