Wide field of view head mounted display device

• US 7,088,516 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2003
• Issued: 08/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Osaka University
• Inventors: Yagi, Yasushi, Nagahara, Hajime, Yachida, Masahiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Sugarman, Scott J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HASAN, MOHAMMED A
• Application Number:
  US10/454,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20040070839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 359630-637, 359/365, 359/366, 345/7, 345/8, 345/9
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0127 comprising devices increasing the depth of field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features

Abstract

Provided is a wide field of view head mounted display device capable of presenting 120 degree field of view per one eye and 180 or more by both eyes horizontally while keeping resolution at least to the same extent of the conventional art. The wide field of view head mounted display device includes: a LCD 1 for displaying an image; a lens 2 for projecting an image displayed on the LCD 1; and a catoptric system with a concave mirror 4 and a convex mirror 3. The LCD 1 and the lens 2, the concave mirror 4 and convex mirror 3 are positioned in a relative relationship to observe by an observing pupil 5 at a predetermined position a virtual image of a beam of reflected light as an incident light on the concave mirror 4 when the light of displayed image on the LCD 1 is projected to the convex mirror 3 through the lens 2 and a reflected light of the projected light at the convex mirror 3 arrives as the incident light at the concave mirror 4.

Claims

1. A wide field of view head mounted display device comprising:

a display element for displaying an image;

a dioptric system for projecting a displayed image on said display element; and

a catoptric system with a concave mirror adaptable to a wide field of view of horizontally 120 degree per one eye and a convex mirror with which a reflected light on said convex mirror can arrive as an incident light at whole of said concave mirror, wherein;

said concave mirror is an ellipsoidal mirror defining a part of an elliptical shape when viewing from a side position thereof or a spherical mirror;

said concave mirror is located at the front of a predetermined position for an observing pupil;

said convex mirror is a hyperboloid mirror comprising two sheets defining a part of a hyperbola when viewing from a side position thereof, a parabolic mirror defining a part of a parabolic line when viewing from a side position thereof, or a spherical mirror;

said convex mirror is located above said dioptric system and in front of and obliquely upward on said predetermined position for the observing pupil, or a half mirror located at the front of the predetermined position for the observing pupil;

if the concave mirror is an ellipsoid mirror and the convex mirror is the hyperboloid mirror, one of focus points of said ellipsoidal mirror coincides with one of focus points of said convex mirror, and an other one of focus points of said ellipsoidal mirror is located at said predetermined position for the observing pupil, and an other one of focus points of said convex mirror is located at a lenticular principal point of said dioptric system;

if the convex mirror is a parabolic mirror, said dioptric system projects parallel rays of light to said parabolic mirror; and

a light of the displayed image on said display element is projected to said convex mirror through said dioptric system and the reflected light of the projected light on said convex mirror arrives as an incident light at said concave mirror, and a virtual image of a beam of reflected light of the incident light on said concave mirror is observed at said predetermined position for the observing pupil.

2. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 1, wherein said head mounted display device comprises a physical relationship changing means to change at least two optical relative positions of said display element, said dioptric system and said catoptric system.

3. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 2, wherein a half mirror is disposed between said display element and said dioptric system, and an imaging element for picking-up an image of said observing pupil is disposed to receive said image of said observing pupil from the half mirror.

4. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 1, wherein said concave mirror is a spherical mirror,

if the convex mirror is a parabolic mirror, a center of curvature of said spherical mirror as said concave mirror coincides with a focus point of said parabolic mirror as said convex mirror, and if the convex mirror is a spherical mirror, a center of curvature of said spherical mirror as said convex mirror and said center of curvature of said spherical mirror as said concave mirror is located at said predetermined position for the observing pupil, and

said convex mirror is a half mirror placed at the front of said predetermined position for the observing pupil.

5. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 4, wherein said head mounted display device comprises a physical relationship changing means to change at least two optical relative positions of said display element, said dioptric system and said catoptric system.

6. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 5, wherein a half mirror is disposed between said display element and said dioptric system, and an imaging element for picking-up an image of said observing pupil is disposed to receive said image of said observing pupil from the half mirror.

7. A wide field of view head mounted display device comprising:

a display element for displaying an image;

a dioptric system for projecting a displayed image on the display element; and

a catoptric system with a concave mirror and a convex mirror, the convex being a hyperboloid mirror comprising two sheets or a spherical mirror, if the convex mirror is a hyperboloid mirror, either focus point of the hyperboloid mirror is located in a lenticular principal point of the dioptric system, wherein

the display element, the dioptric system and the catoptric system are arranged in a relative relationship in such a manner that a light of the displayed image on the display element is projected to the convex mirror through the dioptric system and a reflected light of the projected light on the convex mirror arrives as an incident light at the concave mirror, and a virtual image of a beam of reflected light of the incident light on the concave mirror is observed at a predetermined position for an observing pupil.

8. The wide field of view head mount display device according to claim 7, wherein the concave mirror is an ellipsoide mirror defining a part of an elliptical shape when viewing from a side position thereof, one of the focus points of the ellipsoide mirror coincides with one of focus points of the convex mirror, an other one of the focus points of the ellipsoide mirror is located at the predetermined position of the observing pupil.

9. The wide field of view head mount display device according to claim 7, wherein:

the concave mirror is a spherical mirror, a center of curvature of the spherical mirror coinciding with a center of curvature of the convex mirror when the convex mirror is a spherical mirror; and

the convex mirror is a half mirror placed in front of the predetermined position of the observing pupil.

10. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 7, wherein the head mounted display device comprises a physical relationship changing means to change at least two optical relative positions of the display element, the dioptric system and the catoptric system.

11. A wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 10, wherein a half mirror is disposed between the display element and the dioptric system, and an imaging element for picking-up an image of the observing pupil is disposed to receive the image of the observing pupil from the half mirror.

12. A wide field of view head mounted display device comprising:

a display element for displaying an image;

a dioptric system for projecting a displayed image on the display element; and

a catoptric system with a concave mirror and a convex mirror, the convex being a parabolic mirror defining a part of a parabolic line when viewing from a side position thereof, the convex mirror being located above the dioptric system and in front of and obliquely upward of a predetermined position of an observing pupil, the dioptric system projecting parallel rays to the parabolic mirror,

the display element, the dioptric system and the catoptric system are arranged in a relative relationship in such a manner that a light of the displayed image on the display element is projected to the convex mirror through the dioptric system and a reflected light of the projected light on the convex mirror arrives as an incident light at the concave mirror, and a virtual image of a beam of reflected light of the incident light on the concave mirror is observed at the predetermined position for the observing pupil.

13. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 12, wherein the head mounted display device comprises a physical relationship changing means to change at least two optical relative positions of the display element, the dioptric system and the catoptric system.

14. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 13, wherein a half mirror is disposed between the display element and said dioptric system, and an imaging element for picking-up an image of the observing pupil is disposed to receive the image of the observing pupil from the half mirror.

15. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 12, wherein:

the concave mirror is an ellipsoide mirror defining a part of an elliptical shape when viewing from a side position thereof, one of focus points of the ellipsoide mirror coinciding with a focus point of the convex mirror; and

an other one of the focus point of the convex mirror being located at the predetermined position of the observing pupil.

16. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 15, wherein the head mounted display device comprises a physical relationship changing means to change at least two optical relative positions of the display element, the dioptric system and the catoptric system.

17. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 16, wherein a half mirror is disposed between the display element and the dioptric system, and an imaging element for picking-up an image of the observing pupil is disposed to receive the image of the observing pupil from the half mirror.

18. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 12, wherein the concave mirror is a spherical mirror, the center of curvature of the concave mirror coinciding with a focus point of the convex mirror, the center of curvature of the concave mirror being located at the predetermined position of the observing pupil, and the convex mirror is a half mirror placed at a front of the predetermined position of the observing pupil.

19. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 18, wherein the head mounted display device comprises a physical relationship changing means to change at least two optical relative positions of the display element, the dioptric system and the catoptric system.

20. The wide field of view head mounted display device according to claim 19, wherein a half mirror is disposed between the display element and the dioptric system, and an imaging element for picking-up an image of the observing pupil is disposed to receive the image of the observing pupil from the half mirror.