Head mounted display and optical position adjustment method of the same

• US 8,907,865 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyawaki, Tetsuyuki, Matsumura, Ikuo
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDULSELAM, ABBAS I
• Application Number:
  US13/078,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20110248904A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8, 345/204, 359/630
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0109 comprising details concerning the making of holograms
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0161 characterised by the relative positioning of the constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0174 holographic
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0103 comprising holographic elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2356/00 Detection of the display position w.r.t. other display screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display, the head mounted display including (a) an eyeglass type frame worn on the head of a viewer, and (b) two image display devices for the right and left eyes attached to the frame, and each of the image display devices including (A) an image forming device, and (B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device, wherein the optical position adjustment method includes the step of: controlling an image signal that is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices so as to control the position of the image displayed on the optical device making up at least one of the image display devices and adjust the mutual positions of the two images.

Claims

1. An optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display, the head mounted display including:

(a) an eyeglass type frame worn on a head of a viewer, and

(b) two image display devices for right and left eyes attached to the frame, and

each of the image display devices including;

(A) an image forming device, and

(B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device,

wherein the optical position adjustment method comprises the steps of;

controlling an image signal, which is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices, to control a position of the image displayed on the optical device making up at least one of the image display devices and adjust mutual positions of two images; and

based at least in part on the distance from the head mounted display to a target, further controlling the image signal to adjust a convergence angle commensurate with a distance from the head mounted display to the target.

2. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 1, wherein:

the adjustment of the mutual positions of the two images is accomplished by a combination of horizontal and vertical movements and rotation of the image displayed on the optical device making up at least one of the image display devices.

3. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 2, wherein the optical devices are see-through.

4. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 3, wherein:

distance information from the head mounted display to the target is transmitted to the head mounted display from external equipment in addition to the image signal supplied to the image forming devices.

5. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 3, wherein:

the head mounted display further comprises a distance measurement device adapted to measure the distance to the target from the head mounted display so that distance information is obtained by the distance measurement device.

6. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 5, wherein:

a luminance signal of an image to be displayed on the optical devices is transmitted to the head mounted display from external equipment in addition to the image signal supplied to the image forming devices.

7. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 5, wherein:

the head mounted display further comprises a light reception sensor so that the luminance of the image to be displayed on the optical devices is controlled based at least in part on luminance information of the environment obtained by the light reception sensor.

8. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 1, wherein

the image displayed on the optical devices by the image signal comprises text when, based at least in part on the distance from the head mounted display to the target, the image signal is further controlled that is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices.

9. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 1, wherein the position of a virtual image formed by the two optical devices is changed over time.

10. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 1, wherein the distance to a virtual image formed by the two optical devices from the two optical devices is changed over time.

11. An optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display, the head mounted display including:

(a) an eyeglass type frame worn on a head of a viewer, and

(b) two image display devices for right and left eyes attached to the frame, and

each of the image display devices including;

(A) an image forming device, and

(B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device,

wherein the optical position adjustment method comprises the steps of;

capturing an image displayed on each optical device with an associated imaging device;

finding a displacement of the image obtained by each of the imaging devices from a reference position;

controlling an image signal, which is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices, to eliminate the displacement and adjust mutual positions of two images; and

based at least in part on a distance from the head mounted display to the target, further controlling the image signal to adjust a convergence angle commensurate with the distance from the head mounted display to the target.

12. The optical position adjustment method of a head mounted display of claim 11, wherein:

the reference position is an imaging position of a subject in an imaging device obtained when the subject, located at a given position forward of the two optical devices, is imaged by the imaging device.

13. A head mounted display, including:

(a) an eyeglass type frame worn on the head of a viewer, and

(b) two image display devices for right and left eyes attached to the frame, and each of the image display devices including;

(A) an image forming device, and

(B) an optical device adapted to receive, guide and emit light emitted from the image forming device,

wherein at least one of the image display devices is configured to control a received image signal based at least in part on a distance from the head mounted display to a target to adjust a convergence angle commensurate with the distance from the head mounted display to the target.

14. The head mounted display of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the image display devices is configured to control a received image signal so as to control a position of an image displayed on the optical device of the at least one of the image display devices and adjust mutual positions of two images.

15. The head mounted display of claim 14, wherein at least one of the image display devices is configured to adjust the mutual positions of the two images by a combination of horizontal and vertical movements and rotation of the image displayed on the optical device of the at least one of the image display devices.

16. The head mounted display of claim 14, wherein the position of a virtual image formed by the two optical devices is changed over time.

17. The head mounted display of claim 14, wherein the distance to a virtual image formed by the two optical devices from the two optical devices is changed over time.

18. The head mounted display of claim 13, wherein the optical devices are see-through.

19. The head mounted display of claim 13, wherein distance information from the head mounted display to the target is transmitted to the head mounted display from external equipment in addition to the image signal supplied to the image forming devices.

20. The head mounted display of claim 13, further comprising a distance measurement device adapted to obtain distance information by measuring the distance to the target from the head mounted display.

21. The head mounted display of claim 13, wherein a luminance signal of an image to be displayed on the optical devices is transmitted to the head mounted display from external equipment in addition to the image signal supplied to the image forming devices.

22. The head mounted display of claim 13, further comprising a light reception sensor so that the luminance of the image to be displayed on the optical devices is controlled based at least in part on luminance information of the environment obtained by the light reception sensor.

23. The head mounted display of claim 13, wherein the image displayed on the optical devices by the image signal comprises text when, based at least in part on the distance from the head mounted display to the target, the image signal is further controlled that is supplied to the image forming device making up at least one of the image display devices.