Lens holder

Abstract

To provide a lens holder for holding an optical lens for vision correction easily replaceably for a person whose vision is corrected by spectacles to replace lenses.SOLUTION: A lens holder 10 has: a lens holding frame 20 removably holding an optical lens 5 which is an elastically deformable annular frame 21 with gaps formed; and lens support parts 22 contacting and supporting an outer edge of the optical lens 5 at least at three parts of the annular frame 21 along an extension direction. In the lens holding frame 20, the lens support parts 22 are configured to contact while pushing the optical lens 5 in an optical axis center direction by elastically deforming in the direction in which the annular frame 21 expands when holding the optical lens 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lens holder for interchangeably holding an optical lens for vision correction. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, visual field testing devices using a head-mounted display (HMD) have been provided, as disclosed in the following Patent Documents 1 and 2. By using an HMD, it is possible to create a darkroom only in front of the eyes, making it possible to realize a small-sized, low-cost visual field test that places less strain on the subject. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2023-550699 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-141848 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when people who use glasses to correct their eyesight wear an HMD, they usually have to remove their glasses or use special glasses for the HMD. Even HMDs that can be worn over glasses cannot accommodate all sizes and shapes of glasses.

[0005] On the other hand, when wearing an HMD without glasses, it is necessary to use corrective optical lenses that can provide appropriate correction to suit the individual visual characteristics of the HMD wearer, but until now, no HMDs have been provided that take such issues into consideration.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a lens holder that holds optical lenses for vision correction in an easily replaceable manner for people who correct their vision with glasses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the lens holder of the present invention is a lens holder for interchangeably holding optical lenses for vision correction, and is a lens holding frame that holds the optical lens in a removable manner, and is characterized by having an elastically deformable annular frame with slits formed therein, and lens support portions that contact and support the outer edge of the optical lens, located at least in three places on the annular frame along the extension direction, and is configured so that when holding the optical lens, the annular frame elastically deforms in the direction of expansion, and the lens support portions contact the optical lens while pressing it toward the center of its optical axis. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, by using a lens holder that can easily and interchangeably hold optical lenses for vision correction, the vision of a person undergoing vision correction can be easily and appropriately corrected. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a lens holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lens holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a front view of the trial lens according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view for explaining a state in which a trial lens is set in a lens holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a bottom view illustrating a state in which a trial lens is installed in a lens holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of placing a trial lens in a lens holder according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the lens holder according to the embodiment of the present invention is attached to the HMD. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, a lens holder 10 for a head-mounted display (HMD) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the lens holder 10 for an HMD that constitutes a visual field testing device and is worn on the head of a subject during a visual field test will be described.

[0011] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the lens holder 10 as seen from the front side, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lens holder 10 as seen from the back side. In this embodiment, when the lens holder 10 is attached to the HMD 1, the display side of the lens holder 10 is the front side, and the eye side of the subject (the person wearing the HMD 1) is the back side.

[0012] Here, an ophthalmology clinic where a visual field test is performed is usually equipped with a set of trial lenses 5 for visual acuity tests. As shown in Figure 3, the trial lens 5 includes an optical lens body 6, a metal frame 7 that covers the periphery of the optical lens body 6, and a handle 8 that is integrally formed with the metal frame 7.

[0013] In this embodiment, by utilizing this set of trial lenses 5, the trial lenses 5 suitable for the subject who requires vision correction are held by the lens holder 10 and placed on the HMD 1, so that the visual field test can be performed with the subject's vision appropriately corrected.

[0014] The lens holder 10 for the HMD includes a lens holding frame 20 for holding the trial lens 5, and an HMD connection part 30 for connecting and installing the lens holding frame 20 inside the HMD 1. The lens holding frame 20 and the HMD connection part 30 are integrally molded from polycarbonate resin and are elastically deformable.

[0015] In this embodiment, the polycarbonate resin is a translucent resin with light diffusing properties to which a light diffusing agent has been added, and the surfaces of the lens holding frame 20 and the HMD connection part 30 are micro-textured to diffuse light.

[0016] Here, Fig. 4(A) is a front view of the lens holder 10 when no trial lenses 5 are held, and Fig. 4(B) is a front view of the lens holder 10 when two trial lenses 5 are held on each side. Fig. 5(A) is a bottom view of the lens holder 10 when no trial lenses 5 are held, and Fig. 5(B) is a bottom view of the lens holder 10 when two trial lenses 5 are held on each side.

[0017] The lens holding frame 20 comprises a right eye frame 21 for holding an eye trial lens 5 for correcting the right eye of the wearer (subject) of the HMD 1, a left eye frame 26 for holding the eye trial lens 5 for the left eye, and a left-right connecting part 28 for connecting the right eye frame 21 and the left eye frame 26 together, and the frames 21, 26, the left-right connecting part 28 and the HMD connection part 30 are located on the same plane.

[0018] The left and right frames 21, 26 are elastically deformable C-shaped arcs, and although they are annular, they are not completely annular, with slits 21a, 26a formed in them. Thus, in this specification, the term annular also includes arc shapes that are not completely annular and have slits formed in them.

[0019] The formation of the slits 21a, 26a allows the annular frames 21, 26 to be easily deformed by applying an external force. The inner diameter of the frames 21, 26 is smaller than the diameter of the trial lens 5, and the outer diameter of the frames 21, 26 is larger than the diameter of the trial lens 5.

[0020] The slits 21a, 26a are positioned diagonally downward on the inside in the left-right direction, i.e., in the frame 21 for the right eye, the slit 21a is formed diagonally downward on the right side in Fig. 4, and in the frame 26 for the left eye, the slit 26a is formed diagonally downward on the left side in Fig. 4. In this embodiment, the central angle of the arc-shaped frames 21, 26 is approximately 250°, and if the slits 21a, 26a are considered to be arc-shaped, the central angle is approximately 110° (see Fig. 4, etc.). In other words, a little more than a quarter of the circumference of the annular frames 21, 26 is cut out.

[0021] Since the nose of the wearer is usually located diagonally below the inside of the left and right frames 21, 26 in the left-right direction, there is a risk that the frames 21, 26 may hit the nose if they are present here, but by forming the slits 21a, 26a diagonally below the inside of the left-right direction, it is possible to prevent the lens holder 10 from hitting the nose of the wearer.

[0022] The right eye frame 21 has a set of three lens supports 22 on each of its front side (display side) and back side (wearer's eye side) to support the trial lens 5 at three points. That is, the right eye frame 21 has two sets of six lens supports 22. The lens supports 22 have a roughly cylindrical shape and protrude vertically (in the optical axis direction of the held trial lens 5) from the surfaces on both sides of the right eye frame 21.

[0023] As a result, the right-eye frame 21 can hold one trial lens 5 on each of the front and back sides, for a total of two trial lenses 5. Similarly, the left-eye frame 26 is symmetrical but has the same configuration as the right-eye frame 21, and is equipped with two sets of six lens supports 27.

[0024] The three approximately cylindrical lens supports 22, 27 are installed at predetermined positions spaced apart from each other on the arc-shaped frames 21, 26 so that they can adequately support and hold the trial lens 5. Looking at the right-eye frame 21, a first lens support 22-1 and a third lens support 22-3 are installed at both ends of the arc, which are the boundaries with the slit 21a of the right-eye frame 21.

[0025] The second lens support 22-2, located between the first lens support 22-1 and the third lens support 22-3, is installed at a position spaced apart from the first lens support 22-1 by a central angle of approximately 160° in the opposite direction to the slit 21a (counterclockwise in FIG. 4). The second lens support 22-2 and the third lens support 22-3 are spaced apart by a central angle of approximately 90° on the arc-shaped right-eye frame 21.

[0026] Here, when the trial lens 5 is to be held in the left eye frame 26, as shown in Figure 6, the trial lens 5 is held parallel to a plane including the left eye frame 26 and pushed downward from above through the gap between the first lens support 27-1 and the second lens support 27-2, which serve as the entrance.

[0027] The first lens support 27-1 and the second lens support 27-2 are spaced apart by a central angle of approximately 160° on the arc-shaped frame 26, and the linear distance between the first lens support 27-1 and the second lens support 27-2 is slightly narrower than the diameter of the trial lens 5, so the trial lens 5 cannot pass through the entrance as it is.

[0028] When the trial lens 5 is passed between the first lens support 27-1 and the second lens support 27-2, the trial lens 5, which is in contact with the first lens support 27-1 and the second lens support 27-2 at the entrance, is pushed down while deforming the left eye frame 26, so that the first lens support 27-1 and the second lens support 27-2 separate to the diameter of the trial lens 5, allowing the trial lens 5 to pass between them.

[0029] Here, fitting recesses 22a, 27a recessed radially outward are formed on the radially inner side surfaces of the lens supports 22, 27 that come into contact with the trial lens 5. The fitting recesses 22a, 27a of the lens supports 22, 27 are formed in the height direction of the lens supports 22, 27 for a length approximately equal to the thickness of the outer edge of the trial lens 5, and do not extend to the top of the lens supports 22, 27. The top of the lens supports 22, 27 function as slip-out prevention tabs 22b, 27b that prevent the outer edge of the trial lens 5 fitted in the fitting recesses 22a, 27a from slipping out toward the top of the lens supports 22, 27.

[0030] When the trial lens 5 passes through the entrance, the deformed left eye frame 26 returns to its original shape, and the outer edge of the trial lens 5 fits into the fitting recesses 27a of the three lens supports 27, so that the trial lens 5 is supported at three points by the left eye frame 26.

[0031] The diameter of a circle passing through the bottoms of the three fitting recesses 27a (lens contact portions with the outer edge of the trial lens 5) is set to be slightly smaller than the diameter of the trial lens 5, and the annular left frame 26 elastically deforms slightly in the expanding direction when the trial lens 5 is held. Therefore, the trial lens 5 is stably held by the left frame 26 while being pushed toward the center via the three lens supports 27 by the elastic force of the left frame 26.

[0032] The frame 21 for the right eye is symmetrical but has the same configuration as the frame 26 for the left eye, and is equipped with three lens supports: a first lens support 22-1, a second lens support 22-2, and a third lens support 22-3, each of which is formed with a fitting recess 22a and a slip-out prevention return portion 22b.

[0033] Here, when the trial lens 5 is held by at least three lens supports 22, 27, if all of the lens supports 22, 27 are positioned together within a range of a central angle of 180° or less, the trial lens 5 can easily slip out through an opening that opens at a central angle of 180° or more, resulting in unstable holding.

[0034] On the other hand, if the distance between the lens supports 22 and 27 that form the entrance and that are furthest apart is less than 140° in terms of central angle, the entrance becomes narrow and it becomes impossible to smoothly pass the trial lens 5 through. Therefore, it is desirable that the distance between the lens supports 22 and 27 that form the entrance and that are furthest apart is greater than or equal to 140° and less than or equal to 170° in terms of central angle.

[0035] The left-right connecting part 28 is a rod-shaped member with an upwardly convex arc shape that connects the right eye frame 21 and the left eye frame 26. In Figure 4, its left end is connected and fixed to the upper part of the right eye frame 21 on the inside in the left-right direction, and its right end is connected and fixed to the upper part of the left eye frame 26 on the inside in the left-right direction.

[0036] The HMD connection unit 30 includes an HMD connection unit 30-1 on the right eye side connected to the outside of the right eye frame 21, and an HMD connection unit 30-2 on the left eye side connected to the outside of the left eye frame 26. Iron plates 31 that are attracted to magnets are installed on the left and right HMD connection units 30.

[0037] Fig. 7(A) is a diagram showing the configuration of the HMD 1 when the lens holder 10 is not installed, and Fig. 7(B) is a diagram showing the state when the lens holder 10 is installed on the HMD 1. As shown in Fig. 7(A), permanent magnets 4 for connecting the lens holder 10 are installed on the outside of each of the left and right display units of the HMD 1.

[0038] When installing the lens holder 10, the right-eye frame 21 is positioned facing the right-eye display of the HMD 1, and the left-eye frame 26 is positioned facing the left-eye display of the HMD 1. At this time, the left and right HMD connection parts 30 of the lens holder 10 are positioned facing the left and right permanent magnets 4, and the iron plates 31 are attracted to the permanent magnets 4 by magnetic force, and the HMD connection parts 30 are fixed to the HMD 1.

[0039] The configuration of the lens holder 10 has been described in detail above, and next, how the lens holder 10 is used will be described. The lens holder 10 is used when the vision of the subject (the person wearing the HMD 1) needs to be corrected during a visual field test. First, the trial lenses 5 appropriate for the subject's vision are held in the lens holders 10 on the left and right.

[0040] To hold the trial lenses 5, the lens holder 10 is removed from the HMD 1 and the trial lenses 5 are pushed into the area surrounded by the three lens supports 22, 27 while deforming the frames 21, 26, so that the trial lenses 5 on the left and right are held in the lens holder 10.

[0041] In this embodiment, one trial lens 5 can be held on each of the front and back sides of the frames 21, 26, and two trial lenses 5, for example, one for astigmatism and one for myopia correction, can be held for each eye. In Fig. 7(B), two trial lenses 5 are held on each of the left and right eyes.

[0042] After the trial lenses 5 are held in place, the lens holder 10 can be placed inside the HMD 1 by attaching the left and right HMD connection parts 30 to the permanent magnets 4 of the HMD 1, completing preparations. This allows the subject's vision to be properly corrected and a visual field test to be performed satisfactorily. Furthermore, if the subject feels that their vision is not being properly corrected by the trial lenses 5, they can easily replace the trial lenses 5 by removing the lens holder 10 from the HMD 1 as needed.

[0043] The above has described the lens holder 10 according to this embodiment. According to this embodiment, when the wearer of the HMD 1 needs vision correction, the appropriate trial lens 5 can be installed on the HMD 1 by easily replacing the trial lens 5 as needed, allowing the subject to perform a visual field test properly.

[0044] In particular, in this embodiment, the lens holding frame 20 employs elastically deformable annular frames 21, 26, and holds the trial lens 5 by elastic force, so that the trial lens 5 can be easily replaced in a short time.

[0045] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the shape, size, and material of the components constituting the lens holder can be changed as appropriate.

[0046] In addition, in the above embodiment, a case where the lens holder of the present invention is applied to an HMD for a visual field testing device is described, but the lens holder of the present invention may also be applied to an HMD for purposes other than a visual field testing device.

[0047] Furthermore, the lens holder according to the present invention can be used in devices other than HMDs as long as it is used to replace optical lenses for vision correction. For example, the present invention can also be applied to trial frames for conducting vision tests using trial lenses.

[0048] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the lens holder is described as being integrated for both the left and right eyes, but the lens holder may be for one of the left and right eyes.

[0049] In addition, in the above embodiment, the lens holding frame and the HMD connection part are formed from polycarbonate resin, but of course the material can be changed as appropriate, and for example, plastic materials such as ABS resin, acrylic resin, and polypropylene, or metal materials such as titanium and stainless steel can be used.

[0050] In addition, in the above embodiment, an arc-shaped frame was used as the elastically deformable annular frame with a slit formed therein, but any annular frame with a slit, such as an oval, track-shaped, or rectangular shape, can be used as appropriate.

[0051] In the above embodiment, the trial lens is held by a set of three lens supports, but the trial lens may be held by four or more lens supports. Also, the lens support portion does not have to be pillar-shaped.

[0052] In addition, in the above embodiment, magnetic force between a permanent magnet and an iron plate was used to install and fix the lens holder to the HMD, but connecting members other than magnetic force, such as hook-and-loop fasteners or snap buttons, may also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 1 HMD (for visual field testing) 4 permanent magnets 5. Eye examination lenses 6 Optical lens body 7 Metal Frame 8 Handle 10 Lens holder 20 Lens Retaining Frame 21 Right eye frame 21a Break 22 Lens support 22a Fitting recess 22b Return part to prevent slipping out 26 Left eye frame 26a Break 27 Lens support 27a Fitting recess 27b Anti-slip return part 28 Left and right connection part 30 HMD connection part 31 Iron Plate

Claims

1. A lens holder for interchangeably holding an optical lens for vision correction, A lens holding frame that detachably holds the optical lens, an elastically deformable annular frame having slits formed therein; and lens support portions that are provided at least at three locations on the annular frame along the extending direction and that contact and support the outer edge of the optical lens, A lens holder characterized by comprising a lens holding frame configured such that when the optical lens is held, the annular frame elastically deforms in the expanding direction, causing the lens support portion to contact the optical lens while pressing it toward the center of its optical axis.

2. 2. The lens holder according to claim 1, wherein the lens contact portion of the lens support portion with the optical lens is configured to be located on the same circumference that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the outer edge of the optical lens.

3. 2. The lens holder according to claim 1, wherein the lens support portion is a lens support pillar that protrudes from the annular frame in a direction parallel to the optical axis.

4. the lens support pillars are installed so as to protrude from the annular frame in at least three locations in each direction parallel to the optical axis, 4. The lens holder according to claim 3, wherein the lens holding frame is capable of holding two optical lenses in total, one on each side in the optical axis direction.

5. 4. The lens holder according to claim 3, wherein the lens contact portion of the lens support is a fitting recess that is recessed radially outward from the optical lens on the inner side surface of the lens support, and into which the outer edge of the optical lens fits.

6. 2. The lens holder according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the furthest lens supports is equal to or greater than 140 degrees and equal to or less than 170 degrees in terms of central angle.

7. The lens holding frame is The annular frame is provided in two pieces, one for the right eye and one for the left eye, 7. The lens holder according to claim 1, further comprising left and right connecting portions that connect the two annular frames.

8. A lens holder for an HMD for interchangeably installing optical lenses for vision correction inside a head-mounted display, A lens holding frame that detachably holds the optical lens, an elastically deformable annular frame having slits formed therein; lens support portions that contact and support an outer edge of the optical lens and are provided at at least three positions on the annular frame along the extending direction; a lens holding frame having an HMD connection unit for attaching the lens holding frame to the inside of the head mounted display so that the held optical lenses are positioned in front of the eyes of a wearer; Equipped with A lens holder for an HMD, characterized in that the lens holding frame is configured to elastically deform in the direction in which the annular frame expands when holding the optical lens, so that the lens support portion makes contact with the optical lens while pressing it toward the center of its optical axis.

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