Head-mounted display apparatus

• US 7,199,934 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2005
• Issued: 04/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Yamasaki, Masafumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mack; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): HASAN, MOHAMMED A
• Application Number:
  US11/122,502
• Publication Number:
  US 20050248852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 359630-634, 345/7, 345/8, 345/9, 349/11, 348/115
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements

Abstract

A head-mounted display apparatus comprises a see-through image display portion for setting a display frame in a display-capable range, and displaying an image in such a manner that the image is superimposed on an image of the external environment in the display frame, an angular velocity sensor for detecting the tilting angle of the head of an observer; an LCD driver, a second CPU and the like which control the display frame to move in an amount corresponding to the angle detected by the angle detection means in the direction opposite to the tilting direction of the observer'"'"'s head, whereby the position of a virtual image, observed by the observer, is kept substantially constant, irrespective of the tilting of the observer'"'"'s head, and first CPU which controls the apparatus so that the mode of the apparatus is automatically changed to a low consumption power mode.

Claims

1. A head-mounted display apparatus comprising:

an angle detector to detect the tilting angle of the head of an observer;

a display portion to display a predetermined image in such a manner that the predetermined image is superimposed on an image of an external environment, the display portion being changed from a display-state of the predetermined image to a non-display-state thereof and vice-versa, corresponding to the tilting angle of the observer'"'"'s head detected by the angle detector; and

a controller to control the display portion in such a manner that, in the case in which the non-display state of the display portion continues for not less than a predetermined time-period, the non-display state is continuously kept, even if the tilting angle of the head, thereafter, gets to have a value corresponding to the display-state thereafter.

2. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display portion is changed so as to be in the display-state when the tilting angle of the observer'"'"'s head detected by the angle detector is within a predetermined angle range and so as to be in the non-display state when the tilting angle departs from the predetermined angle range.

3. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display portion displays the image in such a manner that the image is moved in an amount corresponding to the angle detected by the angle detector in the direction opposite to the tilting direction of the observer'"'"'s head, whereby the relative position of the predetermined image with respect to the image of the external environment, observed by the observer, is kept substantially constant, irrespective of the tilting of the observer'"'"'s head.

4. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls the head-mounted display apparatus so that the power supply of the head-mounted display apparatus is turned off, or so that the head-mounted display apparatus is set in a low consumption power mode, when the non-display state of the display portion continues for not less than the predetermined time-period.

5. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller controls the head-mounted display apparatus so that the power supply of the head-mounted display apparatus is turned off or so that the head-mounted display apparatus is set in a low consumption power mode, when the non-display state of the display portion continues for not less than the predetermined time-period.

6. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller controls the head-mounted display apparatus so that the power supply of the information display apparatus is turned off or so that the information display apparatus is set in a low consumption power mode, when the non-display state of the display portion continues for not less than the predetermined time-period.

7. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising time-set portion to set the predetermined time-period at a desired value.

8. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 2 further comprising time-set portion to set the predetermined time-period at a desired value.

9. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising time-set portion to set the predetermined time-period at a desired value.

10. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 4 further comprising time-set portion to set the predetermined time-period at a desired value.

11. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 5 further comprising time-set portion to set the predetermined time-period at a desired value.

12. The head-mounted display apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising time-set portion to set the predetermined time-period at a desired value.