Display device

Abstract

An HMD (1) that can be worn on a user's head comprises: a lens unit (30) including a front eyepiece (31) positioned in front of the user's eyes and a side eyepiece (32) fixed to the front eyepiece (31) and positioned at an angle so as to be close to surface of the user's face; a front panel (10) that displays an image viewed through the front eyepiece (31); a side panel (20) that displays an image viewed through the side eyepiece (32); and a main housing (102) that holds the front panel (10), the side panel (20), and the lens unit (30). The side panel (20) is held by the main housing (102) such that distance between the side panel (20) and the side eyepiece (32) can be adjusted.

Description

Display device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a display device.

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1, a head-mounted display having a display panel for displaying an image and an optical system including an eyepiece lens is known. In addition, an attachment lens that can be attached to the main body of the head-mounted display to adjust the visibility is known.

[0003] International Publication No. 2016 / 136657

[0004] When an attachment lens is provided to adjust the visibility, a space for providing the lens is required. However, in a configuration where the eyepiece lens is disposed at a position close to the user's face, it is difficult to additionally provide an attachment lens.

[0005] One object of the present disclosure is to enable visibility adjustment in a display device having a plurality of display units and an eyepiece lens.

[0006] The display device proposed in the present disclosure is a display device that can be worn on a user's head, and includes a front eyepiece lens disposed in front of the user's eyes, and a side eyepiece lens fixed to the front eyepiece lens and disposed so as to be inclined close to the user's face. A lens unit, a front display unit that displays an image viewed through the front eyepiece lens, a side display unit that displays an image viewed through the side eyepiece lens, and a holder that holds the front display unit, the side display unit, and the lens unit. The side display unit is held by the holder so that the distance between the side display unit and the side eyepiece lens can be adjusted.

[0007] This is a perspective view showing an HMD according to the first embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the display panel and lens unit. This is a perspective view showing the lens unit. This is a top view showing the lens unit. This is a diagram showing an example of a display image visible to the user through the lens unit. This is a top view showing an example of the arrangement of the front panel and side panels. This is a top view showing an example of how the front panel and side panels move. This is a top view showing an example of how the front panel and side panels move. This is a top view showing an example of how the front panel and side panels move. This is a top view showing an example of how the side panel moves with an attachment lens provided. This is a top view showing an example of how the side panel moves with an attachment lens provided.

[0008] The embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the head-mounted display, which is the display device, will be referred to as "HMD (Head Mounted Display)". In the following description, the directions indicated by X1 and X2 in the figures will be the right and left, respectively, the directions indicated by Y1 and Y2 in the figures will be the up and down, respectively, and the directions indicated by Z1 and Z2 in the figures will be the front and rear, respectively. Each of these directions is as seen from the perspective of the user wearing the HMD1.

[0009] [Overview of HMD1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an HMD according to the first embodiment. The HMD1 preferably has a mounting band 101 that surrounds the user's head and a main body housing 102 that is supported at the front of the mounting band 101. The main body housing 102 houses various components such as a display panel and an optical system.

[0010] Furthermore, while the first embodiment uses an HMD1 having a mounting band 101 as an example, the display device is not limited to this. The display device may be all or part of a device that can be attached to the user's head. Here, the user's head refers to the part of the user's body from the neck up. Therefore, the display device may be, for example, a device having temples that can be hooked onto the user's ears.

[0011] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the front panel, side panel, and lens unit. Figure 3A is a perspective view showing the lens unit. Figure 3B is a top view showing the lens unit.

[0012] The HMD1 includes a front panel 10 which is the front display section, a side panel 20 which is the side display section, and a lens unit 30. The lens unit 30 includes a front-facing eye lens 31 and a side-facing eye lens 32. The lens unit 30 may be fixed to the main body housing 102.

[0013] Figure 2 schematically shows the front panel 10, side panel 20, and lens unit 30 as viewed from above. Figure 2 shows the front panel 10, side panel 20, and lens unit 30 on the user's left eye side, but the configuration shown in Figure 2 may be provided on both the right and left eye sides. Also, Figure 2 shows the lens unit 30 included in the optical system, but the optical system may include other optical components.

[0014] [Front Panel 10] The front panel 10 may display a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image. The front panel 10 may be, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic electroluminescent display panel, but its type is not particularly limited. The front panel 10 may be positioned so that its display surface is directly in front of the user's field of vision.

[0015] [Orthogonal Eye Lens 31] The orthogonal eye lens 31 is preferably positioned in front of the user's eye. The orthogonal eye lens 31 is preferably a convex lens that guides the first image light L1 emitted from the front panel 10 to the user's pupil. The orthogonal eye lens 31 is preferably positioned so that its optical axis is perpendicular to the display surface of the front panel 10.

[0016] [Side Panel 20] The side panel 20 may display a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image. The side panel 20 may be, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic electroluminescent display panel, but its type is not particularly limited. The side panel 20 may be positioned to the left of the front panel 10, with its display surface tilted relative to the display surface of the front panel 10. By arranging the two display panels side by side in the left-right direction in this way, the viewing angle in the left-right direction (horizontal direction) can be improved.

[0017] [Side-facing eye lens 32] The side-facing eye lens 32 is preferably fixed to the front-facing eye lens 31. That is, the side-facing eye lens 32 is preferably formed integrally with the front-facing eye lens 31. The side-facing eye lens 32 is also preferably positioned at an angle so as to be close to the user's face. The side-facing eye lens 32 is preferably provided so that its optical axis is perpendicular to the display surface of the side panel 20. The side-facing eye lens 32 is preferably provided as a convex lens that guides the second image light L2 emitted from the side panel 20 to the user's pupil.

[0018] Note that the arrangement and orientation of the front panel 10 and side panels 20 are not limited to those shown in the illustration. Also, the front-facing eye lens 31 and the side-facing eye lens 32 may be aspherical lenses, spherical lenses, free-form lenses, etc.

[0019] [Display Image] Figure 4 shows an example of a display image that is visible to the user through the lens unit. In Figure 4, a grid pattern is shown as the display image on each panel.

[0020] Figure 4 shows the display image D1, which is viewed by the user through the orthocular lens 31, and the display image D2, which is viewed by the user through the lateral-facing lens 32. As shown in Figure 4, the display image D1 and the display image D2 are viewed by the user as a single display image D.

[0021] [Diopter Adjustment] Figure 5 is a top view showing an example of the arrangement of the front panel and side panel. Figures 6A and 6B are top views showing an example of how the front panel and side panel move. The dashed lines in Figures 6A and 6B show the front panel 10 and side panel 20 before movement.

[0022] In HMDs, it is known that attachment lenses are used to adjust the diopter according to the user's visual acuity. In configurations where multiple display panels and eyepieces are provided, it is necessary to attach attachment lenses to each of the multiple eyepieces. However, in the HMD1 having a side panel 20 as described with reference to Figure 2, the space between the user's face and the side-contact eyepiece 32 is narrow, making it difficult to attach attachment lenses.

[0023] Furthermore, if the tilt angle of the side-contact lens 32 relative to the front-contact lens 31 is made gentler in order to move the side-contact lens 32 away from the user's face, the intersection of optical axes O1 and O2 will move further away from the front panel 10. As a result, the position of the user's eyes when wearing the HMD1 needs to be moved away from the front panel 10, which makes the HMD1 larger in the front-to-back direction.

[0024] It is also conceivable to move the eyepiece to adjust the diopter. However, in a configuration with multiple eyepieces, the positional relationship between their optical axes and the user's eye must be maintained. To maintain the positional relationship between the optical axes of the two eyepieces and the user's eye, the two eyepieces are formed as a single unit, as in the lens unit 30 of the first embodiment. In such a configuration, if one eyepiece is moved in a direction along its optical axis, the optical axis of the other eyepiece will move in a way that is misaligned with the position of the user's eye. As a result, the displayed image may appear blurred or distorted.

[0025] Therefore, in the first embodiment, a configuration is adopted that allows for diopter adjustment without providing an attachment lens or moving the eyepiece. Adjusting the diopter means correcting the focal length of the user's eye.

[0026] Specifically, the front panel 10 is held in the main housing 102 so that its distance from the orthocular lens 31 can be adjusted, and the side panel 20 is held in the main housing 102 so that its distance from the lateral-facing eye lenses 32 can be adjusted.

[0027] As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the front panel 10 is held in the main housing 102 so as to be movable in a direction along the optical axis O1 of the orthocular lens 31. The side panel 20 is also held in the main housing 102 so as to be movable in a direction along the optical axis O2 of the lateral-facing eye lens 32. In Figure 5 and other figures, the area surrounding the front panel 10, the side panel 20, and the lens unit 30 represents the main housing 102.

[0028] In the first embodiment, as shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the front panel 10 can be moved closer to or further away from the orthocular lens 31. Also, as shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the side panel 20 can be moved closer to or further away from the lateral-facing eye lenses 32. With this configuration, the diopter can be adjusted according to the user's visual acuity. As a result, the displayed image can be clearly viewed by the user.

[0029] In the first embodiment described above, the HMD1, which uses multiple display panels to widen the viewing angle, allows for easy diopter adjustment.

[0030] [Modification of the First Embodiment] Figure 7 is a top view showing an example of how the front panel and side panel move. In the modification of the first embodiment, an example is described in which the side panel 20 is not moved linearly but is held in the main body housing 102 so as to be rotatable.

[0031] Specifically, the side panel 20 is preferably held in the main housing 102 so as to be rotatable with respect to the optical axis O2 of the side-contact eye lens 32. Furthermore, the side panel 20 is preferably held so as to be rotatable with respect to the vicinity of the front panel 10 as the pivot point.

[0032] Figure 7 shows how the side panel 20 rotates around its rightmost end 20F as the pivot point in a top view. The rightmost end 20F is the end of the side panel 20 that is closer to the front panel 10. This configuration allows the display image D2 shown in Figure 4 to be clearly visible in the area close to display image D1, while the display image D2 can be blurred in the area further away from display image D1. In other words, areas where the user's visual sensitivity is high can be clearly visible, and areas where the user's visual sensitivity is low can be blurred. Furthermore, because the pivot point is the rightmost end 20F of the side panel 20, the positional relationship near the joint between display image D1 and display image D2 can be maintained, and the user viewing display image D1 and display image D2 is less likely to feel any discomfort at their joint.

[0033] In this modified example, the front panel 10 is preferably held in the main body housing 102 so as to be movable in a direction along the optical axis O1, similar to the configuration shown in Figures 6A and 6B.

[0034] [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 8. Figure 8 is a top view showing an example of how the attachment lens is provided and how the side panel moves.

[0035] Since the orthophoto lens 31 is positioned directly in front of the user's eye, a relatively large space is formed between the orthophoto lens 31 and the user's face. Therefore, in the second embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which an attachment lens 40, which is a diopter adjustment component, can be attached to the main housing 102 between the user's eye and the orthophoto lens 31. The attachment lens 40 is preferably a lens that has a diopter adjustment function. The attachment lens 40 may be, for example, a liquid crystal lens whose power can be changed according to the applied voltage. Furthermore, the diopter adjustment component may be a device or component that can change or widen the virtual image distance range visible to the eye, such as a liquid lens, a liquid crystal lens, or a pinfall device that widens the diopter range. When a pinfall is used, the depth of focus becomes deeper, and the virtual image distance range visible to the eye widens.

[0036] In the second embodiment, the side panel 20 is preferably held in the main body housing 102 so as to be movable in a direction along the optical axis O2, similar to the configuration shown in Figures 6A and 6B.

[0037] In the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, the diopter can be adjusted to make the display image D1 displayed on the front panel 10 and the display image D2 displayed on the side panel 20 clearly visible.

[0038] [Modification of the Second Embodiment] Next, a modification of the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 9. Figure 9 is a top view showing an example of how an attachment lens is provided and how the side panel moves.

[0039] In this modified example, similar to the modified example of the first embodiment shown in Figure 7, the side panel 20 is preferably held in the main body housing 102 so as to be rotatable with respect to the optical axis O2 of the side-contact lens 32. Also, similar to the second embodiment shown in Figure 8, a configuration is adopted in which an attachment lens 40, which is a diopter adjustment component, can be attached to the main body housing 102 between the user's eye and the front-contact lens 31.

[0040] In this modified example, similar to the second embodiment, the diopter can be adjusted to make the display image D1 shown on the front panel 10 and the display image D2 shown on the side panel 20 clearly visible.

[0041] [Other] The movement of the front panel 10 and the side panel 20 may be performed by the user manually operating a dial or the like provided on the main housing 102, for example. Alternatively, they may be configured to move automatically when the user operates a controller or the like. The movement of the front panel 10 and the side panel 20 may be linked, or they may move individually. When the front panel 10 and the side panel 20 move linkedly, it is preferable that their amounts of movement be the same. That is, it is preferable that the amount of change in distance between the front panel 10 and the orthocular lens 31 is the same as the amount of change in distance between the side panel 20 and the lateral-facing eye lens 32. However, if the optical characteristics of the orthocular lens 31 and the lateral-facing eye lens 32 are different, the amount of change in distance between the front panel 10 and the orthocular lens 31 and the amount of change in distance between the side panel 20 and the lateral-facing eye lens 32 may be different.

[0042] Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments and modifications, the display on the display panel may be changed to take into account the change in distortion for each RGB color as the display panel is moved.

[0043] Furthermore, in the above embodiments and modifications, examples have been described in which the front panel 10, side panels 20, and lens unit 30 are held by the main body housing 102, which is a holder, but the invention is not limited to this. The holder may be a separate component provided in relation to the main body housing 102. Also, the front panel 10, side panels 20, and lens unit 30 are not limited to being held by a common component, but may each be held by different components.

[0044] [Supplementary Note] For example, the display device can also have the following configuration. (1) A display device wearable on the user's head, including a front eyepiece lens disposed in front of the user's eyes, and a side eyepiece lens fixed to the front eyepiece lens and inclined and disposed so as to be close to the user's face, a lens unit including the same, a front display unit for displaying an image visible through the front eyepiece lens, a side display unit for displaying an image visible through the side eyepiece lens, and a holder for holding the front display unit, the side display unit, and the lens unit. The side display unit is held by the holder so that the distance between the side display unit and the side eyepiece lens can be adjusted. Display device. (2) The side display unit is held by the holder so as to be movable in a direction along the optical axis of the side eyepiece lens. The display device according to (2). (3) The side display unit is held by the holder so as to be rotatable so as to be inclined with respect to the optical axis of the side eyepiece lens. The display device according to (1). (4) The side display unit is held by the holder so as to be rotatable about a rotation center in the vicinity of the front display unit. The display device according to (3). (5) The front display unit is held by the holder so as to be movable in a direction along the optical axis of the front eyepiece lens. The display device according to any one of (1) to (4). (6) The holder is configured to be able to attach a diopter adjustment component between the user's eye and the front eyepiece lens. The display device according to any one of (1) to (5). (7) A mounting band surrounding the user's head, and a main body housing that houses the front panel and the side panel and is supported at the front part of the mounting band to cover in front of the user's eyes. The main body housing includes the holder. The display device according to any one of (1) to (6).

[0045] 1 Head-mounted display, 10 Front panel, 20 Side panel, 30 Lens unit, 31 Front eyepiece lens, 32 Side eyepiece lens, 102 Main body housing.

Claims

1. A display device that can be worn on a user's head, comprising: a lens unit including a front-facing eye lens positioned in front of the user's eyes and a side-facing eye lens fixed to the front-facing eye lens and positioned at an angle to be close to the user's face; a front display unit that displays an image viewed through the front-facing eye lens; a side display unit that displays an image viewed through the side-facing eye lens; and a holder that holds the front display unit, the side display unit, and the lens unit, wherein the side display unit is held by the holder so as to be able to adjust the distance between the side display unit and the side-facing eye lens.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the side display unit is held by the holder so as to be movable in a direction along the optical axis of the side-facing eye lens.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the side display unit is held in the holder so as to be rotatable with respect to the optical axis of the side-facing eye lens.

4. The display device according to claim 3, wherein the side display unit is held by the holder so as to be rotatable about the vicinity of the front display unit as the pivot point.

5. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the front display unit is held by the holder so as to be movable in a direction along the optical axis of the orthophoto lens.

6. The display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the holder is configured to allow the attachment of a diopter adjustment component between the user's eye and the orthophoto lens.

7. A display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising: a mounting band that surrounds the user's head; and a main body housing that houses the front panel and the side panels and is supported by the front of the mounting band to cover the user's eyes, wherein the main body housing includes the holder.

Images