Head mounted display, information processing apparatus, image display apparatus, image display system, method for sharing display of head mounted display, and computer program

• US 9,784,976 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Nishizawa, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Mushambo, Martin
• Application Number:
  US15/002,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20160225189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0141 characterised by the informative content of the display
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• 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: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/022 Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/04 Exchange of auxiliary data, i.e. other than image data, between monitor and graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• 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

Abstract

A head mounted display which enables a user to visually recognize a virtual image includes: an image display unit that causes the user to visually recognize the virtual image; a processing unit that processes display information, which is information displayed to the user as the virtual image, in the image display unit; and a transmission unit that transmits the processed display information to an image display apparatus which is connected to the head mounted display.

Claims

1. A head mounted display which enables a user to visually recognize a virtual image, the head mounted display comprising:

an image display unit that causes the user to visually recognize the virtual image;

a processing unit that processes display information, which is information displayed to the user as the virtual image, in the image display unit;

a transmission unit that transmits the processed display information to an image display apparatus which is connected to the head mounted display; and

an acquisition unit that acquires the display information, and

a storage unit that stores the processed display information,

wherein

the acquisition unit acquires first current location information that indicates a current location of the head mounted display, together with the display information, and stores the acquired display information and the first current location information in the storage unit after associating the acquired display information with the first current location information, and

the transmission unit further acquires from the image display apparatus second current location information which indicates a current location of the image display apparatus, acquires the display information in the head mounted display, which is present in a predetermined range of the image display apparatus, from the storage unit using the acquired second current location information and the first current location information in the storage unit, causes the processing unit to process the acquired display information, and transmits the processed display information to the image display apparatus.

2. The head mounted display according to claim 1,

wherein the processing unit changes a method of the process according to at least any one of a type of the display information and authority of the user of the image display apparatus.

3. The head mounted display according to claim 1,

wherein the transmission broadcast-transmits the processed display information.

4. The image display apparatus, which is connected to the head mounted display according to claim 1,

wherein the image display apparatus is another head mounted display that enables the user to visually recognize the virtual image, and

wherein the another head mounted display includes

a reception-side image display unit that causes the user to visually recognize the virtual image;

a reception-side acquisition unit that acquires the processed display information from the head mounted display; and

a reception-side augmented reality processing unit that forms the virtual image, which is used to cause the processed display information to be visually recognized, on the reception-side image display unit in the vicinity of the user of the head mounted display.

5. The image display apparatus which is connected to the head mounted display according to claim 1,

wherein the image display apparatus is a projector that acquires the processed display information from the head mounted display and that projects an image including the processed display information.

6. An information processing apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires display information which is information displayed to a user of a head mounted display as a virtual image in the head mounted display which is connected to the information processing apparatus;

a processing unit that processes the acquired display information;

a transmission unit that transmits the processed display information to an image display apparatus which is connected to the information processing apparatus; and

a storage unit that stores the display information which is acquired from each of a plurality of head mounted displays,

wherein

the acquisition unit acquires first current location information that indicates a current location of the head mounted display, together with the display information, and stores the acquired display information and the first current location information in the storage unit after associating the acquired display information with the first current location information, and

the transmission unit further acquires from the image display apparatus second current location information which indicates a current location of the image display apparatus, acquires the display information in the head mounted display, which is present in a predetermined range of the image display apparatus, from the storage unit using the acquired second current location information and the first current location information in the storage unit, causes the processing unit to process the acquired display information, and transmits the processed display information to the image display apparatus.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the processing unit changes a method of the process according to at least any one of a type of the display information and authority of the user of the image display apparatus.

8. The image display apparatus, which is connected to the information processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the image display apparatus is another head mounted display that enables the user to visually recognize the virtual image, and

wherein the another head mounted display includes:

a reception-side image display unit that causes the user to visually recognize the virtual image;

a reception-side acquisition unit that acquires the processed display information from the information processing apparatus; and

a reception-side augmented reality processing unit that forms the virtual image, which is used to cause the processed display information to be visually recognized, on the reception-side image display unit in the vicinity of the user of the head mounted display.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6,

wherein the acquisition unit acquires a scene image, which includes the user of the head mounted display, together with the display information,

wherein the processing unit further composes the acquired scene image with the processed display information, and

wherein the transmission unit transmits the display information acquired after composition to the image display apparatus as the processed display information.

10. The image display apparatus which is connected to the information processing apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the image display apparatus is a projector that acquires the processed display information from the information processing apparatus and that projects an image including the processed display information.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a control unit,

wherein

the storage unit stores delivery information to be delivered to the image display apparatus, and

the control unit transmits the delivery information to the image display apparatus according to at least any one of information for the image display apparatus and information for a user of the image display apparatus.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the control unit processes the delivery information in the storage unit according to at least any one of the information, and transmits the processed delivery information as the delivery information to the image display apparatus.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the control unit further broadcast-transmits an information acquisition request for acquiring at least any one of the information from the specified communication carrier, and transmits the delivery information to the image display apparatus which responds to the information acquisition request.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the control unit acquires at least any one of the information by repeating transmission of the information acquisition request and reception of the response for the information acquisition request between the control unit and the image display apparatus which responds to the information acquisition request.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14,

wherein the information acquisition request includes information for identifying whether or not it is possible to refuse a response on a side of the image display apparatus.

16. An image display system comprising:

the information processing apparatus according to claim 11; and

a head mounted display,

wherein the head mounted display includes

a reception-side image display unit that causes the user to visually recognize the virtual image;

a reception-side acquisition unit that acquires the delivery information from the information processing apparatus; and

a reception-side augmented reality processing unit that forms the virtual image, which indicates the acquired delivery information, on the reception-side image display unit.

17. The image display apparatus which is connected to the information processing apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein the image display apparatus is a head mounted display that enables the user to visually recognize the virtual image, and

wherein the head mounted display includes

a reception-side image display unit that causes the user to visually recognize the virtual image;

a reception-side acquisition unit that acquires the delivery information from the information processing apparatus; and

a reception-side augmented reality processing unit that forms the virtual image, which indicates the acquired delivery information, on the reception-side image display unit.

18. An image display system comprising:

a head mounted display;

the information processing apparatus according to claim 6; and

a projector,

wherein the projector acquires the processed display information from the information processing apparatus, and projects an image including the processed display information.

19. An image display system comprising:

a head mounted display;

the information processing apparatus according to claim 6; and

another head mounted display,

wherein the another head mounted display includes

a reception-side image display unit that causes the user to visually recognize the virtual image;

a reception-side acquisition unit that acquires the processed display information from the information processing apparatus; and

a reception-side augmented reality processing unit that forms the virtual image, which is used to cause the processed display information to be visually recognized, on the reception-side image display unit in the vicinity of the user of the head mounted display.

20. A method for sharing display of a head mounted display, comprising:

(a) displaying display information to a user of the head mounted display as a virtual image;

(b) acquiring first current location information that indicates a current location of the head mounted display;

(c) acquiring from an image display apparatus second current location information which indicates a current location of the image display apparatus;

(d) acquiring, using the acquired second current location information and the first current location information, the display information displayed to a user of the head mounted display, which is present in a predetermined range of the image display apparatus;

(e) processing the display information; and

(f) transmitting the processed display information to the image display apparatus.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a program configured to cause a computer to execute the method according to claim 20.