Camera support structure, head-mounted display

Abstract

To maintain positional and postural accuracy of stereo cameras 30.SOLUTION: A camera support structure (100) includes: a support frame (130) that is mounted on a housing (110) of a head-mounted display 1 and supports stereo cameras (30); and at least one rubber member (40) that is interposed between the housing (110) and the support frame (130) and has at least a portion elastically deformable between the housing (110) and the support frame (130) upon deformation or displacement of the support frame (130).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a camera support structure and a head-mounted display including the camera support structure. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a head-mounted display to which a camera is attached. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2016 / 199731 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, the accuracy of the position and orientation of a camera used for distance measurement, etc. is important. For example, if the frame supporting the camera is displaced due to thermal expansion or an external force such as an impact from being dropped, the camera may shift in position or its orientation may change.

[0005] One object of the present disclosure is to provide a camera support structure that maintains the position and orientation accuracy of a camera, and a head-mounted display that includes the camera support structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An example of a camera support structure proposed in the present disclosure includes a support frame that is attached to a housing of a head-mounted display and supports a camera, and at least one elastic member that is interposed between the housing and the support frame and at least a portion of which elastically deforms between the housing and the support frame in response to deformation or displacement of the support frame.

[0007] An example of a head-mounted display proposed in the present disclosure includes the above-described camera support structure, the housing, a display accommodated in the housing, and a wearing band extending from the housing.

[0008] An example of a camera support structure proposed in the present disclosure includes a support frame that is attached to a housing and supports a camera, and an elastic member that is interposed between the housing and the support frame and at least a portion of which elastically deforms between the housing and the support frame in response to deformation or displacement of the support frame. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an HMD according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the HMD taken along a cutting plane passing through the right camera, showing the state before screws are fastened. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the camera support structure. [Figure 5] 4 is a VV cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, showing a state in which the support frame is attached to the housing. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 3, showing a state in which the support frame is attached to the housing. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a rubber member attached to a housing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the directions indicated by X1 and X2 in the drawings are right and left, respectively, the directions indicated by Y1 and Y2 in the drawings are forward and backward, respectively, and the directions indicated by Z1 and Z2 in the drawings are upward and downward, respectively. These directions indicate the directions as seen by a user wearing a head-mounted display 1. In the following description, the head-mounted display 1 will be referred to as an HMD (Head Mounted Display) 1.

[0011] In the following description, the components arranged on the right side will be designated with the symbol R, the components arranged on the left side will be designated with the symbol L, and the components arranged between the components designated with the symbol R and the components designated with the symbol L will be designated with the symbol C. Furthermore, when no particular distinction is required in the description, the symbols R, L, and C will be omitted. For example, of the rubber members 40 described below, the rubber member arranged on the right side will be designated as rubber member 40R. The same applies to the mounting portion 131, etc.

[0012] [Overview of the overall configuration of HMD1] 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of an HMD according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the HMD 1 has a device main body 10 and a wearing band 20.

[0013] The wearing band 20 extends rearward from the device main body 10. When the HMD 1 is in use, the wearing band 20 surrounds the user's head. The wearing band 20 is annular, and the user's head may be placed inside the wearing band 20.

[0014] The device main body 10 has at least a display 11 (see FIG. 2), a lens 12 (see FIG. 2), and a housing 110 that houses the display 11 and the lens 12 and forms the exterior of the device main body 10. In one example of the HMD 1, the display 11 displays three-dimensional images. However, this is not limited thereto, and the images displayed by the display 11 may be two-dimensional images. The display 11 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display device or an organic electroluminescence display device, but the type is not particularly limited. When the HMD 1 is in use, the device main body 10 covers the user's eyes. The housing 110 may be made of, for example, resin.

[0015] The HMD 1 also includes a stereo camera 30. The stereo camera 30 includes a right camera 30R and a left camera 30L. The right camera 30R and the left camera 30L are exposed through openings 111 and 112 of the housing 110, respectively, and are provided so as to be able to capture images of what is ahead. The stereo camera 30 may be, for example, a camera for SLAM (Simultaneous localization and mapping) that enables three-dimensional recognition by estimating the position and orientation of the camera (the position and orientation of the HMD 1) from captured images. Note that the number and positions of the cameras are not limited to those shown in the figure.

[0016] [Camera support structure] 2 to 7, a support structure for the stereo camera 30 in this embodiment (hereinafter referred to as a camera support structure 100) will be described. The camera support structure 100 includes at least a support frame 130 that supports the stereo camera 30, and a rubber member 40 (described later) that is interposed between the housing 110 and the support frame 130.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the HMD taken along a cutting plane passing through the right camera, and is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state before the screws are fastened. Hatching is omitted in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the support frame. In FIG. 3, the front of the page is the front, and the back of the page is the rear. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the camera support structure. In FIG. 4, the support frame 130 is not shown. FIG. 5 is a VV cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, showing a state in which the support frame is attached to the housing. FIG. 6 is a VI-VI cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, showing a state in which the support frame is attached to the housing. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a rubber member attached to the housing.

[0018] The HMD 1 has a support frame 130. The support frame 130 supports the right camera 30R and the left camera 30L. The support frame 130 is attached to the front of the housing 110 from the rear using screws 50. The support frame 130 may be made of resin, for example. Note that the support frame 130 is not limited to being attached directly to the housing 110, and may be attached to a frame inside the housing 110 that is fixed to the housing 110.

[0019] Furthermore, the support frame 130 is attached to the housing 110 via rubber members 40, which are elastic members. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the support frame 130 is attached to the housing 110 via three rubber members 40R, 40L, and 40C.

[0020] 4 to 6, the housing 110 has pillars 115 that extend rearward and are internally threaded. The number of pillars 115 provided should be the same as the number of rubber members 40. In this embodiment, the housing 110 has three pillars 115.

[0021] 4 and other figures, the rubber member 40 has a cylindrical main body 40a having insertion holes h formed therein through which the pillars 115 of the housing 110 are inserted. The rubber member 40 also has a first flange 40b provided at one end of the main body 40a in the insertion direction of the screw 50, and a second flange 40c provided at the other end of the main body 40a in the insertion direction of the screw 50.

[0022] 3, the support frame 130 is plate-shaped and has a first maximum width L1 in a first direction (the direction indicated by Z1 and Z2 in the illustrated example) and a second maximum width L2 that is wider than the first maximum width L1 in a second direction (the direction indicated by X1 and X2 in the illustrated example) that is perpendicular to the first direction. That is, the left-right direction is the longitudinal direction of the support frame 130. The right camera 30R and the left camera 30L are supported by the support frame 130 and spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the support frame 130.

[0023] The planar shape of the support frame 130 and the screw fastening locations shown in FIG. 3 are merely examples and are not limited to these.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, an arc-shaped mounting portion 131R is provided on the right side of the support frame 130. Similarly, an arc-shaped mounting portion 131L is provided on the left side of the support frame 130. Furthermore, an arc-shaped mounting portion 131C is provided on the upper part of the support frame 130. Rubber members 40R, 40L, and 40C are fitted into the mounting portions 131R, 131L, and 131C, respectively. More specifically, the mounting portion 131 is fitted between the first flange portion 40b and the second flange portion 40c of the rubber member 40. In this way, the rubber member 40 is attached to the support frame 130.

[0025] In this embodiment, the shape of the mounting portion 131 is an arc shape with a portion of the opening cut out, but the shape of the mounting portion 131 is not limited to this. For example, the mounting portion may have a shape that forms a circular opening without a cutout. In this case, it is preferable to press the rubber member 40 into the opening of the mounting portion while squashing it.

[0026] 3 shows the state in which the rubber members 40R and 40C are attached to the support frame 130, and the state before the rubber member 40L is attached to the support frame 130. In FIG.

[0027] The support frame 130 is attached to the housing 110 with the rubber members 40 attached. Specifically, the support frame 130 is attached to the housing 110 by inserting the pillars 115 of the housing 110 into the insertion holes h of the rubber members 40 attached to the support frame 130.

[0028] With the pillars 115 inserted into the insertion holes h of the rubber member 40, the support frame 130 is fixed to the housing 110 by fastening the screws 50 into the thread grooves formed in the pillars 115. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, it is preferable to provide a disk-shaped washer 60 between the head of the screw 50 and the second flange portion 40c of the rubber member 40.

[0029] In this embodiment, the rubber member 40 has protrusions P1 on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole h. The protrusions P1 protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole h so as to contact the outer peripheral surfaces of the posts 115 of the housing 110. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which four protrusions P1 are provided on one side of the insertion hole h in the direction of extension, aligned in the circumferential direction, and four protrusions P1 are provided on the other side of the insertion hole h in the direction of extension, aligned in the circumferential direction. That is, an example is shown in which eight protrusions P1 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole h. However, the number and arrangement of the protrusions P1 are not limited to this. In the illustrated example, the rubber member 40 is attached to the support frame 130 so that the protrusions P1 protrude in the left-right and up-down directions, but this is not necessarily limited to this. The rubber member 40 may also be attached to the support frame 130 in an orientation in which the protrusions P1 protrude in other directions.

[0030] 7, it is preferable that the diameter R of the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole h is slightly larger than the diameter r of the outer peripheral surface of the pillar 115. Specifically, it is preferable that the diameter R is larger than the diameter r to the extent that the protrusion P1 just comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the pillar 115.

[0031] The protrusion P1 may be elastically deformable between the housing 110 and the support frame 130 in accordance with deformation or displacement of the support frame 130. Specifically, the protrusion P1 may be elastically deformable between the outer peripheral surface of the pillar 115 of the housing 110 and the attachment portion 131 of the support frame 130 in accordance with deformation or displacement of the support frame 130.

[0032] Here, deformation of the support frame 130 is, for example, thermal expansion caused by heat generated in a circuit board or the like housed in the housing 110, and displacement of the support frame 130 is caused by, for example, an impact caused by dropping the HMD1.

[0033] If the support frame 130 undergoes thermal expansion, the support frame 130 may warp in the longitudinal direction, causing the stereo camera 30 to face outward in the left-right direction. The support frame 130 is prone to deformation due to thermal expansion, particularly expanding in the longitudinal direction (directions indicated by X1 and X2 in the figure). That is, in the example shown in Fig. 5, the support frame 130 is prone to deformation, expanding to the right (direction indicated by X1).

[0034] In the configuration of this embodiment, when the support frame 130 thermally expands, the attachment portion 131 of the support frame 130 pushes the rubber member 40 to the right (direction indicated by X1). As a result, the protrusion P1 of the rubber member 40 is pressed against the pillar 115 and compressed.

[0035] In this way, even if the support frame 130 is deformed and expanded in the longitudinal direction due to thermal expansion, the protrusions P1 of the rubber members 40 allow the deformation, so the support frame 130 is less likely to warp. As a result, deviation of the orientation of the stereo camera 30 is suppressed, and the accuracy of distance measurement by the stereo camera 30 can be maintained.

[0036] Similarly, the housing 110 may also be deformed due to thermal expansion. For example, if the housing 110 is deformed so as to expand in the direction indicated by X1 in FIG. 5 , the position of the pillar 115 will be displaced to the right (in the direction indicated by X1). When the housing 110 thermally expands, the pillar 115 will push the rubber member 40 to the right (in the direction indicated by X1). This will compress the protrusion P1 of the rubber member 40. Even if the housing 110 thermally expands, the protrusion P1 of the rubber member 40 will allow the deformation, thereby suppressing the effect of the deformation of the housing 110 on the support frame 130. As a result, the accuracy of the position and orientation of the stereo camera 30 can be maintained, and the accuracy of distance measurement by the stereo camera 30 can be maintained.

[0037] As described above, in this embodiment, the support frame 130 is made of resin. Therefore, it is possible to reduce weight and costs compared to when the support frame 130 is made of metal. However, the support frame 130 may also be made of metal.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rubber member 40 has a protrusion P2 on the second flange portion 40c. The protrusion P2 protrudes in the opposite direction to the insertion direction of the screw 50 so as to come into contact with the washer 60. Furthermore, the rubber member 40 has a protrusion P3 on the first flange portion 40b. The protrusion P3 protrudes in the insertion direction of the screw 50 so as to come into contact with the peripheral region of the pillar 115 of the housing 110. In this embodiment, an example is shown in which four protrusions P2 and four protrusions P3 are provided, but the number and arrangement of the protrusions P2 and four protrusions P3 are not limited to this.

[0039] The protrusions P2 and P3 are preferably elastically deformable in response to deformation or displacement in the thickness direction of the support frame 130 (the directions indicated by Y1 and Y2 in the drawing). With this configuration, when an external force is applied, such as an impact due to a fall, the protrusions P2 and P3 absorb the impact, preventing the support frame 130 from shifting in position. Similarly, the protrusion P1 also absorbs the impact due to a fall or the like. As a result, the support frame 130 is prevented from shifting in position in the longitudinal direction. By preventing the support frame 130 from shifting in position in this way, the accuracy of the position and orientation of the stereo camera 30 is maintained, and the accuracy of distance measurement by the stereo camera 30 can be maintained.

[0040] In this embodiment, the rubber member 40 is shown as the elastic member, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the elastic member may be any member that at least a portion of which elastically deforms between the housing 110 and the support frame 130. In addition, in this embodiment, the rubber member 40 has the protrusion P1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the rubber member 40 may not have the protrusion P1, and the main body portion 40a itself of the rubber member 40 may elastically deform between the housing 110 and the support frame 130.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, an example in which three rubber members 40 are provided has been shown, but the present invention is not limited to this and it is sufficient that there is one or more rubber members 40. For example, when one rubber member 40 is provided, it is preferable that the rubber member 40 is interposed between the support frame 130 and the housing 110 near the center of the support frame 130.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the stereo camera 30 includes a pair of cameras, but the cameras supported by the support frame 130 are not limited to stereo cameras. Furthermore, other cameras may be supported by the support frame 130 in addition to the stereo camera.

[0043] The configuration shown in this embodiment is particularly effective for HMDs 1 that consume a lot of power on the circuit board on which electronic components are mounted. That is, it is effective for HMDs 1 in which the temperature inside the HMD 1 is likely to rise. Specifically, it is effective for HMDs 1 that employ wireless communication technology that consumes a lot of power, for example.

[0044] Although the present embodiment has been described using the HMD 1 as an example, the present invention is not limited to this and may be applied to any device that requires maintaining the accuracy of the camera's position and orientation. For example, the camera support structure 100 may be applied to an unmanned aerial vehicle such as a drone. In this case, a threaded pillar may be provided on the housing of the unmanned aerial vehicle, and the pillar may be inserted into the insertion hole h of the rubber member 40. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 head-mounted display, 10 device body, 20 wearing band, 30 stereo camera, 30R right camera, 30L left camera, 40, 40R, 40L, 40C rubber member, 40a main body, 40b first flange portion, 40c second flange portion, 50 screw, 60 washer, 100 camera support structure, 110 housing, 111, 112 opening, 115 column, 130 support frame, 131, 131R, 131L, 131C mounting portion, h insertion hole, P1, P2, P3 protrusions.

Claims

1. A camera support structure having a support frame attached to a housing of a head-mounted display and supporting a first camera and a second camera, the support frame is plate-shaped and has a first maximum width in a first direction and a second maximum width in a second direction intersecting the first direction, the second maximum width being wider than the first maximum width, and supports the first camera and the second camera so as to be spaced apart from each other in the second direction; The support frame includes: a portion in a center portion in the second direction that protrudes in the first direction further than both end portions in the second direction; attached to the housing at least at the protruding portion; The shape includes an inclined surface that is inclined from the center toward both ends in the second direction. Camera support structure.

2. the protruding portion is located outward in the first direction relative to the first camera and the second camera. The camera support structure according to claim 1 .

3. the support frame has three mounting portions for mounting the support frame to the housing; 3. The camera support structure according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the support frame is attached to the housing at the protruding portion and at both ends in the second direction; The camera support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The housing further includes at least one member interposed between the housing and the support frame, and configured to suppress at least one of deformation and displacement of the support frame. The camera support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The support frame is made of resin. The camera support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A camera support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the housing; a display housed in the housing; a mounting band extending from the housing; Equipped with Head-mounted display.

8. the support frame is fixed to the housing using a screw that is inserted from a rear side where a rear portion of a mounting band of the head mounted display is located toward a front side where a main body of the head mounted display is located. The head-mounted display according to claim 7.

9. A camera support structure that is attached to a housing of a device equipped with a camera and has a support frame that supports a first camera and a second camera, the support frame is plate-shaped and has a first maximum width in a first direction and a second maximum width in a second direction intersecting the first direction, the second maximum width being wider than the first maximum width, and supports the first camera and the second camera so as to be spaced apart from each other in the second direction; The support frame includes: a portion in a center portion in the second direction that protrudes in the first direction further than both end portions in the second direction; attached to the housing at least at the protruding portion; The shape includes an inclined surface that is inclined from the center toward both ends in the second direction. Camera support structure.

Images