Head-mounted display

Abstract

We provide a head-mounted display that can make the VR environment presented by the head-mounted display closer to the actual lighting environment. [Solution] A head-mounted display comprising a pair of left and right video display units 20L, 20R that display video data for both eyes, and the images displayed on each video display unit 20L, 20R are viewed stereoscopically through eyepiece openings 11L, 11R corresponding to both eyes, comprising: a light-emitting unit 13 provided in the peripheral area of ​​the eyepiece openings 11L, 11R; a display processing unit that processes the display of each video data on each video display unit 20L, 20R; and a light-emitting processing unit that calculates the average brightness of each video data displayed on each video display unit 20L, 20R and adjusts the brightness of the light-emitting unit 13 to the average brightness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a head-mounted display that can approximate a virtual reality (VR) environment presented by the head-mounted display (HMD) to an actual light environment.

Background Art

[0002] An HMD is used to present a VR environment. The HMD is a goggle-type device that covers the field of view and has a small display built inside to enhance the sense of immersion in the VR environment.

[0003] In recent years, the use of VR in experiments on light environments has been increasing. Since VR can save time and cost for presenting light environments, it is becoming an effective alternative to real spaces and mock-ups. On the other hand, for using VR in the study of light environments, in addition to accurate simulation of the light environment, the adaptation state (adaptation luminance) of the observer's eyes is important. For example, when the surrounding light environment becomes dark at night, the adaptation luminance of the eyes decreases, the sensitivity to feeling the light of the eyes increases, and the same illuminance light environment feels brighter.

[0004] Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for reducing the discomfort given to a user by adjusting the luminance of a video presented when switching the video presented by a closed-type head-mounted display. Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for reducing discomfort by adjusting the luminance when switching videos with different luminances.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Incidentally, while the field of view of a head-mounted display (HMD) is approximately 100 degrees (diagonally), areas other than the display that shows the image do not emit light, resulting in low brightness and areas that appear completely black. Conventional HMDs have low-brightness areas that do not emit light other than the display, making it impossible to achieve the same adaptive brightness as real space or physical mockups. Therefore, a problem has been that the perception of the lighting environment in VR environments presented by conventional HMDs differs from that of real space or physical mockups.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a head-mounted display that can bring the VR environment presented by the head-mounted display closer to the actual light environment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the present invention provides a head-mounted display comprising a pair of left and right video display units that display video data for both eyes, and the images displayed on each video display unit are viewed stereoscopically through eyepiece openings corresponding to the two eyes, characterized in that it comprises a light-emitting unit provided in the peripheral region of the eyepiece opening, a display processing unit that processes the display of each video data on each video display unit, and a light-emitting processing unit that calculates the average brightness of each video data displayed on each video display unit and adjusts the brightness of the light-emitting unit to the average brightness.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the light emission processing unit calculates the average brightness of each video data displayed on each video display unit, calculates the average interphase color temperature of each video data, adjusts the brightness of the light emission unit to the average brightness, and adjusts the color temperature of the light emission unit to the average interphase color temperature.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the light-emitting portion is provided in the peripheral region of the eyepiece opening, on the front surface of the goggle frame on the mounting side, or on the front surface of the goggle frame on the mounting side and on the inner surface of the cylindrical side portion of the goggle frame on the mounting side.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the display processing unit converts the user's eye adaptation state into video data and outputs it to each video display unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, the VR environment presented by the head-mounted display can be made to more closely resemble the actual lighting environment. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a head-mounted display according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a front view of the main body of the head-mounted display. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the user's binocular field of view and the light-emitting part. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the control system of the head-mounted display shown in Figure 1. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the control processing procedure by the control unit. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the arrangement of the light-emitting part according to a modified embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0015] <Overall Structure> FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a head-mounted display 1 according to the present embodiment. Further, FIG. 2 is a front view of a main body portion 2 of the head-mounted display 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the head-mounted display 1 includes a main body portion 2 and a headband 3. The headband 3 is a band for attaching the main body portion 2 to a user's head. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a face pad 10 for shading light is provided on the front side of the user on the main body portion 2. A goggle frame 11 is disposed on the back side of the face pad 10. In the goggle frame 11, eye openings 11L and 11R are formed to secure a field of view with respect to a video screen of a video display unit disposed further inside in the back side. Lenses 12L and 12R are respectively disposed in the eye openings 11L and 11R, and the user secures a field of view with respect to a video screen of a video display unit disposed further inside in the back side of the goggle frame 11 through the lenses 12L and 12R. Here, a light-emitting unit 13 is provided on the front surface of the goggle frame 11, that is, in a peripheral region of the eye openings 11L and 11R.

[0016] <Light-emitting unit> FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a relationship between a visual field angle of both eyes of a user and the light-emitting unit. As shown in FIG. 2, the head-mounted display 1 includes a pair of left and right video display units 20L and 20R that display respective video data for both eyes (left eye EL and right eye ER), and stereoscopically views the video displayed on each of the video display units 20L and 20R through the eye openings 11L and 11R corresponding to the both eyes EL and ER.

[0017] Here, in the present embodiment, the light-emitting unit 13 is provided on the front surface of the goggle frame 11 in a peripheral region of the eye openings 11L and 11R. The light-emitting unit 13 calculates an average luminance of each video data displayed on each of the video display units 20L and 20R and calculates an average interphase color temperature of each video data, emits light that is dimmed with the calculated average luminance and color-adjusted to the calculated average interphase color temperature to the peripheral region of the eye openings 11L and 11R.

[0018] Since the head-mounted display 1 has a low-luminance visual field portion (peripheral region of the ocular apertures 11L and 11R) that does not emit light other than the video display units 20L and 20R, it was not possible to obtain an adaptation luminance equivalent to that of the real space or physical mock-up. However, even for the expanded visual field of the peripheral regions of the ocular apertures 11L and 11R, the luminance equivalent to that of the video display units 20L and 20R is exhibited, so that an adaptation luminance equivalent to that of the real space or physical mock-up can be obtained. In addition, since the light-emitting unit 13 is color-adjusted to the average interphase color temperature, a light environment similar to that of the real space or physical mock-up can be obtained in the VR environment according to this embodiment. Note that the light-emitting unit 13 performs dimming and color adjustment, but it may perform only dimming.

[0019] In addition, for the video displayed on the video display units 20L and 20R, it is preferable to convert it into video data in which the adaptation state of the user's eyes is adjusted, as in the conventional case.

[0020] Here, the adaptation of vision to the brightness of vision is defined as the change in the sensitivity to the brightness of vision with respect to the luminance of the visual field. When the luminance distribution of the visual field being viewed is complex, since innumerable different luminances are distributed within the visual field, it is difficult to select a single value of "luminance of the visual field" from them to represent the adaptation level. For this reason, when viewing such a complex visual field, the adaptation level is represented by the luminance of a uniform visual field that produces a sensitivity state exactly equal to the sensitivity state of the visual field at this time, and such a luminance of the uniform visual field is referred to as the adaptation luminance for the complex visual field.

[0021] <Control system> FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the control system of the head-mounted display 1 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the main body unit 2 has a control unit C. The control unit C is a control unit that controls the entire main body unit 2, and has a display processing unit C1 and a light-emitting processing unit C2. The control unit C stores programs corresponding to the display processing unit C1 and the light-emitting processing unit C2 in a storage device such as a non-volatile memory, loads this program into the memory, and executes the corresponding process by executing it with the CPU.

[0022] The display processing unit C1 processes the input video data to be displayed on the respective video display units 20L and 20R. In particular, it also performs brightness adjustment processing between each image frame to ensure adaptive brightness during video switching and other similar situations.

[0023] The light emission processing unit C2 calculates the average brightness of each video data displayed on each video display unit 20L, 20R, and also calculates the average inter-phase color temperature of each video data. The light emission unit 13 then adjusts its brightness to the average brightness and its color temperature to the average inter-phase color temperature before emitting light.

[0024] The head-mounted display 1 may also include two cameras (not shown), and the images captured by these two cameras may be switched on and off for display on the respective image display units 20L and 20R. Furthermore, the display processing unit C1 may process the images to be displayed on the respective image display units 20L and 20R based on information input via an input / output interface (not shown). Additionally, the control unit C may be connected and located outside the head-mounted display 1. Audio information may also be input and output. In this case, it is preferable that the head-mounted display 1 includes a headphone set.

[0025] <Control Procedure> Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the control processing procedure by the control unit C. As shown in Figure 5, first, when video data is input to the control unit C, the display processing unit C1 converts this video data into data that can be displayed on each video display unit 20L, 20R and outputs it to each video display unit 20L, 20R (step S101).

[0026] Subsequently, the light emission processing unit C2 calculates the average brightness Lave of the video data displayed on each video display unit 20L, 20R based on the video data (step S102). Furthermore, the light emission processing unit C2 calculates the average interphase color temperature Cave of the video data displayed on each video display unit 20L, 20R based on the video data (step S103).

[0027] Then, the light emission processing unit C2 adjusts the brightness of the light emission unit 13 to the average brightness Lave and adjusts the color temperature of the light emission unit 13 to the average interphase color temperature Cave, and emits light from the light emission unit 13 (step S104), thus ending this process. The above process is repeated at predetermined intervals. For example, the process may be performed for each frame, or for every set number of frames. In any case, as long as video data is displayed on each video display unit 20L, 20R, the light emission unit 13 continues to emit light.

[0028] <Variation> Figure 6 shows the arrangement of the light-emitting unit according to a modified example of this embodiment. In the above embodiment, the light-emitting unit 13 was located in the peripheral area of ​​the eyepiece openings 11L and 11R and was provided on the front surface of the goggle frame 11 on the mounting side. However, in addition to the light-emitting unit 13, a light-emitting unit 14 may be provided on the inner surface of the cylindrical side portion of the goggle frame 11 on the mounting side, as shown in Figure 6. This allows the entire front space of the goggle frame 11 on the mounting side to be illuminated with dimmable and color-adjustable light, enabling dimmable and color-adjustable light to provide the user with an even wider field of view.

[0029] The light-emitting parts 13 and 14 may be planar light-emitting bodies or discretely arranged light-emitting bodies.

[0030] In this embodiment and its modifications, the head-mounted display 1 is designed to exhibit the same brightness and color temperature as the image display units 20L and 20R, even in the enlarged field of view in the peripheral area of ​​the eyepiece apertures 11L and 11R. This allows for more accurate visual perception in the VR environment, similar to real space, and enables more precise subject experiments related to the lighting environment.

[0031] It should be noted that the configurations illustrated in the above embodiments and modifications are functionally schematic and do not necessarily have to be physically represented as shown. In other words, the forms of distribution and integration of each device and component are not limited to those shown, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit according to various usage situations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1. Head-mounted display 2 Main body 3 Headbands 10 Face Pads 11 Goggle Frames 11L, 11R eyepiece aperture 12L, 12R lenses 13,14 Light-emitting part 20L, 20R Video Display Unit C control section C1 Display Processing Unit C2 Light Emission Processing Unit Cave average interphase color temperature EL left eye ER right eye Lave Average Brightness

Claims

1. A head-mounted display comprising a pair of left and right video display units that display video data for both eyes, and which allows for stereoscopic viewing of the images displayed on each video display unit through eyepiece openings corresponding to the two eyes, A light-emitting section provided in the peripheral region of the eyepiece opening, A display processing unit that performs the process of displaying each video data on each video display unit, A light-emitting processing unit calculates the average brightness of each video data displayed on each video display unit and adjusts the brightness of the light-emitting unit to the average brightness, A head-mounted display characterized by having the following features.

2. The head-mounted display according to claim 1, characterized in that the light-emitting processing unit calculates the average brightness of each video data displayed on each video display unit, calculates the average inter-phase color temperature of each video data, adjusts the brightness of the light-emitting unit to the average brightness, and adjusts the color temperature of the light-emitting unit to the average inter-phase color temperature.

3. The head-mounted display according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the light-emitting portion is provided in the peripheral region of the eyepiece opening, on the front surface of the goggle frame on the mounting side, or on the front surface of the goggle frame on the mounting side and on the inner surface of the cylindrical side portion of the goggle frame on the mounting side.

4. The head-mounted display according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the display processing unit converts the data into video data adjusted for the user's eye adaptation state and outputs it to each video display unit.

Images