Head mounted display, and head mounted video display system

• US 5,844,530 A
• Filed: 12/07/1995
• Issued: 12/01/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Inventors: Tosaki, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US08/568,824
• Time in Patent Office: 1,090 Days
• Field of Search: 345/8, 345/7, 345/9
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0154 with movable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0156 with optionally usable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0159 with mechanical means other than scaning means for positioning the whole image
• 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 27/017 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 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements

Abstract

A head mounted display comprises a transmission-type display device for displaying prescribed images while transmitting outside light, a head mounted device for supporting the display device in front of the face, and a visor for reducing the quantity of outside light incident on the display device. The visor is installed in such a way that it can move between a position in which the outside front surface of the display device is covered and a position in which this surface is open. A living space or other external environment can be perceived without any impediment to viewing even when the images projected on the image display mechanism are being viewed.

Claims

1. A head mounted display, comprising:

a transmission-type image display mechanism for displaying prescribed images while transmitting a quantity of outside light;

a support mechanism for supporting the image display mechanism in front of a person'"'"'s eyes; and

a light attenuation mechanism for reducing the quantity of outside light incident on said image display mechanism,

wherein said light attenuation mechanism is movable between a position covering an outside front surface of said image display mechanism and another position exposing said outside front surface,

wherein said light attenuation mechanism includes means for detecting the quantity of outside light reaching the person'"'"'s eyes and also includes means for controlling the transmissivity of the light attenuation mechanism on the basis of the quantity of outside light detected by said outside light quantity detecting means.

2. The head mounted display of claim 1, wherein the image display mechanism includes a light source and the quantity of outside light reaching the eyes through said light attenuation mechanism is less than that from said light source, and the quantity of outside light reaching the eyes without passing through said light attenuation mechanism is greater than that from said light source.

3. The head mounted display of claim 1, wherein said light attenuation mechanism comprises a visor that pivots up and down about two upper ends at respective sides of a person'"'"'s head.

4. The head mounted display of claim 1, wherein said image display mechanism comprises:

a liquid-crystal display;

a display portion which displays images and is transparent to light; and

a light guide plate having a side surface facing the light source and transmitting the light radiated by the light source to said display portion,

wherein said liquid-crystal display is installed in a position roughly opposite to a central portion of a surface of the light guide plate, and said light guide plate is shaped substantially as a trapezoid in which a side close to said light source is shorter than an opposite side.

5. The head mounted display of claim 1, wherein said image display mechanism comprises:

a liquid-crystal display;

a display portion which displays images and is transparent to light;

a diffusion plate positioned so that a surface faces the light source, diffuses the light radiated by the light source, and transmits the light to said liquid-crystal display; and

a reflection plate surrounding said light source and reflecting light radiated by said light source toward said diffusion plate.

6. The head mounted display of claim 4, wherein said display portion comprises a liquid-crystal display.

7. The head mounted display of claim 1, wherein said image display mechanism further comprises:

means for controlling the luminous energy radiated by the light source on the basis of the quantity of outside light detected by said outside light quantity detection means,

said image display mechanism, when mounted in front of a person'"'"'s eves, is positioned along a line of sight while being tilted downward at a prescribed angle with respect to the horizontal direction.

10. The head mounted display of claim 1, wherein said support mechanism is provided with a headphone terminal and a headphone volume adjustment portion.

11. The head mounted display of claim 10, wherein said volume adjustment portion is installed in a front part of said support mechanism.

14. The head mounted display of claim 1, further comprising:

an image display mechanism housing a light source portion for emitting light, a display portion which displays images and is transparent to a quantity of outside light, and an optical system for focusing on a person'"'"'s eyes light transmitted from said light source portion to the display portion; and

a focus adjustment mechanism capable of varying the distance between said display portion and said optical system.

15. The head mounted display of claim 14, wherein said focus adjustment mechanism comprises:

cylindrical housings installed between said display portion and said optical system;

holding portions capable of moving up and down along an inner wall of the housing while holding said display portion;

a rotatable knob at least partially extending to the outside; and

a gear group for converting the rotational movement of said knob into a vertical movement of said holding portions.

16. The head mounted display of claim 15, wherein said focus adjustment mechanism is provided for each of left and right eyes.

17. The head mounted display of claim 16, wherein said holding portions are provided for both left and right eyes and are capable of being brought closer to each other or drawn apart from each other.

18. A transport device comprising:

the head mounted video display system of claim 1, comprising a transport device for transporting the wearer of said head mounted display;

a position detection device for detecting a position of the head mounted display and outputting positional data; and

a position detection device for detecting a position of the head mounted display and outputting positional data; and

a picture generation device for generating video signals that correspond to said positional data, and supplying these video signals to said head mounted display,

wherein said position detection device detects the position of said head mounted display and the position of said transport device, and outputs positional data, and

wherein said picture generation device generates, on the basis of said positional data, video signals that correspond to images displayed by said display mechanism.

19. The head mounted video display of claim 1, wherein said transmission-type image display mechanism comprises:

a light source;

a liquid-crystal display, through which light from the light source passes to create an image;

a lens for focusing the image leaving the liquid-crystal display;

a mirror having a first side for transmitting in a first direction the image leaving the liquid-crystal display and transmitting in a second direction a quantity of outside light, the first and second directions being substantially perpendicular to one another; and

a reflective lens for focusing and reflecting in the first direction the image transmitted through the mirror,

wherein the mirror has a second side for reflecting the image from the reflective lens in the second direction and for directing the image to a person'"'"'s eyes together with the quantity of outside light.

8. A head mounted display, comprising:

a transmission-type image display mechanism for displaying prescribed images while transmitting a quantity of outside light;

a support mechanism for supporting the image display mechanism in front of a person'"'"'s eyes;

a light attenuation mechanism for reducing the quantity of outside light incident on said image display mechanism;

means for detecting the position of said light attenuation mechanism; and

means for controlling power on/off according to the position of said light attenuation mechanism detected by the position detecting means,

wherein said light attenuation mechanism is movable between a position covering an outside front surface of said image display mechanism and another position exposing said outside front surface.

9. A head mounted display, comprising:

a transmission-type image display mechanism for displaying prescribed images while transmitting a quantity of outside light;

a support mechanism for supporting the image display mechanism in front of a person'"'"'s eyes; and

a light attenuation mechanism for reducing the quantity of outside light incident on said image display mechanism; and

means for opening said light attenuation mechanism on the basis of an arbitrarily set elapsed time,

wherein said light attenuation mechanism is movable between a position covering an outside front surface of said image display mechanism and a position exposing said outside front surface.

12. A head mounted display, comprising:

a transmission-type image display mechanism for displaying prescribed images while transmitting a quantity of outside light;

a support mechanism for supporting the image display mechanism on a person'"'"'s head in front of a person'"'"'s eyes; and

a light attenuation mechanism for reducing the quantity of outside light incident on said transmission-type image display mechanism,

wherein said image display mechanism, when mounted on the head, is positioned along a line of sight while being tilted downward at a prescribed angle with respect to the horizontal direction.

13. The head mounted display of claim 12, wherein said prescribed angle is 10 to 20 degrees.

20. A head mounted display, comprising:

a light source;

a transmission-type image display mechanism for displaying prescribed images while transmitting a quantity of outside light;

a support mechanism for supporting the image display mechanism in front of a person'"'"'s eyes;

a light attenuation mechanism for reducing the quantity of outside light incident on ;

aid image display mechanism;

means for detecting the position of said light attenuation mechanism; and

means for controlling lighting of said light source according to the position of said light attenuation mechanism detected by the position detecting means;

wherein said light attenuation mechanism is movable between a position covering an outside front surface of said image display mechanism and another position exposing said outside front surface, and

wherein the quantity of outside light reaching the eyes through said light attenuation mechanism is less than that from said light source, and the quantity of outside light reaching the eyes without passing through said light attenuation mechanism is greater than that from said light source.

21. The head mounted display of claim 20, wherein the image display mechanism includes a light source and the quantity of outside light reaching the eyes through said light attenuation mechanism is less than that from said light source, and the quantity of outside light reaching the eyes without passing through said light attenuation mechanism is greater than that from said light source.

22. A head mounted video display system, comprising:

a head mounted display equipped with a display mechanism which can transmit a quantity of outside light and which displays images based on supplied video signals;

a position detection device for detecting a position of the head mounted display and outputting positional data; and

a picture generation device for generating video signals that correspond to said positional data and supplying these video signals to said head mounted display,

wherein said picture generation device generates video signals that correspond to the background of the head mounted display surroundings on the basis of said positional data.

23. A head mounted video display system, comprising:

a plurality of head mounted displays, each including a display mechanism which can transmit a quantity of outside light and which displays images based on supplied video signals, a support mechanism for supporting the image display mechanism in front of a person'"'"'s eyes, and a light attenuation mechanism for reducing the quantity of outside light incident on said image display mechanism, wherein said light attenuation mechanism is movable between a position covering an outside front surface of said image display mechanism and another position exposing said outside front surface; and

a picture generation device for generating video signals that correspond to the images displayed by each of the display devices and for supplying these video signals to each of the plurality of head mounted displays,

wherein said picture generation device supplies separate video signals to each of said head mounted displays.