Head mounted display

• US 7,936,519 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Issued: 05/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Funanami, Akio, Goto, Teiyu, Mukawa, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Schwartz; Jordan M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, JAMES
• Application Number:
  US12/627,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20100157433A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 359/630, 359/633
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/00 Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/26 Projecting separately subsidiary matter simultaneously with main image

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a head mounted display including: an eyeglasses frame-like frame to be mounted onto an observer'"'"'s head; and two image display devices, each of the image display devices including an image generating device, and light guide means which is mounted to the image generating device, which as a whole is located on the side of the center of an observer'"'"'s face relative to the image generating device, on which beams emitted from the image generating device are incident, through which the beams are guided, and from which the beams are emitted toward an observer'"'"'s pupil.

Claims

1. A head mounted display comprising:

an eyeglasses frame-like frame to be mounted onto an observer'"'"'s head; and

two image display devices,

each of the image display devices including

an image generating device, and

light guide means which is mounted to the image generating device, which as a whole is located on a side of a center of an observer'"'"'s face relative to the image generating device, on which beams emitted from the image generating device are incident and through which the beams are guided, and from which the beams are emitted toward an observer'"'"'s pupil,

wherein the head mounted display further includes a connecting member for connecting the two image display devices to each other,

the connecting member is mounted to a side, facing to the observer, of a central portion of a frame, wherein;

the frame includes a front portion to be located on the front side of the observer, two temple portions turnably mounted to both ends of the front portion through hinges, respectively, and end cover portions mounted respectively to tip portions of the temple portions, wherein a wiring from the image generating device extends through the inside of the temple portion and the end cover portion and extends from a tip portion of the end cover portion to the exterior; and

wherein;

each of the image generating devices has a headphone portion; and

a headphone wiring from each of the image generating devices extends through the inside of the temple portion and the end cover portion and extends from a tip portion of the end cover portion to the headphone portion.

3. The head mounted display according to claim 1, wherein a nose pad is mounted to a side, facing to the observer, of the connecting member.

2. A head mounted display comprising:

an eyeglasses frame-like frame to be mounted onto an observer'"'"'s head; and

two image display devices,

each of the image display devices including

an image generating device, and

light guide means which is mounted to the image generating device, which as a whole is located on the side of the center of an observer'"'"'s face relative to the image generating device, on which beams emitted from the image generating device are incident and through which the beams are guided, and from which the beams are emitted toward an observer'"'"'s pupil;

wherein the head mounted display further includes a connecting member for connecting the two image display devices to each other,

the connecting member is mounted to a side, facing to the observer, of a central portion of a frame, wherein;

the frame includes a front portion to be located on the front side of the observer, two temple portions turnably mounted to both ends of the front portion through hinges, respectively, and end cover portions mounted respectively to tip portions of the temple portions, wherein an image sensing device is mounted to a central portion of the front portion.

4. A head mounted display comprising:

an eyeglasses frame-like frame to be mounted onto an observer'"'"'s head; and

two image display devices,

each of the image display devices including

an image generating device, and

light guide means which is mounted to the image generating device, which as a whole is located on the side of the center of an observer'"'"'s face relative to the image generating device, on which beams emitted from the image generating device are incident and through which the beams are guided, and from which the beams are emitted toward an observer'"'"'s pupil;

wherein the head mounted display further includes a connecting member for connecting the two image display devices to each other,

the connecting member is mounted to a side, facing to the observer, of a central portion of a frame, wherein the light guide means includes;

(a) a light guide plate which as a whole is located on the side of the center of the observer'"'"'s face relative to the image generating device on which the beams emitted from the image generating device are incident, through which the beams are guided, and from which the beams are emitted toward the observer'"'"'s pupil;

(b) first deflecting means for deflecting the beams entering the light guide plate so that the beams entering the light guide plate undergo total reflection in the inside of the light guide plate; and

(c) second deflecting means for deflecting a plurality of times the beams propagated through the inside of the light guide plate while undergoing total reflection so that the beams propagated through the inside of the light guide plate while undergoing total reflection are emitted from the light guide plate.

5. The head mounted display according to claim 4, wherein:

the first deflecting means reflects the beams entering the light guide plate; and

the second deflecting means transmits and reflects a plurality of times the beams propagated through the inside of the light guide plate while undergoing total reflection.

6. The head mounted display according to claim 5, wherein:

the first deflecting means functions as a reflecting mirror; and

the second deflecting means functions as a semi-transparent mirror.

7. The head mounted display according to claim 4, wherein:

the first deflecting means diffracts the beams entering the light guide plate; and

the second deflecting means diffracts a plurality of times the beams propagated through the inside of the light guide plate while undergoing total reflection.

8. The head mounted display according to claim 7, wherein the first deflecting means and the second deflecting means each include a diffraction grating element.

9. The head mounted display according to claim 8, wherein the diffraction grating element includes a reflection-type diffraction grating element.

10. The head mounted display according to claim 8, wherein the diffraction grating element includes a transmission-type diffraction grating element.

11. The head mounted display according to claim 8, wherein one of the diffraction grating elements includes a reflection-type diffraction grating element, and the other of the diffraction grating elements includes a transmission-type diffraction grating element.

12. A head mounted display comprising:

an eyeglasses frame-like frame to be mounted onto an observer'"'"'s head; and

two image display devices,

each of the image display devices including

an image generating device, and

light guide means which is mounted to the image generating device, which as a whole is located on the side of the center of an observer'"'"'s face relative to the image generating device, on which beams emitted from the image generating device are incident and through which the beams are guided, and from which the beams are emitted toward an observer'"'"'s pupil;

wherein the head mounted display further includes a connecting member for connecting the two image display devices to each other,

the connecting member is mounted to a side, facing to the observer, of a central portion of a frame, wherein the light guide means includes a semi-transparent mirror which is located on the side of the center of the observer'"'"'s face relative to the image generating device, on which beams emitted from the image generating device are incident, and from which the beams are emitted toward the observer'"'"'s pupil.

13. A head mounted display comprising:

an eyeglasses frame-like frame to be mounted onto an observer'"'"'s head; and

two image display devices,

each of the image display devices including

an image generating device, and

light guide means which is mounted to the image generating device, which as a whole is located on the side of the center of an observer'"'"'s face relative to the image generating device, on which beams emitted from the image generating device are incident and through which the beams are guided, and from which the beams are emitted toward an observer'"'"'s pupil;

wherein the head mounted display further includes a connecting member for connecting the two image display devices to each other,

the connecting member is mounted to a side, facing to the observer, of a central portion of a frame, wherein the image generating device includes;

(a) an image forming device having a plurality of pixels arranged in a two-dimensional matrix; and

(b) a collimating optical system by which beams emitted from the pixels of the image forming device are turned into parallel beams and the parallel beams are emitted.

14. A head mounted display comprising:

an eyeglasses frame-like frame to be mounted onto an observer'"'"'s head; and

two image display devices,

each of the image display devices including

an image generating device, and

light guide means which is mounted to the image generating device, which as a whole is located on the side of the center of an observer'"'"'s face relative to the image generating device, on which beams emitted from the image generating device are incident and through which the beams are guided, and from which the beams are emitted toward an observer'"'"'s pupil;

wherein the head mounted display further includes a connecting member for connecting the two image display devices to each other,

the connecting member is mounted to a side, facing to the observer, of a central portion of a frame, wherein the image generating device includes;

(a) a light source;

(b) a collimating optical system by which beams emitted from the light source are turned into parallel beams;

(c) scanning means for scanning the parallel beams emitted from the collimating optical system; and

(d) a relay optical system by which the parallel beams scanned by the scanning means are relayed and emitted.

15. A head mounted display comprising:

an eyeglasses frame-like frame to be mounted onto an observer'"'"'s head; and

two image display devices,

each of the image display devices including

an image generating device, and

light guide means which is mounted to the image generating device, which as a whole is located on the side of the center of an observer'"'"'s face relative to the image generating device, on which beams emitted from the image generating device are incident and through which the beams are guided, and from which the beams are emitted toward an observer'"'"'s pupil;

wherein the head mounted display further includes a connecting member for connecting the two image display devices to each other,

the connecting member is mounted to a side, facing to the observer, of a central portion of a frame, wherein the image generating device is mounted to each end portion of the connecting member so that the mounting condition can be adjusted.

16. The head mounted display according to claim 15, wherein each of the image generating devices is located on the outer side relative to the observer'"'"'s pupil.

17. The head mounted display according to claim 16, wherein the conditions of

0.01×

L≦

α

≦

0.30×

L

0.35×

L≦

β

≦

0.65×

L

0.70×

L≦

γ

≦

0.99×

L

are satisfied, where α

is the distance between the center of the mounting portion of the image generating device on one side and one end portion of the frame, β

is the distance from the center of the connecting member to the one end portion of the frame, γ

is the distance between the center of the mounting portion of the image generating device on the other side and the one end portion of the frame, and L is the length of the frame.