Body mount-type information display apparatus and display method using the same

• US 6,172,657 B1
• Filed: 10/27/1997
• Issued: 01/09/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Ono, Hiroshi, Kamakura, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y
• Application Number:
  US08/945,272
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 345/8, 345/7, 345/4, 345/5, 345/157, 345/146, 348/42, 358/108, 358/113
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0156 with optionally usable elements
• 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: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10891 the scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist

Abstract

In a body mount-type information display apparatus, a display unit (103) is attached to the head of a user, whereas a control circuit unit (105) is attached to the waist or the shoulder. The display unit enables a light beam from the outside to enter the eyes of the user as well as another light beam representing an image produced by the control circuit unit. The user can accordingly observe the image including required pieces of information for the work together with the outside view. This image may be menu-type information or an image in harmony with an object such as a building. In order to display the image in harmony with the object, the direction, the visual angle, and the size of the image are processed according to the positional relationship between the user and the object. Available input means include magnetic and optical pointing devices and a CCD camera for reading a bar code. The control circuit unit that is not attached to the body may be connected with peripheral equipment and used as a desktop computer.

Claims

1. A body mount-type information display apparatus attachable to a body of a user, comprising:

a computer unit for generating information to be displayed;

first attachment means for attaching said computer unit to a part of the body of the user;

a display unit attachable to the head of the user for displaying the information generated by the computer unit to be observable by the user; and

second attachment means for attaching the display unit to the head of the user,

wherein the display unit comprises,

an image display element for displaying the information generated by the computer,

a display switching means for switching an on/off state of an image displayed on the image display element according to movement of the user'"'"'s eyes, and

an optical system for refracting a first light beam representing the image displayed on the image display element to enable the user to observe a magnified virtual image of the displayed image, and for causing the first light beam and a second light beam from an external field of vision to enter the eyes of the user.

2. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the optical system comprises:

a magnifying optical system for refracting the first light beam representing the image displayed on the image display element to enable the user to observe a magnified virtual image of the displayed image; and

a see-through optical system for transmitting the second light beam and enabling the transmitted second light beam and the first light beam to enter the eyes of the user.

3. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein the magnifying optical system is a single-eye optical system for leading the first light beam to one eye;

the see-through optical system comprises a translucent plane mirror arranged in front of both the eyes of the user; and

the display unit further comprises;

switching means arranged to be able to move the magnifying optical system to be positioned in front of either one of the left and right eyes of the user.

4. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein the magnifying optical system and the see-through optical system are single-eye optical systems for leading the first light beam and the second light beam to one eye;

and

the display unit further comprises;

switching means arranged to be able to move the magnifying optical system and the see-through optical system to be positioned in front of either one of the left eye and the right eye of the user.

5. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the optical system comprises a translucent concave mirror arranged in front of the eye of the user.

6. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computer unit comprises:

a power source;

power management means for regulating power consumption of the power source; and

power management switching means for switching a working condition of the power management means depending upon whether or not the computer unit is attached to the first attachment means.

7. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computer unit comprises:

an interface for connecting the computer unit with peripheral equipment to construct a desktop computer system when the computer unit is not attached to the body of the user, the peripheral equipment including at least one of a keyboard, a first pointing device, a display device, and a printer.

8. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 7, wherein the computer unit further comprises:

a second pointing device that is usable at least when the computer unit is not attached to the body of the user.

9. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computer unit comprises:

information communications means for communicating with an external host computer to receive a desired piece of information from the host computer.

10. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 9, wherein the piece of information received from the host computer includes image information representing an image displayed on the display unit.

11. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein the information communications means supplies positional information to the host computer, the positional information including at least one of a direction, a visual angle, and a distance of an outside object seen from the user, and the information communications means receives from the host computer the image information representing an image processed according to the positional information, thereby effecting to display the image on the display unit in harmony with the object.

12. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein the positional information is supplied from a global positioning system.

13. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein the information communications means instructs the host computer to change a size of an image displayed on the display unit and receives the image information representing the image of changed size, thereby effecting to display the image on the display unit in harmony with a size of an object in the outside.

14. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the computer unit comprises modulation means for modulating a video signal representing an image to be displayed on the display unit and transmitting the modulated video signal to the display unit;

and

the display unit comprises demodulation means for receiving and demodulating the modulated video signal.

15. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a magnetic pointing device for specifying a position in an image displayed on the display unit, in response to an intensity of a magnetic field at a position of a magnetic device attached to part of a hand of the user.

16. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

an optical pointing device for capturing a light beam output from an emission device attached to part of a hand of the user, thereby specifying a position in an image displayed on the display unit.

17. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor for detecting an object that is not directly observable with naked eyes;

wherein the computer unit displays an image of the object detected by the sensor on the display unit.

18. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

bar code reading means disposed close to the display unit for reading a bar code existing in the outside,

wherein the computer unit displays an image corresponding to the scanned bar code on the display unit.

19. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 18, further comprising:

confirmation means for, when there are plural pieces of the information in the outside and one piece of information to be read is selected among the plural pieces, confirming the selected piece of information.

20. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 19, wherein the confirmation means comprises irradiation means for irradiating the selected piece of information with a light spot;

and

the information reading means reads the information after confirming whether or not the selected piece of information is irradiated with the light spot.

21. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

information reading means disposed close to the display unit for optically reading information in the outside;

wherein the computer unit displays an image corresponding to the optical information on the display unit.

22. A body mount-type information display apparatus in accordance with claim 21, wherein the information in the outside cannot be directly understood by the user;

and

the computer unit displays the non-understandable information in a user-understandable form on the display unit.

23. An information display method using a body mount-type information display apparatus, which comprises a computer unit for generating information to be displayed;

first attachment means for attaching the computer unit to a part of the body of the user;

a display unit attached to the head of the user for displaying the information generated by the computer unit to be observable by the user; and

second attachment means for attaching the display unit to the head of the user, wherein the display unit further comprises an image display element for displaying information generated by the computer unit, a display switching means for switching an on/off state of an image displayed on the image display element according to movement of the user'"'"'s eyes, and an optical system for refracting a first light beam representing an image displayed on the image display element to enable the user to observe a magnified virtual image of the displayed image, and causing the first light beam and a second light beam from an external field of vision to enter the eyes of the user,

the method comprising the step of;

displaying an image on the image display element including information in harmony with an object outside of the display unit.

24. An information display method in accordance with claim 23, wherein the image displayed on the display unit includes a menu including options of working fields and a selection key for selecting a desired option from the menu.

25. An information display method in accordance with claim 23, wherein the image displayed on the display unit is processed according to positional information in order to harmonize the image with an object existing in the outside, the positional information including at least one of a direction, a visual angle, and a distance of the object seen from the user.

26. An information display method in accordance with claim 23, wherein a size of the image displayed on the display unit is varied to be harmonized with a size of an object in the outside.

27. An information display method in accordance with claim 24, the method further comprising the steps of:

optically reading information in the outside by information reading means disposed close to the display unit; and

displaying an image corresponding to the input optical information on the display unit.

28. An information display method in accordance with claim 27, wherein the information in the outside is not directly understandable by the user;

and

the non-understandable information is displayed in a user-understandable form on the display unit.

29. An information display method in accordance with claim 27, the method further comprising the step of:

when there are plural pieces of the information in the outside and one piece of information to be read is selected among the plural pieces, confirming the selected piece of information.

30. An information display method in accordance with claim 29, wherein the confirmation step comprises a step of irradiating the selected piece of information with a light spot;

and

the information reading step comprises the step of reading the information after confirming whether or not the selected piece of information is irradiated with the light spot.