Display apparatus and its control method

• US 6,388,638 B2
• Filed: 10/24/1995
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Yasuyuki, Fukushima, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): TWEEL JR, JOHN ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US08/547,471
• Publication Number:
  US 20010038360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,394 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8, 345/9, 345/121, 345/125
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/307 by helmet-mounted projector or display G09B9/36 takes precedence; optical parts of head-up displays G02B27/01

Abstract

In a head-mount display apparatus with which an observer can observe images displayed on display units arranged in correspondence with the right and left eyes of the observer while wearing the apparatus on his or her head, first and second image display ranges are defined on each display unit. An angular velocity detection unit detects the displacement of the head of the observer, and changes the positions of the first and second image display ranges on the display units relative to each other on the basis of the detected displacement information of the head. As a result, a natural display corresponding to the movement of the head can be attained in real time even under the condition of a limited image memory capacity.

Claims

1. A display apparatus having a display unit which displays an image that can be observed by an observer while being mounted on a head of the observer, comprising:

first image input means for inputting a first image information;

second image input means for inputting a second image information;

display means which defines a first image display range and a second image display range on the display unit, and displays said first and second image information on said first and second image display range respectively;

detection means for detecting a displacement of said display apparatus; and

first control means for displaying said first image display range with said second image display range, changing a relative positional relationship between the first and second image display ranges on the basis of the displacement detected by said detection means in a case that the detected displacement amount is greater than a predetermined amount, and maintaining said relative positional relationship unchanged in a case that the detected displacement amount is smaller than the predetermined amount.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

discrimination means for discriminating whether an amount of the displacement detected by said detection means exceeds a predetermined amount; and

second control means for controlling based on a discrimination result of said discrimination means whether or not control of said first control means is executed.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said discrimination means decomposes the amount of the displacement detected by said detection means into displacement amounts in units of direction components, and discriminates if the displacement amounts in units of direction components exceed a predetermined amount.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first control means moves the first image display range within the second image display range on the basis of the displacement detected by said detection means.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a moving direction of the first image display range in the second image display range by said first control means is opposite to a direction of the displacement detected by said detection means.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first control means performs enlargement/reduction of the first display range and an image displayed thereon on the basis of the displacement detected by said detection means.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first control means comprises a plurality of display changing means, each of which changes a display state on the first image display range in accordance with corresponding prescribed contents on the basis of the displacement detected by said detection means, and said first control means changes the display state on the first image display range using at least one of said plurality of display changing means.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of said plurality of display changing means moves the first image display range in one or a plurality of directions or enlarges/reduces the first image display range on the basis of the displacement detected by said detection means.

9. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising setting means for selecting one of said plurality of display changing means, which is to be used.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

detection means for detecting use information indicating one of said plurality of display changing means, which is to be used from a video signal to be displayed by said display means; and

setting means for setting the display changing means to be used upon display of an image based on the video signal on the basis of the use information.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said detection means acquires the use information on the basis of a signal superposed on a blanking period of the video signal.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image displayed in the first image display range is a moving picture.

13. A display apparatus for displaying images corresponding to right and left eyes, respectively, of an observer based on an input video signal on display units for the right and left eyes, comprising:

setting means for setting a magnification factor used for enlarging/reducing the images;

enlargement/reduction means for electrically enlarging/reducing the images in accordance with the magnification factor set by said setting means; and

display means for displaying the images enlarged/reduced by said enlargement/reduction means on each of the display units for the right and left eyes to maintain a relative positional relationship between the images and a display range of each of the display units, wherein said setting means detects magnification information indicating the magnification factor from the video signal, and sets the magnification factor on the basis of the magnification information.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said detection means acquires the magnification information on the basis of a signal superposed on a blanking period of the video signal.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the image based on the video signal is a stereoscopic image.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said enlargement/reduction means enlarges/reduces the image by electrically processing the input video signal.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said enlargement/reduction means performs interpolation or thin-out processing for the video signal.

18. A display apparatus for displaying images corresponding to right and left eyes, respectively, of an observer based on an input video signal on display units for the right and left eyes, comprising:

first setting means for setting a magnification factor used for enlarging/reducing the images;

enlargement/reduction means for electrically enlarging/reducing the images in accordance with the magnification factor set by said first setting means;

second setting means for desirably setting display positions independently and separately on the display units for the right and left eyes, of the images enlarged/reduced by said enlargement/reduction means; and

display means for displaying the images enlarged/reduced by said enlargement/reduction means at the display positions set by said second setting means on the display units for the right and left eyes.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said second setting means detects position information indicating the display positions from the video signal, and sets the display positions on the basis of the position information.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said detection means acquires the position information on the basis of a signal superposed on a blanking period of the video signal.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the image based on the video signal is a stereoscopic image.

22. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said enlargement/reduction means enlarges/reduces the image by electrically processing the input video signal.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said enlargement/reduction means performs interpolation or thin-out processing for the video signal.

24. A control method of a display apparatus having a display unit which displays an image that can be observed by an observer while being mounted on a head of the observer, comprising:

the inputting step of inputting first image information and second image information;

the display step of defining a first image display range and a second image display range on the display unit, and displaying said first and second image information on said first and second image display range, respectively;

the detection step of detecting a displacement of the display apparatus; and

the control step of displaying said first image display range with said second image display range, changing a relative positional relationship between the first and second image display ranges on the basis of the displacement detected in the detection step in a case that the detected displacement amount is greater than a predetermined amount, and maintaining said relative positional relationship unchanged in a case that the detected displacement amount is smaller than the predetermined amount.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprising:

the discrimination step of discriminating whether an amount of the displacement detected in the detection step exceeds a predetermined amount; and

the second control step of controlling based on a discrimination result in the discrimination step whether or not the first control step is executed.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the discrimination step includes the step of decomposing the amount of the displacement detected in the detection step into displacement amounts in units of direction components, and discriminating if the displacement amounts in units of direction components exceed a predetermined amount.

27. The method according to claim 24, wherein the first control step includes the step of moving the first image display range within the second image display range on the basis of the displacement detected in the detection step.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein a moving direction of the first image display range in the second image display range in the first control step is opposite to a direction of the displacement detected in the detection step.

29. The method according to claim 24, wherein the first control step includes the step of performing enlargement/reduction of the first display range and an image displayed thereon on the basis of the displacement detected in the detection step.

30. The method according to claim 24, wherein the first control step comprises a plurality of display changing steps, each of which changes a display state on the first image display range in accordance with corresponding prescribed contents on the basis of the displacement detected in the detection step, and the first control step includes the step of changing the display state on the first image display range using at least one of the plurality of display changing steps.

31. The method according to claim 30, wherein each of the plurality of display changing steps includes the step of moving the first image display range in one or a plurality of directions or enlarging/reducing the first image display range on the basis of the displacement detected in the detection step.

32. The method according to claim 30, further comprising the setting step of selecting one of the plurality of display changing steps, which is to be used.

33. The method according to claim 30, further comprising:

the detection step of detecting use information indicating one of the plurality of display changing steps, which is to be used from a video signal to be displayed in the display step; and

the setting step of setting the display changing step to be used upon display of an image based on the video signal on the basis of the use information.

34. The method according to claim 31, wherein the detection step includes the step of acquiring the use information on the basis of a signal superposed on a blanking period of the video signal.

35. The method according to claim 24, wherein the image displayed in the first image display range is a moving picture.

37. The method according to claim 35, wherein the detection step includes the step of acquiring the magnification information on the basis of a signal superposed on a blanking period of the video signal.

38. The method according to claim 35, wherein the image based on the video signal is a stereoscopic image.

36. A control method of a display apparatus for displaying images corresponding to right and left eyes, respectively, of an observer based on an input video signal on display units for the right and left eyes, comprising:

the setting step of setting a magnification factor used for enlarging/reducing the images;

the enlargement/reduction step of electrically enlarging/reducing the image in accordance with the magnification factor set in the setting step; and

the display step of displaying the images enlarged/reduced in the enlargement/reduction step on each of the display units for the right and left eyes to maintain a relative positional relationship between the images and a display range of each of the display units, wherein the setting step includes the step of detecting magnification information indicating the magnification factor from the video signal, and setting the magnification factor on the basis of the magnification information.

39. The method according to claim 36, wherein said enlargement/reduction step enlarges/reduces the image by electrically processing the input video signal.

40. The method according to claim 39, wherein said enlargement/reduction step performs interpolation or thin-out processing for the video signal.

41. A control method of a display apparatus for displaying images corresponding to right and left eyes, respectively, of an observer based on an input video signal on display units for right and left eyes, comprising:

the first setting step of setting a magnification factor used for enlarging/reducing the images;

the enlargement/reduction step of electrically enlarging/reducing the images in accordance with the magnification factor set in the first setting step;

the second setting step of desirably setting display positions independently and separately on the display units for the right and left eyes, of the images enlarged/reduced in the enlargement/reduction step; and

the display step of displaying the images enlarged/reduced in the enlargement/reduction step at the display positions set in the second setting step on the display units for the right and left eyes.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein the second setting step includes the step of detecting position information indicating the display positions from the video signal, and setting the display positions on the basis of the position information.

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein the detection step includes the step of acquiring the position information on the basis of a signal superposed on a blanking period of the video signal.

44. The method according to claim 41, wherein the image based on the video signal is a stereoscopic image.

45. The method according to claim 41, wherein said enlargement/reduction step enlarges/reduces the image by electrically processing the input video signal.

46. The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein said enlargement/reduction step performs interpolation or thin-out processing for the video signal.