Image display device and control method for image display device

Abstract

To provide an image display device with which, even when a user's pupil position moves a little, it is possible to project an image to the pupil while suppressing power consumption.SOLUTION: The image display device comprises: light emission means 303 having a plurality of light emission units for radiating laser light; control means 302 for generating an image beam on the basis of inputted image data and controlling the irradiation of the image beam from the light emission means; scanning means 305 for scanning the image beam from the light emission means; projection means 306 for projecting the image beam from the scanning means to the pupils of a user; and pupil position detection means 309 for detecting the pupil positions of the user. The control means 302 changes the intensity of the image beam radiated by each of the plurality of light emission units in accordance with the pupil positions detected by the pupil position detection means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image display device, and particularly to an image display device that projects an image onto the retina.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as in Patent Document 1 for example, an image display device that forms a laser beam (image light beam) for forming an image and converges it near the user's pupil to project the image directly onto the retina using scanning means for manipulating light from a light source in a two-dimensional direction is known. In such an image display device, if the pupil position of the user and the convergence point of the laser beam do not substantially coincide, the laser beam cannot reach the retina and the user cannot visually recognize the image.

[0003] Therefore, as in Patent Document 2 for example, a method has been proposed in which a plurality of light emitting parts are arranged so as to have a plurality of convergence points within the range in which the pupil moves, and light that passes through any of the convergence points is directly projected onto the retina even when the pupil moves.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 2 described above, it is necessary to continuously irradiate laser light from a light emitting part where the pupil position and the convergence point do not substantially coincide, resulting in a large power consumption.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an image display device that can project an image onto the retina even when the pupil position of the user moves slightly while suppressing power consumption. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an image display device as one aspect of the present invention, comprising: a light-emitting means having a plurality of light-emitting units that irradiate laser light; a control means that generates an image ray based on input image data and controls the irradiation of the image ray from the light-emitting means; a scanning means that scans the image ray from the light-emitting means; a projection means that projects the image ray from the scanning means onto the user's pupil; and a pupil position detection means that detects the position of the user's pupil. The image rays emitted from the plurality of light-emitting units are projected onto the same eyeball via the projection means. The control means is characterized by changing the intensity of the image rays emitted by each of the plurality of light-emitting units so that the intensity of the light from the light-emitting unit that emits the image rays that do not pass through the pupil detected by the pupil position detection means becomes weaker than the intensity of the light from the light-emitting unit that emits the image rays that pass through the pupil.

[0008] Other aspects of the present invention will be revealed in the embodiments described below. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an image display device that can project an image onto the retina even if the user's pupil position shifts slightly, while suppressing power consumption. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Top view of the display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention [Figure 2] A flowchart illustrating the operation of the output control unit in response to the results of the detection unit of the display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Top view of the display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention [Figure 4] Front view of a light source according to a second embodiment of the present invention [Figure 5]A diagram showing the relationship between the display image and the scanning range of the laser beam according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] Top view of the display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention [Figure 7] A diagram showing the relationship between the display image and the scanning range of the laser beam according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numeral is used for identical components, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] [First Embodiment] The main configuration of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a top view of the image display device 300 according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the output control unit 302 and the pupil detection unit 309 of the image display device 300 shown in Figure 1.

[0013] Figure 1(a) is a top view when the user is looking at the image display device 300 in the Z direction in the figure. The image display device 300 comprises an output control unit 302, a light source 303, a scanning unit 305, a projection unit 306, a pupil light projection unit 307, a light splitting unit 308, and a pupil detection unit 309.

[0014] The output control unit 302 is composed of a processor and circuits and is a control means that controls the irradiation of laser light from the light source 303 based on image data 301 generated by an imaging device or computer (not shown). It also controls scanning by the scanning unit 305.

[0015] The light source 303 is a light-emitting means and has a plurality of light-emitting parts 303a, 303b, and 303c. Each of the light-emitting parts 303a, 303b, and 303c irradiates laser lights 304a, 304b, and 304c which are visible lasers. The light-emitting parts 303a, 303b, and 303c are arranged in a row in the X direction in the figure. The laser lights 304a, 304b, and 304c can be scanned in a two-dimensional direction by the scanning part 305 to project an image. In the present invention and this specification, the laser light obtained by converting the input image data 301 may be referred to as image light rays.

[0016] The scanning part 305 is a scanning means for two-dimensionally scanning the laser lights 304a, 304b, and 304c emitted from the light source 303, and can be constituted by, for example, a MEMS mirror. By changing the angle of the mirror, the laser light 304 can be scanned in the XY direction in the figure. The laser light 304 scanned by the scanning part 305 enters the projection part 306.

[0017] The projection part 206 is a projection means for projecting the image light rays from the scanning part 305 onto the eyeball 310, and can be constituted by, for example, a reflecting mirror. Further, the projection part 206 converges the image light rays near the pupil 311 of the user.

[0018] The laser lights 304a, 304b, and 304c converge at different convergence points 313a, 313b, and 313c respectively. When the image light rays converged at the convergence points 313a, 313b, and 313c enter the eyeball from the pupil, the image light rays are scanned on the retina 312 by the scanning of the scanning part 305. The user recognizes the image due to the afterimage effect of the image light rays irradiated on the retina 312. Thereby, the light source 303 can project an image onto the retina 312.

[0019] When the image light rays converging at different convergence points 313a, 313b, and 313c pass through the pupil 311 and are projected onto the retina 312, each laser light will project an image onto a different range on the retina. That is, the user will visually recognize a plurality (three in this embodiment) of the displayed images projected at shifted positions based on the image data 301. In order to reduce the overlapping display of such shifted displayed images, the pitch between each convergence point is configured to be equal to or greater than the radius of the pupil 311.

[0020] The laser light 304b, whose convergence point 313b substantially coincides with the position of the pupil 311, passes through the pupil 311 and is projected as an image 500 onto the thin, membranous retina 312 that extends deep into the eyeball 310. The light emitting parts 303a and 303c that irradiate the laser lights 304a and 304c, whose convergence points 313a and 313c do not substantially coincide with the position of the pupil 311, are turned off or dimmed by the output control unit 302. Thus, the output control unit 302 controls the intensity of the image light rays irradiated by each of the plurality of light emitting parts so that the intensity of the image light rays from the light emitting part 303b is stronger than the intensity of the image light rays from the light emitting parts 303a and 303c. The position of the pupil 311 is detected by the pupil position detection means composed of a pupil light projection part 307, a light splitting part 308, and a pupil detection part 309 when the user looks into the image display device 300.

[0021] The pupil light projection part 307 is composed of an infrared light emitting diode, and infrared light is projected from the pupil light projection part 307 toward the user's eyeball 310. The light splitting part 308 is, for example, a dichroic mirror that transmits visible light and reflects infrared light, and reflects the infrared light reflected by the user's eyeball 301 toward the pupil detection part 309. The pupil detection part 309 monitors the eyeball 310 via the light splitting part 308 and detects the position (for example, the central coordinates) and the size (pupil diameter) of the pupil 311. In this embodiment, the position of the user's pupil is detected by monitoring the eyeball 310 via the light splitting part 308, but the method of detecting the position of the pupil is not particularly limited. For example, the light splitting part 308 may be omitted and the position of the user's pupil may be determined directly by the pupil detection part 309.

[0022] Based on the position and pupil diameter of the pupil 311 detected by the pupil exit unit 309, the output control unit 302 can select from among the multiple light-emitting units 303a, 303b, and 303c the light-emitting unit whose convergence point substantially coincides with the pupil position.

[0023] Figure 1(b) is a top view of the image display device 300 when the user has shifted their gaze to the left from the state shown in Figure 1(a). Laser light 304a, whose convergence point 313a approximately coincides with the position of the pupil 311, passes through the pupil 311 and is projected as an image onto the retina 312. The light-emitting units 303b and 303c, which emit laser light 304b and 304c whose convergence points 313b and 313c do not approximately coincide with the position of the pupil 311, are turned off or dimmed by the output control unit 302. As a result, the image light emitted from the light-emitting units 303b and 303c is controlled to have a weaker intensity (illumination to the pupil) than the image light emitted from the light-emitting unit 303a. However, weaker intensity includes an intensity of 0, i.e., no light is emitted when the unit is turned off.

[0024] Next, the flowchart shown in Figure 2 will be explained. Unless otherwise specified, this flowchart is performed by the output control unit 302 controlling each part. In step S101, when the power switch (not shown) is operated, the image display device 300 is powered ON, and the output control unit 302 also detects that the power has been turned ON and proceeds to step S102.

[0025] In step S102, the pupil detection unit 309 begins detecting the position and diameter of the user's pupil 311. The detection of the position and diameter of the pupil 311 by the pupil detection unit 309 can be achieved using known technology as described above, so a detailed explanation is omitted here. Once the position and diameter of the pupil are detected, the process proceeds to step S103.

[0026] In step S103, based on the detection results in step S102, it is determined whether there is a light-emitting part among the multiple light-emitting parts 303a, 303b, and 303c whose convergence point 313a, 313b, or 313c is located within the user's pupil 311 region. If it is determined that any of the multiple convergence points 313a, 313b, or 313c is located near the pupil 311 (YES in S103), the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, if it is determined that none of the multiple convergence points are located near the pupil 311 (NO in S103), the process proceeds to step S110.

[0027] In step S104, based on the detection results from step S102, the light-emitting unit whose convergence points 313a, 313b, and 313c are within the user's pupil 311 region is selected as the light-emitting unit to project the image ray. The output control unit 302 selects light-emitting unit 303b in the case of Figure 1(a) and light-emitting unit 303a in the case of Figure 1(b) as the light-emitting unit to project the image ray. If the pitch between each convergence point is approximately the radius of the pupil 311, it is expected that multiple convergence points may be within the user's pupil 311 region depending on the positional relationship between the pupil and the light source. Therefore, in this flow, if multiple convergence points are within the user's pupil 311 region, one light-emitting unit with the convergence point closest to the center of the pupil 311 is selected. This is intended to avoid the same image being projected onto different positions on the retina (resulting in double or triple images).

[0028] In step S105, the output control unit 302 starts irradiating the laser beam 304 from the light-emitting unit selected in step S104. The output control unit 302 controls the light-emitting unit so that the image beam is irradiated from the light-emitting unit 303b in the case of Figure 1(a), and from the light-emitting unit 303a in the case of Figure 1(b).

[0029] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S103 that all convergence points 313a, 313b, and 313c are not within the user's pupil area 311, the process proceeds to S110, and the laser beams 304a, 304b, and 304c are not irradiated. The process returns to the determination in step S103 and waits. However, the detection results for pupil position and pupil diameter used in the second and subsequent steps of step S103 shall be the updated detection results (latest detection results) from the detection results used in the previous step S103. Steps S103 and S110 are repeated until the pupil is near one of the convergence points.

[0030] In step S106, since it is expected that the user will move their eyes when observing the displayed image, the system re-determines whether the convergence point of the laser light that was started in step S105 is within the pupil 311 region. In the case of Figure 1(a), the system re-determines whether the convergence point 313a of the laser light 303b from the light-emitting unit 303b is within the pupil 311. In the case of Figure 1(b), the system re-determines whether the convergence point 313b of the laser light 303a from the light-emitting unit 303a is within the pupil 311. The detection results for pupil position and pupil diameter are updated from the detection results used in step S103 (the latest detection results). If it is determined that the convergence point of the currently irradiated laser light is within the pupil region, the system proceeds to step S111 and continues irradiating the laser light from the light-emitting unit that is currently irradiating the laser light. On the other hand, if it is determined that the convergence point of the currently irradiated laser light is not within the pupil region, the system proceeds to step S107, terminates the irradiation of the laser light from the light-emitting unit that is currently irradiating the laser light, and proceeds to step S108.

[0031] Even after the irradiation of the laser light 304 ends in step S107, it is expected that the user will adjust the position of their eyes if they wish to continue observing the image. Therefore, in step S108, based on the detection results of the pupil position and diameter, it is determined again whether there are any of the multiple light-emitting units 303a, 303b, and 303c whose convergence points 313a, 313b, and 313c are within the user's pupil 311 region. If it is determined in this step that there are any light-emitting units whose convergence point is within the user's pupil 311 region (YES in S108), the process returns to step S104, and the light-emitting unit within the pupil 311 region is selected as the light source for irradiation. On the other hand, if the user moves their face away from the image display device 300, and it is determined in step S108 that there are no light-emitting units within the pupil 311 region (NO in S108), the image observation is considered to have ended. The state in which the laser light 304 is not irradiated from all light-emitting units 303a, 303b, and 303c is continued. If it is determined that there are no light-emitting parts within the pupil region (NO in S108), the system may return to step S103 and wait until one of the convergence points of the light-emitting parts enters the pupil region.

[0032] Subsequently, when the power switch (not shown) is operated in step S109, the display device 300 is turned OFF and the process ends.

[0033] In the flowchart of Figure 2, the system determines whether or not to emit laser light from each of the multiple light-emitting units based on the detected pupil position, so that laser light is emitted only from the light-emitting unit whose convergence point is located near the pupil position. Laser light is emitted only from the light-emitting unit that is determined to emit laser light. This configuration makes it possible to emit laser light only from the light-emitting units that can pass through the user's pupil and reach the retina. This reduces power consumption. Furthermore, by emitting laser light from one light-emitting unit whose convergence point is located near the pupil 311 and turning off the other light-emitting units, it is possible to avoid overlapping display of the image at a shifted position, even if the pitch between the multiple light-emitting units is approximately the same as the radius of the pupil. Therefore, the pitch between the light-emitting units can be reduced, and the device can be miniaturized.

[0034] In this embodiment, the power switch is operated at the user's discretion, but the power may be switched in conjunction with the pupil detection unit 309.

[0035] Furthermore, in the flowchart shown in Figure 2, to suppress the overlapping projection of the displayed image in a shifted position and to save power, laser light is not emitted (turned off) from light-emitting units whose convergence point is not within the pupil 311 region. However, a configuration of dimming is also acceptable instead of turning them off. However, dimming means that a laser light of a weaker intensity is emitted than the laser light (image ray) emitted from the light-emitting unit whose convergence point is within the pupil region. Although the effect of reducing overlapping of the displayed image and the power saving effect will be lower, it is possible to reduce blackout (temporarily make the displayed image invisible) when the light-emitting unit being emitted switches in conjunction with the movement of the pupil.

[0036] Furthermore, in the flowchart shown in Figure 2, when switching the light-emitting unit that emits laser light, the irradiation of the currently irradiated laser light is terminated before the irradiation of the next light-emitting unit that emits laser light begins, but this is not limited to this. For example, even while a laser light is being irradiated by one light-emitting unit, if the convergence point of another light-emitting unit is within the pupil 311 region, the laser light from that light-emitting unit may be irradiated. This reduces the blackout that occurs when the light-emitting unit that emits laser light is switched. In this case, it is preferable that the intensity of the laser light emitted from the light-emitting unit corresponding to the convergence point closer to the center of the pupil 311 is stronger than the intensity of the laser light emitted from the light-emitting unit corresponding to the convergence point further from the center of the pupil 311, depending on the distance between the convergence point and the center of the pupil.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, laser light is emitted from a light-emitting unit whose convergence point is located within the user's pupil 311 region, but this is not limited to this. For example, the pupil detection unit 309 may predict the movement of the pupil 311, and based on the movement of the pupil 311, it may predict a light-emitting unit whose convergence point 313 is located near the pupil's position at the next timing, and the irradiation of laser light from that light-emitting unit may be started in advance. With such a configuration, blackouts are less likely to occur even when the pupil moves. In addition, with such a configuration, laser light is emitted from both a light-emitting unit whose convergence point is located in the current pupil region and a light-emitting unit whose convergence point is located in the predicted pupil region at the next timing. The laser light from the light-emitting unit whose convergence point is located in the current pupil region may be emitted more strongly than the laser light from the light-emitting unit whose convergence point is located in the predicted pupil region.

[0038] Alternatively, instead of prediction, a simpler configuration may be adopted in which laser light is also emitted from a light-emitting unit located near the light-emitting unit whose convergence point is currently within the pupil 311 region. In other words, in the state shown in Figure 1(b), in parallel with the emission of laser light 304a from the light-emitting unit 303a whose convergence point is within the pupil 311 region, a configuration may be adopted in which laser light 304b is emitted from a light-emitting unit 303b that is closer to the light-emitting unit 303a. The light-emitting unit 303c that is farther away from the light-emitting unit 303a is configured not to emit laser light (is turned off). By adopting such a configuration, blackouts are less likely to occur when the pupil moves. Furthermore, in such a configuration, it is preferable to make the intensity of the laser light emitted from the light-emitting unit 303a whose convergence point is within the pupil 311 region stronger than the intensity of the laser light emitted from the light-emitting unit 303b that is close to that light-emitting unit.

[0039] In this embodiment, for the purpose of simplifying the explanation, three light-emitting units 303 are arranged in a single row. However, the number of light-emitting units is not limited to this; for example, four may be arranged in a single row, or multiple units may be arranged in rows.

[0040] [Second Embodiment] The main configuration of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 3 to 5. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the arrangement of the light-emitting units in the light source 303 and in the fact that the images projected by the multiple light-emitting units correspond to different regions of the input image.

[0041] Figure 3 is a top view of the image display device 400 according to this embodiment. Figure 3(a) is a top view when the user is looking at the image display device 400 in the Z direction in the figure. Figure 3(b) is a top view when the user is looking at the image display device 400 with their gaze shifted to the left from the state in Figure 3(a). The configuration of the image display device 400 is the same as that of the image display device 300 of the first embodiment, except for the arrangement of the light-emitting part in the light source 303, so a description is omitted.

[0042] Figure 4 is a view of the light source 303 in this embodiment, seen from the Z direction in the figure. As shown in Figure 4, the light source 303 in this embodiment has light-emitting units 303d, 303e, 303f, and 303g, with a total of four light-emitting units arranged two-dimensionally, two in the X direction and two in the Y direction. Each of the light-emitting units 303d, 303e, 303f, and 303g emits laser light. However, Figure 3 only shows the light-emitting units 303d and 303e, and only shows the laser beams 304d and 304e emitted from the light-emitting units 303d and 303e as laser beams. In the top view, the laser beam emitted from the light-emitting unit 303f overlaps with the laser beam 304d, and the laser beam emitted from the light-emitting unit 303g overlaps with the laser beam 304e, so they are omitted in Figure 3. The laser beams 304d and 304e converge at the convergence points 313d and 313e, respectively. The convergence point of the laser beam emitted from the light-emitting unit 303f coincides with convergence point 313d in the top view, and the convergence point of the laser beam emitted from the light-emitting unit 303g coincides with convergence point 303e in the top view; therefore, these are omitted in Figure 3. The pitch of each convergence point is configured to be less than or equal to the radius of the pupil 311 so that multiple laser beams can pass through the pupil 311 simultaneously. Similar to the first embodiment, laser beams whose convergence points approximately coincide with the position of the pupil 311 pass through the pupil 311 and are projected as images onto different regions on the retina 312.

[0043] Figure 5 shows the relationship between the image area (hereinafter referred to as the scanning area) scanned by each light-emitting unit 303d, 303e, 303f, and 303g in the displayed image 500. Figure 5(a) shows the relationship between the displayed image 500, which is the image displayed (projected) by the entire light source, and the scanning area 314d scanned by the laser light 304d emitted from the light-emitting unit 303d. Figure 5(b) shows the relationship between the displayed image 500 and the scanning area 314g scanned by the laser light 304g emitted from the light-emitting unit 303g. Figure 5(c) shows the relationship between the displayed image 500, the scanning ranges 314d, 314e, 314f, and 314g of the laser light 304d, 304e, 304f, and 304g emitted from each light-emitting unit 303d, 303e, 303f, and 303g, and the user's line of sight position 315.

[0044] As shown in Figure 5(a), the laser beam 304d is scanned from the upper left to the lower right as indicated by the arrow in the figure, scanning the scanning area 314d and projecting the upper left portion of the displayed image 500 onto the retina.

[0045] As shown in Figure 5(b), the laser beam 304g scans from the upper left to the lower right, as indicated by the arrow in the figure, scanning the scanning area 314g. The scanning area 314g is a different area that partially overlaps with the scanning area 314d, and projects the lower right portion of the displayed image 500 onto the retina. In this way, the laser beams emitted from each light source 303d, 303e, 303f, and 303g correspond to different areas in the displayed image 500, forming images for each area.

[0046] Figure 5(c) shows the relationship between the scanning areas of the laser light emitted by the four light-emitting units 303d, 303e, 303f, and 303g, the displayed image 500, and the user's line of sight position 315. In this embodiment, the light-emitting unit 303d scans the upper left portion of the displayed image 500, the light-emitting unit 303e scans the upper right portion, the light-emitting unit 303f scans the lower left portion, and the light-emitting unit 303g scans the lower right portion, projecting each region onto the retina. In Figure 5(c), the scanning area 314d corresponding to the light-emitting unit 303d is shown by a solid line, the scanning area 314e corresponding to the light-emitting unit 303e is shown by a dotted line, the scanning area 314f corresponding to the light-emitting unit 303f is shown by a dashed-dotted line, and the scanning area 314g corresponding to the light-emitting unit 303g is shown by a long double-dotted-dotted line. The entire displayed image 500 is formed by the combination of the scanning areas of the laser light from each light-emitting unit. In this way, by shifting the scanning area of ​​each light-emitting part, the viewing angle of the displayed image 500 can be widened.

[0047] The convergence point of the laser light forming the image at the user's gaze position 315 will be located near the pupil 311. Therefore, similar to the first embodiment, by controlling the irradiation of the light-emitting unit according to the position of the pupil, at least the laser light forming the image around the user's gaze position 314 will pass through the pupil and project the image onto the retina 312. To explain using the gaze position 315 shown in Figure 5(c) as an example, the gaze position 315 is to the left of the displayed image 500 and is located where the scanning range 314d and scanning range 314f overlap. In this state, the user's eyeball 310 will be in the state shown in Figure 3(b) (a state as if rotated counterclockwise from a state of looking straight ahead), and the convergence points of the light-emitting units 303e and 3013g will not be in the pupil region. However, the convergence point of the laser light that forms the image of the region corresponding to the user's line of sight 315 (the convergence point of the laser light emitted from the light-emitting units 303d and 303f) is approximately the same as the position of the pupil 311, and the images of the scanning regions 314d and 314f are projected onto the retina 312. As shown in Figure 5(c), if the line of sight 315 is located in a position where the scanning ranges overlap, the output control unit 302 adjusts the intensity of the laser light. For example, in Figure 5(c), the user's line of sight 315 is located in a position where scanning regions 314d and 314f overlap. Therefore, the output control unit 302 controls the light-emitting units 303d and 303f so that the intensity of the laser light emitted from the light-emitting units is lower than when the line of sight is located in a position where the scanning regions do not overlap (for example, when the line of sight is located at the position of the cloud on the far left). If the user's line of sight 315 is in an area where the scanning ranges overlap, the amount of laser light emitted will be large unless the intensity of the laser light is reduced. This will cause the user's pupil to constrict, making it difficult for the laser light to pass through the pupil. In this embodiment, when laser light is emitted from multiple light-emitting units, the constriction of the user's pupil can be reduced by lowering the intensity of the laser light compared to when laser light is emitted from a single light-emitting unit.

[0048] Since the laser beams 304e and 303g emitted from the light-emitting units 303e and 303g do not converge within the pupil 311 region, the output control unit 302 turns off or dims the light-emitting units 303e and 303g. When dimming, power consumption can be suppressed by making the intensity of the laser beam emitted from the light-emitting units 303e and 303g weaker than the intensity of the laser beam emitted from the light-emitting units 303d and 303f.

[0049] With this configuration, regardless of the user's line of sight 315's position on the displayed image 500, one of the laser beams will pass through the pupil and project the image onto the retina, allowing the user to see the image.

[0050] Furthermore, if the user's line of sight position 315 is located in an area where the scanning areas overlap, the system may be configured to allow switching between a mode in which laser light is emitted from multiple light-emitting units and a mode in which laser light is emitted from one or a predetermined number of light-emitting units. In the mode in which laser light is emitted from multiple light-emitting units, blackout can be made less likely to occur even if the position of the pupil moves. For example, from the state in Figure 5(c), if the pupil moves upward, the image of scanning area 314e is projected, and if it moves downward, the image of scanning area 314f is projected. If laser light is emitted from only one or a predetermined number of light-emitting units, power consumption can be further reduced. Mode switching may be done by user settings or automatically based on the remaining battery level.

[0051] In this embodiment, the light source 303 is equipped with multiple light-emitting units 303d, 303e, 303f, and 303g. As shown in Figure 4, an example in which two units are arranged in the X direction and two in the Y direction in a two-dimensional arrangement has been described, but the number and arrangement of light-emitting units are not limited to this. For example, the light-emitting units may be configured with six units, or they may be arranged asymmetrically with three in the X direction and two in the Y direction. Depending on the application, they may also be arranged in one dimension in either the X direction or the Y direction only. For an image display device that projects a wide image such as a panoramic image, a one-dimensional arrangement in the X direction is sufficient, and a one-dimensional arrangement in the Y direction can result in an image display device that is highly compatible with vertical scrolling on smartphones.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pitch of each light-emitting unit is evenly spaced, but this is not limited to this. For example, the pitch of the light-emitting units that emit laser light to form the central part of the display image 500, where the user's line of sight 315 is likely to be concentrated, may be shorter than the pitch of the light-emitting units that emit laser light to form the peripheral part of the display image 500.

[0053] [Third Embodiment] The main configuration of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 6 and 7. The image display device 600 of this embodiment has a configuration in which the pitch of the light-emitting part in the light source 303 can be changed according to the mode, and this feature of changing the pitch according to the mode is different from the first and second embodiments.

[0054] Figure 6 is a top view of the image display device 600 according to this embodiment. Figure 6(a) is a top view when the user is looking at the image display device 600 in the Z direction in the figure. Figure 6(a) shows a state in which the pitch of the light-emitting units 303h, 303i, and 303j is narrowed so that the laser beams 304h, 304i, and 303j from all three light-emitting units pass through the pupil 311 and display an image on the retina 312. Figure 6(b) shows a state in which the pitch between each light-emitting unit 303h, 303i, and 303j is widened compared to Figure 6(a) using a convergence point adjustment unit (not shown), so that only the laser beam 304i from light-emitting unit 303i passes through the pupil 311. The convergence point adjustment unit can be composed of actuators that move each light-emitting unit. The configuration of the image display device 600 is the same as in the first embodiment except that the pitch of the light-emitting units can be changed by moving the light-emitting units, so a description is omitted.

[0055] The light source 303 is equipped with light-emitting units 303h, 303i, and 303j, which emit laser light 304h, 304i, and 304j, respectively. The laser light (image rays) 304h, 304i, and 304j, into which the image data has been converted, converge at convergence points 313h, 313i, and 313j, respectively, pass through the pupil 311, and project the image 500 onto the retina 312 that extends behind the eyeball 310. The laser light 304 emitted from each light-emitting unit 303h, 303i, and 303j is projected onto different positions on the retina 312.

[0056] In this embodiment, when the first mode is set, the pitch of the light-emitting units is adjusted so that the laser beams 304h, 304i, and 303j from the multiple light-emitting units 303h, 303i, and 303j pass through the pupil simultaneously, as shown in Figure 6(a). The pitch of the light-emitting units is adjusted by the convergence point adjustment unit moving each light-emitting unit 303h, 303i, and 303j based on the position and diameter of the pupil detected by the pupil detection unit 309.

[0057] Figure 7(a) shows the images projected by each light-emitting unit 303h, 303i, and 303j at this time. The laser beam 304h from light-emitting unit 303h scans and displays the area indicated by a solid line on the left side of the page of the display image 500 based on the input image data. Similarly, the laser beam 304i from light-emitting unit 303i scans and displays the area indicated by a dotted line in the center of the page of the display image 500 based on the input image data. The laser beam 304j from light-emitting unit 303j scans and displays the area indicated by a solid line on the right side of the page of the display image 500 based on the input image data. In this way, in the first mode, each light-emitting unit is responsible for displaying its own area of ​​the entire display image, and by simultaneously irradiating with laser beams from multiple light-emitting units, an image (display image 500) larger than each individual image area is displayed. In this way, by having multiple light-emitting units share the task of projecting the image, the time required from the start to the completion of scanning can be reduced compared to when a single light-emitting unit projects the entire image. This allows for an improvement in scanning frequency and, consequently, an improvement in resolution.

[0058] On the other hand, when the second mode is set, the convergence point adjustment unit adjusts the pitch of each light-emitting unit to be wider than in the state shown in Figure 6(a), as shown in Figure 6(b). Consequently, the distance between the convergence points 313h, 313i, and 313j also widens, and only convergence point 313i approximately coincides with the pupil 311 position, and the projected image 500 is projected onto the retina 312 by the laser beam 304i. At this time, the image projected by the light-emitting unit 303i is shown in Figure 7(b). The light-emitting units 303h and 303j can be turned off or dimmed, as in the first embodiment, to achieve power saving effects.

[0059] The pitch of the light-emitting units is adjusted by the convergence point adjustment unit moving each light-emitting unit 303h, 303i, and 303j based on the pupil position and diameter detected by the pupil detection unit 309. If the pitch of the light-emitting units 303h, 303i, and 303j is larger than the radius of the pupil, the pitch of the convergence points 313h, 313i, and 313j of the laser beams 304h, 304i, and 304j will also become larger. Therefore, when the user moves their gaze and shifts the pupil position, it may become impossible for all the laser beams 304h, 304i, and 304j to pass through the pupil, resulting in a blackout. On the other hand, if the pitch of the light source 303 is configured to be less than or equal to the radius of the pupil in order to reduce blackouts, multiple laser beams 304 will pass through the pupil simultaneously, causing the displayed image to overlap at a shifted position, resulting in a double or triple display. The pupil position and diameter of a user vary depending on the individual user and the surrounding environment. Therefore, by configuring the system as in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the overlapping and double or triple display of images, regardless of differences in pupil position and diameter caused by the surrounding environment or individual user differences, while also reducing blackout during eye movement.

[0060] In this embodiment, an actuator (not shown) that adjusts the pitch of each light-emitting unit 303h, 303i, and 303j is used as the convergence point adjustment unit, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, the pitch of the convergence point may be adjusted by placing an optical element on the optical path of the laser beam.

[0061] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the output control unit 302 adjusts the pitch of each light-emitting unit 303h, 303i, and 303j based on the detected position and diameter of the pupil 311, but this is not limited to this. For example, the pitch may be arbitrarily adjusted by an operating member (not shown).

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in the first mode, as shown in Figure 7(a), the scanning areas scanned by each light-emitting unit in the displayed image 500 do not overlap. However, as in the second embodiment, some of the scanning areas may overlap. Even if there is overlap, if the area projected by each light-emitting unit is smaller than the entire displayed image (i.e., only a part of the displayed image is projected), the time required to scan the area responsible for that unit is shortened, and thus the resolution can be improved.

[0063] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the pitch of each light-emitting unit was adjusted according to the mode switching, but a configuration in which the mode is not switchable is also possible. In other words, even in an image display device that has only the first mode or the second mode described above, the pitch of the multiple light-emitting units may be adjusted according to the detection results of pupil position and diameter which vary depending on the surrounding environment and individual differences of the user. If the image display device has only the first mode, the pitch is adjusted according to the detection results of pupil position and diameter so that laser light from multiple light-emitting units enters the pupil simultaneously. If the image display device has only the second mode, the pitch is adjusted according to the detection results of pupil position and diameter so that laser light from multiple light-emitting units enters the pupil simultaneously and blackout is less likely to occur.

[0064] Although the present invention has been described in detail above based on its preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various forms that do not depart from the spirit of the invention are also included in the present invention.

[0065] Furthermore, the embodiments described above are merely examples of one embodiment, and it is possible to combine these embodiments as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0066] 300 Image Display Devices 301 Image Data 302 Output Control Unit 303 Light source 304 Laser light 305 Scanning Unit 306 Projection section 307 Pupil Illuminator 308 Light splitting section 309 Pupil detection unit 310 Eyeball 311 Pupil 312 Retina 313 Convergence Point 314 Scanning range 315 Gaze position

Claims

1. A light-emitting means having multiple light-emitting parts that emit laser light, A control means that generates an image ray based on input image data and controls the irradiation of the image ray from the light-emitting means, A scanning means for scanning the image ray from the light-emitting means, A projection means for projecting the image ray from the scanning means onto the user's pupil, It includes a pupil position detection means for detecting the position of the user's pupil, The image rays emitted from the plurality of light-emitting units are projected onto the same eyeball via the projection means. The control means is characterized by changing the intensity of the image light emitted by each of the plurality of light-emitting units so that the intensity of the light from the light-emitting unit that emits the image light that does not pass through the pupil detected by the pupil position detection means becomes weaker than the intensity of the light from the light-emitting unit that emits the image light that passes through the pupil.

2. The pupil position detection means detects the size of the pupil, The image display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means changes the intensity of the image light rays according to the position of the pupil and the size of the pupil detected by the pupil position detection means.

3. The control means is Among the light-emitting units that emit the image light that does not pass through the pupil, The image display device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the intensity of the image light emitted by each of the plurality of light-emitting units is changed such that the light-emitting unit that is closer to the light-emitting unit that emits the image light passing through the pupil emits a stronger image light than the light-emitting unit that is farther away.

4. The control means is Depending on the position of the pupil, it is determined whether or not to illuminate the image ray from each of the plurality of light-emitting units. The image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the plurality of light-emitting units are controlled so that the image light is irradiated only from the light-emitting unit whose convergence point falls within the pupil region.

5. The light-emitting means comprises a first light-emitting section and a second light-emitting section. The image ray emitted from the first light-emitting unit forms a first region of the first image. The image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the image ray emitted from the second light-emitting unit forms a second region different from the first region of the first image.

6. The image display device according to claim 5, characterized in that the second region partially overlaps with the first region.

7. The image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising convergence point adjustment means for adjusting the position of the convergence point of the image light rays emitted from each of the plurality of light-emitting units.

8. The aforementioned convergence point adjustment means is The image display device according to claim 7, characterized in that it adjusts the pitch of the convergence points of the image light rays emitted from each of the plurality of light-emitting units.

9. A control method for an image display device that displays an image based on image data by projecting laser light based on image data onto the user's pupil, comprising a light-emitting means having multiple light-emitting units, A process for controlling the generation of image rays based on image data, The process of scanning the aforementioned image ray, The process involves projecting the scanned image light beam onto the user's pupil, The process of detecting the position of the user's pupil, A control method for an image display device, comprising the step of changing the intensity of the image rays emitted by each of the plurality of light-emitting units so that the intensity of the light from a light-emitting unit that emits the image rays that do not pass through the detected pupil is weaker than the intensity of the light from a light-emitting unit that emits the image rays that pass through the pupil, wherein in the projection step, the image rays emitted from the plurality of light-emitting units are projected onto the same eyeball.

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