Head mounted imaging device and sight image adjusting method

Abstract

To provide a head mounted imaging device capable of preventing a viewer of an image imaged by imaging means from feeling an impression different from that felt by a wearer, due to focus adjustment of the imaging means.SOLUTION: A head mounted imaging device comprises: a prism 33 for transmitting the sight line of a wearer to a front side; and a camera member 34 arranged adjacently to the prism 33, where by refracting an optic axis of the camera member 34 by the prism 33, the optic axis can be made match the sight line of the wearer. The camera member 34 has: a camera body part 51 having an image element; a lens barrel part 52 arranged to face the prism 33; and an operation plate part 55 which can be operated to change a relative distance between the lens and the imaging element along the optic axis. The barrel part 52 is provided so as not to be movable to the prism 33. Such a configuration can keep a constant distance between the prism 33 and the lens, and therefore focus adjustment can be performed without change of field angle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a head-mounted imaging device capable of imaging an object with an optical axis that can coincide with the line of sight of a wearer, and a line-of-sight image adjustment method for aligning an image captured by the head-mounted imaging device. [Background technology]

[0002] The inventors of the present invention have proposed a head-mounted camera that passes forward through the line of sight of the wearer and refracts the optical axis of a camera arranged to the side of the prism to match the line of sight by using a prism arranged in front of the wearer's eyes, as shown in Patent Document 1. According to such a conventional configuration, an object viewed by the wearer can be captured from the line of sight of the wearer, and therefore the object can be viewed from the same line of sight as the wearer by displaying the image captured by the camera on an image display device such as a monitor.

[0003] The inventors of the present invention have also proposed a configuration in which a magnifying glass is disposed in front of the prism, as shown in Patent Document 2. In such a conventional configuration, the wearer can view a magnified view of an object through the prism and the magnifying glass, and the optical axis of the camera can be refracted by the prism to match the line of sight of the wearer, so that the object can be imaged by the camera at the line of sight of the wearer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3231356 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 7178126 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Although not explicitly stated in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, cameras of either autofocus (hereinafter, AF) or manual focus (hereinafter, MF) type may be applied to these conventional configurations. Here, a camera applied to the conventional configuration generally includes a camera body having an image sensor, and a lens barrel provided so as to be movable toward and away from the image sensor, and the focal point can be adjusted to a subject by moving the lens barrel toward and away from the image sensor. However, in such a camera, the angle of view changes due to the movement of the lens barrel when focusing, so in a conventional configuration equipped with such a camera, the change in the angle of view due to focusing can cause a person viewing an image captured by the camera to have an impression different from that of the wearer. In particular, in the configuration of Patent Document 2 described above, since an image is captured through a magnifying glass, the angle of view is likely to change relatively significantly due to the focusing, so that a person viewing an image captured by the camera tends to have an impression different from that of the wearer.

[0006] On the other hand, the conventional configurations of Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above are configured to align the optical axis of the camera with the line of sight of the wearer, but in reality, there may be a misalignment between the line of sight and the optical axis due to the positional relationship between the wearer's eyes and the prism, the direction of the wearer's line of sight, etc. When such a misalignment occurs, the wearer's viewpoint is shifted from the center of the image captured by the camera, making it difficult to accurately convey the wearer's viewpoint to a person viewing the image captured by the camera.

[0007] The present invention proposes a head-mounted imaging device that can prevent a person viewing an image captured by an imaging means from having an impression different from that of the wearer due to focus adjustment of the imaging means, and a gaze image adjustment method that can accurately convey the wearer's viewpoint. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The first invention of the present invention is a head-mounted imaging device comprising: a head-mounted section to be worn on the head of a wearer; a line-of-sight passing member attached to the head-mounted section and allowing at least one of the wearer's left and right lines of sight to pass forward; and an imaging means arranged adjacent to the line-of-sight passing member and capable of imaging an object through the line-of-sight passing member, wherein the line-of-sight passing member has one or more prisms that allow the wearer's line of sight to pass forward and refract the optical axis of the imaging means forward, and the imaging means comprises a lens member having a lens arranged opposite the prism of the line-of-sight passing member, an imaging element that captures an image of the object through the lens of the lens member, and a relative distance change means for changing the relative distance between the lens member and the imaging element along the optical axis, and wherein the lens member is arranged so as to be immovable relative to the line-of-sight passing member.

[0009] In this configuration, since the lens member is immovably provided with respect to the line-of-sight passing member, when the imaging means is focused, the imaging element moves toward or away from the line-of-sight passing member. In this configuration, since the distance between the prism of the line-of-sight passing member and the lens member is always kept constant, the change in the angle of view during focusing can be suppressed. This improves the effect of the image captured by the imaging means being aligned with the wearer's line of sight, and the image can stably create the same impression as the wearer in the person viewing the image. Therefore, according to the configuration of the present invention, the image captured by the imaging means can accurately convey the impression the wearer is seeing.

[0010] The second invention of the present invention is a line-of-sight image adjustment method for aligning the wearer's viewpoint with an image captured by an imaging means in the head-mounted imaging device of the first invention, comprising: a display step of displaying the image captured by the imaging means on an image display device installed at a predetermined position; an adjustment step of adjusting the position of the line-of-sight member with respect to the wearer's eye so as to align the position of the wearer's viewpoint via the line-of-sight member with the image displayed on the image display device; and a focus adjustment step of adjusting the relative distance between the lens member of the imaging means and the imaging element using a relative distance change means to focus the image displayed on the image display device.

[0011] In this method, the position of the line-of-sight passing member is adjusted so as to align the position of the image displayed on the image display device with the wearer's viewpoint, thereby correcting the misalignment between the wearer's line of sight and the optical axis of the imaging means, and the imaging means can accurately capture an image at the wearer's line of sight. Furthermore, in this method, the focus adjustment step suppresses changes in the angle of view when focusing, so that the object being viewed by the wearer can be captured more accurately. Thus, according to the method of the present invention, the image captured by the imaging means is accurately and stably represented at the wearer's line of sight, so that the wearer's viewpoint can be accurately conveyed to the person viewing the image.

[0012] Incidentally, the adjustment step is preferably performed while the wearer is actually viewing the target object, which makes it easier to more accurately align the wearer's viewpoint with the image. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the head-mounted imaging device of the present invention, it is possible to suppress changes in the angle of view when focusing the imaging means, so that the impression that the wearer is seeing can be accurately conveyed to the person viewing the image captured by the imaging means.

[0014] According to the line of sight image adjustment method of the present invention, the image displayed on the image display device can be aligned with the wearer's viewpoint, so that the wearer's viewpoint can be accurately conveyed to a person viewing the image. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a head-mounted imaging device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1A is a plan view and FIG. 1B is a front view of a head-mounted imaging device 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view showing the head-mounted imaging device 1 when worn. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are a plan view and a front view, respectively, illustrating a prism 33 and a camera member 34 that constitute the line-of-sight imaging unit 6. FIG. [Diagram 5] 3A and 3B are an oblique view and an exploded oblique view, respectively, showing prisms 33, 33. FIG. [Figure 6] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the focusing operation of the camera member 34. FIG. [Figure 7] 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the lines of sight S1, S2 of a wearer and an optical axis P of a camera member 34 in a head-mounted imaging device 1. FIG. [Figure 8] 1A to 1C are explanatory diagrams showing a manner in which the lines of sight S1, S2 of the wearer 101 and the optical axis P of the camera member 34 are adjusted by the line-of-sight image adjustment method of the embodiment. [Figure 9] 1A is a side view showing a head-mounted imaging device 71 of a first modified example, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing an operation mode. [Figure 10] 13A is a perspective view of a head-mounted imaging device 81 and FIG. 13B is a plan view of a line-of-sight imaging unit 86 of a second modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. In the embodiment, the front-rear direction indicates the front-rear direction of a wearer wearing the head-mounted imaging device 1 of the embodiment, and left-right similarly indicates the left-right direction of the wearer. The left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction (vertical direction) is called the left-right lateral direction. In the left-right direction, the direction from the outside of the left and right toward the center of the wearer is called the inward direction. Furthermore, in the embodiment, the front side and the front side are used interchangeably.

[0017] 1 to 3, a head-mounted imaging device 1 of the embodiment includes protective glasses 2 that are integrally provided with a transparent shield part 4 that is disposed in front of and covers both eyes of a wearer 101, and a frame part 3 that is attached to the wearer's head by hanging it over both ears of the wearer. The head-mounted imaging device 1 includes a line-of-sight imaging unit 6 and an illumination device 7 that are attached to the center of the frame part 3 via a connecting member 5, and the line-of-sight imaging unit 6 and the illumination device 7 are integrally provided.

[0018] The connecting member 5 includes a base 11 fixed to the frame 3 of the protective glasses 2, a support rod 12 provided on the base 11 so as to be tiltable in the vertical direction, and a sliding part 13 provided with a vertical long hole through which the support rod 12 is inserted. A positioning part 15 is rotatably screwed to the tip of the support rod 12, and by fastening the positioning part 15, the vertical position of the sliding part 13 relative to the support rod 12 can be fixed, while by releasing the fastening of the positioning part 15, the sliding part 13 can be moved in the vertical direction relative to the support rod 12. The lighting device 7 is attached to the sliding part 13 so as to be tiltable in the vertical direction, and the line of sight imaging unit 6 is attached integrally to the lighting device 7. Such a connecting member 5 can tilt the support rod part 12, the sliding part 13, the lighting device 7, and the gaze imaging unit 6 in the front-rear direction together by tilting the support rod part 12 relative to the base part 11. This tilting of the gaze imaging unit 6 can change the distance to both eyes of the wearer 101. In addition, by sliding the sliding part 13 in the vertical direction relative to the support rod part 12, the sliding part 13, the lighting device 7, and the gaze imaging unit 6 can be slid in the vertical direction together. Furthermore, by tilting the lighting device 7 in the vertical direction relative to the sliding part 13, the lighting device 7 and the gaze imaging unit 6 can be tilted in the vertical direction together, and they can be inclined at a desired angle relative to the wearer.

[0019] The lighting device 7 includes a lighting support part 17 tiltably attached to the sliding part 13, and a light 18 supported by the lighting support part 17. The light 18 can illuminate an object viewed through the prisms 33, 33 of the line-of-sight imaging unit 6, improving the visibility of the object. An ON / OFF switch, a power source, and the like (not shown) are connected to the light 18 via cables.

[0020] Next, the line of sight imaging unit 6 according to the main part of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the visual axis imaging unit 6 includes a guide support member 21 attached to the illumination support portion 17 of the illumination device 7, and left and right visual axis imaging main bodies 22a and 22b supported by the guide support member 21, respectively.

[0021] The guide support member 21 is formed in an elongated shape in the left-right direction, and the left-right central portion is fixed to the illumination support portion 17. The guide support member 21 is formed symmetrically with respect to the central portion, and a first guide elongated hole portion 25 and a second guide elongated hole portion 26 are provided on both the left and right sides. The first guide elongated hole portion 25 is a long hole that opens linearly in the left-right lateral direction and penetrates the guide support member 21 in the up-down direction. The left and right first guide elongated hole portions 25 are provided in front of the left and right eyes of the wearer when the guide support member 21 is worn by the wearer. The second guide elongated hole portion 26 is a long hole that is inclined linearly forward with respect to the first guide elongated hole portion 25 on the outer side of the first guide elongated hole portion 25 and penetrates the guide support member 21 in the up-down direction.

[0022] Each of the visual axis imaging main bodies 22a and 22b includes a housing 31 supported on the guide support member 21 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction, a magnifying glass part 32 attached to the front part of the housing 31, and a prism 33 disposed inside the housing 31. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the right visual axis imaging main body 22a includes a camera part 34 disposed inside the housing 31.

[0023] Each of the housings 31, 31 of the line-of-sight imaging bodies 22a, 22b is provided as a pair on the left and right, and includes a first housing portion 41 disposed on the inside and a second housing portion 42 connected to the outside of the first housing portion 41 via a connecting tube portion 43. The first housing portion 41 and the second housing portion 42 are in communication with each other via the connecting tube portion 43.

[0024] The first housing portion 41 is provided with a support rod portion 45 that protrudes upward from its upper surface and has a rod portion inserted into the first guide elongated hole portion 25 of the guide support member 21 and a fixing portion that is screwed to an upper portion of the rod portion on the first guide elongated hole portion 25 and cannot be inserted into the first guide elongated hole portion 25. By fastening the fixing portion of the support rod portion 45, the first housing portion 41 can be positioned and fixed to the guide support member 21, while by releasing the fastening of the fixing portion, the first housing portion 41 can be relatively moved along the first guide elongated hole portion 25. Similarly, the second housing portion 42 is provided with a support rod portion 46 that protrudes upward from its upper surface and has a rod portion inserted into the second guide elongated hole portion 26 of the guide support member 21 and a fixing portion that is screwed to an upper portion of the rod portion on the second guide elongated hole portion 26 and cannot be inserted into the second guide elongated hole portion 26. By fastening the fixing portion of the support rod portion 46, the second housing portion 42 can be positioned and fixed to the guide support member 21, while by releasing the fastening of the fixing portion, the second housing portion 42 can be relatively moved along the second guide elongated hole portion 26.

[0025] The line of sight imaging main bodies 22a, 22b are suspended by support rods 45, 46 inserted into the first and second guide long hole portions 25, 26 of the guide support member 21. The line of sight imaging main bodies 22a, 22b are movable in the left and right lateral directions when the fixing portions of the support rods 45, 46 are not fastened, and are positioned by fastening the fixing portion of at least one of the support rods 45, 46. When the line of sight imaging main bodies 22a, 22b are moved left and right in this untightened state, the line of sight imaging main bodies 22a, 22b move left and right lateral directions while tilting in the front and rear directions around the support rod 45 inserted into the first guide long hole portion 25.

[0026] Here, the respective positions, dimensions, shapes, etc. of the support rod portions 45, 46 of the line-of-sight imaging main bodies 22a, 22b and the first and second guide long hole portions 25, 26 of the guide support member 21 are set so that the position T (hereinafter referred to as the viewpoint) at which the lines of sight S1, S2 passing through the prisms 33, 33 provided on the left and right first and second housing portions 41, 42 intersect does not change substantially when the line-of-sight imaging main bodies 22a, 22b move.

[0027] As described above, the left and right line-of-sight imaging bodies 22a and 22b are provided with the prisms 33 in the first housing parts 41, respectively. As shown in FIG. 5, the prisms 33 are cubes in which two right-angle prisms 38, 38 are joined by overlapping their inclined faces 38a, 38a, and are so-called cube-type beam splitters. The inclined faces 38a of the prisms 33 are provided with a mirror coating with a transmittance (transparency) of 0 to 50%. As shown in FIG. 4, the right first housing part 41 is provided with the prism 33 so that the inclined faces 38a are inclined inward and forward in front of the wearer's eyes, and the front face of the prism 33 is disposed opposite the magnifying glass part 32. The right prism 33 is provided with an anti-reflection coating on the front, back and right faces, and the other three faces are provided with a black coating that suppresses the input and output of light. The left first housing part 41 has a prism 33 (not shown) disposed thereon so as to be symmetrical with the right first housing part 41. The left prism 33 has an anti-reflection coating applied to the front, rear and left side surfaces, and the other three surfaces have the black coating applied thereto.

[0028] In this embodiment, the camera member 34 is disposed in the second housing portion 42 and the connecting tube portion 43 on the right side as shown in FIG. 4. The camera member 34 includes a camera body portion 51 provided with an imaging element and a lens-equipped mirror portion 52, and is attached to the camera body portion 51 so that the lens-equipped mirror portion 52 can move toward and away from the imaging element. In the camera member 34 of this embodiment, a lens is integrally provided in the mirror portion 52, and the relative distance between the lens and the imaging element can be changed by moving the mirror portion 52 toward and away from the imaging element, and this change allows focus adjustment (adjustment to focus). The mirror portion 52 is rotatably screwed to a cylindrical mounting portion (not shown) provided on the camera body portion 51, and is configured to be screwed forward by rotating a large-diameter operation plate portion 55 provided on the mirror portion 52, thereby moving toward and away as described above.

[0029] The camera member 34 is disposed in the right line of sight imaging body 22a with the camera body 51 disposed inside the second housing 42 so as to be movable in the left-right direction and the lens barrel 52 disposed inside the connecting tube 43 so as not to be movable. Here, the lens barrel 52 is disposed in the connecting tube 43 so that its front end is close to the right side surface of the prism 33 of the first housing 41 and the lens faces the right side surface of the prism 33. In addition, the operation plate 55 of the lens barrel 52 has at least a part of its outer periphery exposed from the connecting tube 43 so that it can be operated by the wearer or the like. In the camera member 34 disposed in this manner, the camera body 51 moves left-right relative to the lens barrel 52 by rotating the operation plate 55, and the focus can be adjusted according to the movement. During this focus adjustment, the distance between the lens of the lens barrel 52 and the prism 33 is always kept constant, so that in this configuration, the focus can be adjusted (adjusted to focus) without changing the angle of view.

[0030] A cable 40 is connected to the camera body 51 of the camera member 34, and the camera member 34 is connected to the communication control device 39 via the cable 40. As shown in FIG. 1, the cable 40 is extended from the second housing 42, connected to the frame 3 of the protective glasses 2, and connected to the communication control device 39 held by the wearer. A signal instructing the camera member 34 to capture an image and image data captured by the camera member 34 are transmitted and received between the camera member 34 and the communication control device 39 via the cable 40, and power is supplied from the communication control device 39 to the camera member 34. The communication control device 39 is equipped with a switch for causing the camera member 34 to capture an image, a power source, a wireless communication function, and the like, and the image data input from the camera member 34 can be communicated via a network via the wireless communication function.

[0031] 4, openings (not shown) that face the internal prism 33 are formed in the front and rear portions of the left and right first housing portions 41, and the magnifying glass portion 32 is disposed in the front portions. The magnifying glass portion 32 is configured to include a lens barrel having a substantially truncated cone shape and two lenses arranged side by side at the front and rear ends of the lens barrel, and is attached integrally to the first housing portion 41 such that the lens at the rear end faces the opening in the front portion of the first housing portion 41.

[0032] In the visual axis imaging body 22a, 22b of this embodiment, incident light incident from the front of each loupe part 32, 32 is divided by the prism 33, 33 into transmitted light that passes through the inclined surface 38a of the prism 33, 33 and reflected light that is reflected by the inclined surface 38a and passes outward (to the right in the right prism 33, and to the left in the left prism 33). As a result, as shown in FIG. 7, the optical axis P of the camera member 34 can coincide with the right visual line S1 passing through the right prism 33. Here, in this embodiment, the camera member 34, the prism 33, and the loupe part 32 are each arranged so that the optical axis P of the camera member 34 passes through the center or near the center of the prism 33 and the loupe part 32. And this optical axis P coincides with the right visual line S1 passing through the center or near the center of the prism 33 and the loupe part 32. In addition, in this embodiment, the left and right line of sight imaging bodies 22a, 22b are each equipped with a prism 33, 33, and the wearer's left and right lines of sight S1, S2 pass through the left and right prisms 33, 33, so that any discomfort felt by the wearer in the images reflected in their left and right eyes can be suppressed.

[0033] Furthermore, the left and right line-of-sight imaging bodies 22a and 22b can be appropriately changed in their left and right positions according to the distance between the wearer's eyes. For example, in the case of a wearer with a relatively narrow interpupillary distance, the left and right line-of-sight imaging bodies 22a and 22b are positioned on the inner side, respectively. In this state, the wearer can view the object in a magnified view at the viewpoint T where the lines of sight S1 and S2 passing through the prism 33 and the magnifying glass part 32 intersect. On the other hand, in the case of another wearer with a relatively wide interpupillary distance, the left and right line-of-sight imaging bodies 22a and 22b are positioned on the outer side, respectively. In this state, compared to the case where the line-of-sight imaging bodies 22a and 22b are positioned on the inner side, the prisms 33 and the magnifying glass part 32 are positioned on the outer side while maintaining a substantially constant distance from the wearer's eyes, and are inclined forward toward the outside. As a result, the lines of sight S1 and S2 passing through the prisms 33 and the magnifying glass portion 32 intersect at substantially the same viewpoint T as when the prisms 33 and 33 are disposed closer to the inside, so that the object can be viewed at the viewpoint T in an enlarged manner.

[0034] In the head mounted imaging device 1 of the present embodiment described above, the communication control device 39 is connected to a computer (not shown) that transmits and receives image data and signals via a network such as the Internet. The computer is connected to a storage device (not shown) that stores image data received from the communication control device 39, an image display device 61 (see FIG. 8) that displays moving images and still images, and the like, and has a function of reading image data and displaying moving images and still images on the image display device 61. With this configuration, the image display device 61 can display image data captured by the camera member 34 of the head mounted imaging device 1 in real time, or can select and read image data stored in the storage device and display it.

[0035] Next, a usage mode of the head-mounted imaging device 1 of this embodiment will be described. The head-mounted imaging device 1 is used by a wearer by putting the protective glasses 2 on the wearer's head and positioning the line-of-sight imaging unit 6 in front of the wearer's eyes (see FIG. 3). The wearer operates the connecting member 5 to raise and lower the line-of-sight imaging unit 6 or tilt it forward and backward to set the line-of-sight imaging unit 6 and the lighting device 7 to a desired position. Furthermore, the left and right line-of-sight imaging main bodies 22a and 22b are operated to position the prisms 33 (and the magnifying glass parts 32) of each line-of-sight imaging main body 22a and 22b in front of the left and right eyes, respectively. By positioning the left and right line-of-sight imaging main bodies 22a and 22b in accordance with both eyes of the wearer in this way, the lines of sight S1 and S2 pass through the prisms 33 and the magnifying glass parts 32 and 32, as shown in FIG. 7, and the object at the viewpoint T can be viewed in a magnified view.

[0036] By aligning the line-of-sight imaging bodies 22a and 22b in this way, when the wearer's lines of sight S1 and S2 pass through the center or approximate center of the prisms 33 and 33, the right line of sight S1 coincides with the optical axis P of the camera member 34. As a result, by displaying image data captured by the camera member 34 on the image display device 61, it is possible to show the target object at the same line of sight as the wearer.

[0037] Here, even in the above-mentioned aligned state, the wearer's lines of sight S1, S2 may deviate from the center of the prism 33, 33. This is because the wearer can change the direction of the lines of sight S1, S2 within the range passing through the prism 33, 33 by moving only the eyeballs without moving the head on which the head-mounted imaging device 1 is mounted. When the lines of sight S1, S2 deviate from the center of the prism 33, 33 in this way, the optical axis P of the camera member 34 deviates from the line of sight S1, so that when the image is displayed on the image display device 61, the viewpoint T is displayed at a position deviated from the center of the image captured by the camera member 34. This makes it difficult to accurately convey the viewpoint T that the wearer is gazing at to the person viewing the image. In particular, since the head-mounted imaging device 1 of this embodiment is configured to magnify the object by the magnifying glass parts 32, 32, a slight deviation between the line of sight S1 and the optical axis P of the camera member 34 tends to be relatively large in the image captured by the camera member 34. For this reason, the gaze imaging unit 6 is adjusted so that the gazes S1 and S2 pass through the center (or approximately the center) of the prisms 33. This adjustment method is described below. As a specific example, Fig. 8(A) shows a case where the gaze imaging unit 6 is aligned as described above and the wearer's gazes S1 and S2 are shifted downward from the center of the prisms 33.

[0038] First, an image display device 61 that displays image data captured by the camera member 34 is installed in a location where the wearer wearing the head mounted imaging device 1 can see it from between the line of sight imaging unit 6. Here, the location where the image display device 61 is installed is preferably a location where the wearer can see the screen of the image display device 61 when the head mounted imaging device 1 is being used.

[0039] After the wearer wears the head-mounted imaging device 1 and performs the above-mentioned alignment, the wearer operates the communication control device 39 (and the computer) to display the image captured by the camera member 34 on the screen of the image display device 61 in real time. This corresponds to the display step of the present invention. Note that this display on the image display device 61 can also be performed before or during the alignment. Furthermore, the image captured by the camera member 34 may start to be displayed on the image display device 61 before the head-mounted imaging device 1 is worn on the head.

[0040] The wearer visually recognizes the object 62 through the prisms 33, 33 of the head-mounted imaging device 1, and in this state, without moving his head, looks at the screen of the image display device 61 from between the line-of-sight imaging unit 6. Here, as shown in Fig. 8(A), if the lines of sight S1, S2 through which the object 62 is visually recognized are shifted downward from the center of the prisms 33, 33, the object 62 is displayed at the bottom of the screen of the image display device 61. This makes it clear that the lines of sight S1, S2 of the wearer are shifted from the optical axis P of the camera member 32.

[0041] In order to correct this misalignment between the line of sight S1 and the optical axis P of the camera member 32, the connecting member 5 is operated to change the position of the line of sight imaging unit 6 so that the wearer's viewpoint T (object 62) is displayed at the center of the screen of the image display device 61. Then, as shown in Fig. 8(B), the line of sight imaging unit 6 is positioned in a state in which the wearer's viewpoint T is displayed at the center of the screen of the image display device 61. As a result, the wearer's lines of sight S1, S2 pass through the centers of the prisms 33, 33 and coincide with the optical axis P of the camera member 34. This corresponds to the adjustment step according to the present invention.

[0042] Furthermore, by rotating the operation plate portion 55 of the camera member 34 disposed on the right line-of-sight imaging main body 22a, the focus of the camera member 34 is adjusted (adjusted to focus) to adjust the focus of the image displayed on the image display device 61. Here, in the head-mounted imaging device 1 of this embodiment, the distance between the lens of the mirror tube portion 52 and the prism 33 is kept constant during the focus adjustment, so that the angle of view of the camera member 34 does not change. This focus adjustment corresponds to the focus adjustment step according to the present invention. It should be noted that such focus adjustment may be performed before the adjustment step described above.

[0043] By aligning the wearer's viewpoint T with the image on the image display device 61 in this manner, the wearer's line of sight S1 can be accurately aligned with the optical axis P of the camera member 34, so that the object 62 can be seen at the same line of sight as the wearer to a person viewing the image captured by the camera member 34.

[0044] In the head-mounted imaging device 1 of the present embodiment, the line-of-sight imaging unit 6 on the head of the wearer is positioned in front of the wearer's eyes, so that the wearer can view an enlarged view of an object at a viewpoint T through the left and right prisms 33, 33 and the magnifying glass parts 32, 32. The optical axis P of the camera member 32 disposed in the right line-of-sight imaging main body 22a is refracted by the right prism 33 and coincides with the right line of sight S1, so that the object can be imaged by the camera member 32 at the same line of sight as the wearer. Furthermore, in the configuration of the present embodiment, the focus adjustment (adjustment to focus) can be performed without changing the angle of view by rotating the operation plate part 55 of the camera member 32. As a result, the impression of the person viewing the image captured by the camera member 32 is unlikely to change due to the focus adjustment, and the object viewed by the wearer can be accurately conveyed.

[0045] Furthermore, when there is a misalignment between the wearer's viewpoint T via the prisms 33, 33 and the image captured by the camera member 32 and displayed on the image display device 61, the line of sight imaging unit 6 is adjusted by operating the connecting member 5 so that the wearer's viewpoint T is displayed approximately in the center of the screen of the image display device 61. This makes it possible to more accurately match the wearer's line of sight S1 with the optical axis P of the camera member 32, and accurately capture an image from the wearer's line of sight. This makes it possible to more stably achieve the aforementioned operational effect of this embodiment, that is, to accurately convey the object being viewed by the wearer to the viewer of the image display device 61.

[0046] In this embodiment, the protective glasses 2 correspond to the head-mounted portion of the present invention, the prism 33 corresponds to the line-of-sight member of the present invention, the camera member 32 corresponds to the imaging means of the present invention, the lens barrel portion 52 corresponds to the lens member of the present invention, and the operation plate portion 55 corresponds to the relative distance changing means of the present invention.

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the dimensions and shapes of the components in the above-described embodiment may be modified as appropriate.

[0048] In the above-described embodiment, the camera member is arranged only on the right line-of-sight imaging body, but this is not limited to the above, and the camera member may be arranged only on the left line-of-sight imaging body, or a camera member may be arranged on each of the left and right latitude line imaging bodies.

[0049] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the camera member has a manual focus that adjusts the focus by operating the operation plate, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a camera member having an autofocus may be provided. Even in the case of an autofocus camera member, by immobilizing the lens barrel (maintaining a constant distance from the prism) and movably providing the camera body, the same effects as those of the embodiment can be achieved.

[0050] In the above-described embodiment, the lens is provided integrally with the lens barrel of the camera member, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the lens may be provided separately from the lens barrel.

[0051] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the visual line imaging unit and the lighting device are integrated, but the visual line imaging unit and the lighting device can be tilted separately. For example, FIG. 9 shows the configuration of an alternative example 1. In the head-mounted imaging device 71 of the alternative example 1, the visual line imaging unit 76 and the lighting device 7 are connected to the sliding part 13 of the connecting member 5 so as to be tiltable independently. That is, in the lighting device 7, the lighting support part 17 is pivotally supported on the sliding part 13 of the connecting member 5 via a first support shaft 77 in the left-right direction, and can be tilted with respect to the sliding part 13 around the first support shaft 77. In the visual line imaging unit 76, the guide support member 21 is connected to the sliding part 13 via the unit connecting part 72 so as to be tiltable. Here, the unit connecting portion 72 includes a first connecting portion 73 pivotally supported on the sliding portion 13 via the first support shaft 77, and a second connecting portion 74 pivotally supported on the first connecting portion 73 via a second support shaft 78 in the left-right direction, and the guide support member 21 is fixed to the second connecting portion 74. Furthermore, the line of sight imaging unit 76 can be placed on the upper edge of the illumination support portion 17 by the tilting of the unit connecting portion 72, and can be tilted integrally with the illumination device 7 around the first support shaft 77 in a state where the line of sight imaging unit 76 is placed on the illumination support portion 17. In the configuration of this modified example 1, as shown in Fig. 9(A), the line of sight imaging unit 76 and the illumination device 7 can be tilted integrally, so that the wearer can view an object illuminated by the illumination device 7 in a magnified view via the line of sight imaging unit 76. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 9(B), since the visual line imaging unit 76 and the lighting device 7 can be tilted separately, if only the visual line imaging unit 76 is tilted upward, the object illuminated by the lighting device 7 can be visually recognized with the naked eye. Also, even with the configuration of the modified example 1, the same effects as those of the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained. Note that the configuration of the modified example 1 is the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment except for the configuration in which the visual line imaging unit 76 and the lighting device 7 can be tilted separately, so that the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted.

[0052] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the gaze imaging unit is configured so that the left and right gaze imaging bodies can be independently changed in position to the left and right, but the configuration of the gaze imaging unit can be appropriately changed without being limited to this. For example, Fig. 10 shows a head-mounted imaging device 81 of Alternative Example 2. The configuration of Alternative Example 2 includes a head belt part 82 that is worn on the head of the wearer, and a gaze imaging unit 86 attached to the head belt part 82 via a connecting member 84. The connecting member 84 is configured so that a plurality of movable parts 85 are mutually connected so as to be tiltable, and a lighting device 87 is connected to the movable part 85 on the tip side, and the gaze imaging unit 86 is connected to the lighting device 87 so as to be tiltable. The line-of-sight imaging unit 86 includes a pair of first refracting members 91, 91 that refract the left and right lines of sight inward, a pair of second refracting members 92, 92 that refract the left and right lines of sight refracted by the first refracting members 91, 91 forward, and a pair of prisms 33, 33 that pass the left and right lines of sight refracted by the second refracting members 92, 92 forward, and the first refracting members 91, 91 and the second refracting members 92, 92 are disposed inside a first housing section 88, and the prisms 33, 33 are disposed inside a second housing section 89 disposed in front of the first housing section 88. A flat magnifying mirror 90 is disposed on the front portion of the second housing section 89. Here, the left and right prisms 33, 33 are the same as those in the above-mentioned embodiment and are disposed symmetrically. Furthermore, a camera housing 94 is provided on the right side of the second housing 89 via a connecting tube 95, and the camera body 51 of the camera member 34 is arranged inside the camera housing 94 so as to be movable in the left-right direction, and the lens barrel 52 of the camera member 34 is arranged inside the connecting tube 95 so as not to be movable. An operation plate 55 is provided to relatively move the camera body 51 and the lens barrel 52 in the left-right direction. The camera housing 94 and the connecting tube 95 on which the camera member 34 is arranged have the same configuration as the above-mentioned embodiment, and the camera body 51 can be moved in the left-right direction relative to the lens barrel 52 by operating the operation plate 55, thereby adjusting the focus. In the configuration of the modified example 2, the first refraction members 91, 91 and the second refraction members 92, 92 reduce the convergence angle of the left and right lines of sight, allowing the object to be viewed in a magnified view.Even with this configuration, as in the previously described embodiment, the optical axis of the camera member 34 can be aligned with the right line of sight, and the focus of the camera member 34 can be adjusted without changing the angle of view. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1,71,81 Head-mounted imaging device 2 Protective glasses (head-mounted part) 33 Prism (line of sight component) 34 Camera member (imaging means) 52 Lens barrel (lens component) 55 Operation plate portion (relative distance changing means) 61 Image display devices 82 Head belt part (head mounting part) P optical axis S1,S2 line of sight

Claims

1. A head-mounted part to be mounted on the head of a wearer; A line of sight passing member attached to the head mounting part and allowing at least one of the wearer's left and right lines of sight to pass forward; an imaging means arranged adjacent to the line-of-sight passing member and capable of imaging an object through the line-of-sight passing member; Equipped with The line of sight passage member is The optical system includes one or more prisms that pass the wearer's line of sight forward and refract the optical axis of the imaging means forward, The imaging means is a lens member including a lens arranged opposite to the prism of the line-of-sight passing member; an image pickup element that captures an image of the object through a lens of the lens member; a relative distance changing means for changing the relative distance between the lens member and the imaging element along the optical axis; Equipped with 2. A head-mounted imaging device, wherein the lens member is immovably provided relative to the line-of-sight member.

2. 2. A method for adjusting a line-of-sight image in a head-mounted imaging device according to claim 1, for aligning a viewpoint of a wearer with an image captured by an imaging means, comprising: a display step of displaying an image captured by the imaging means on an image display device installed at a predetermined position; an adjustment step of adjusting a position of the line-of-sight passage member with respect to the wearer's eye so as to align a position of a viewpoint of the wearer through the line-of-sight passage member with a position of an image displayed on the image display device; a focus adjustment step of adjusting the relative distance between the lens member of the imaging means and the imaging element by a relative distance change means to focus the image displayed on the image display device; A line of sight image adjusting method comprising:

Images