Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Image superposition by optical means
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-28
2004-04-27
Shankar, Vijay (Department: 2673)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Image superposition by optical means
C345S008000, C345S009000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06727865
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a head mounted display (HMD) mounted on an observer's head or face for displaying the character information of an image.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, with the downsizing and lighter weight of pocketable telephones and personal digital assistant (PDA) or the like having electronic mail and scheduler functions, the concept of wearable computing such as mounting or always carrying these devices on one's clothes or body is taking root.
As a display device used in this wearable computing, attention has been paid to a head mounted display heretofore used as the display of package video or virtual reality (VR), and various computer systems utilizing the same have been proposed as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-289034.
As head mounted displays utilized in the wearable computing, there are a display A of a type as shown in
FIG. 1A
of the accompanying drawings wherein the main body of a display unit is fixed through a belt, and a display B which, as shown in
FIG. 1B
of the accompanying drawings, is hung on the ears through bows
2
attached to the main body
1
of a display unit, and use is made of displays having various functions and in various forms conforming to places and situations. Also, the display B shown in
FIG. 1B
can be contained by the bows
2
provided on the sides of the main body
1
of the display unit being bent in the directions of the arrows through hinges
3
.
FIG. 1C
of the accompanying drawings shows the construction of a head mounted display according to the prior art using a compact and light-weight liquid crystal panel as a display element, and the output of a decoder processing unit
11
for inputting a video signal and the output of a power supply circuit
13
having a power supply switch
12
connected thereto are connected to a display drive circuit
14
. Also, the outputs of the power supply circuit
13
are connected to illuminating back lights
16
L and
16
R through drivers
15
L and
15
R, respectively, and the outputs of the display drive circuit
14
are connected to display elements
17
L and
17
R for left and right eyes comprising liquid crystal panels which do not emit light by themselves. Optical elements
18
L and
18
R each comprising a prism are attached to these display elements
17
L and
17
R, respectively, and the optical elements
18
L and
18
R are formed with incidence surfaces
18
L
a
,
18
R
a
, reflecting surfaces
1
BL
b
,
18
R
b
and half mirror surfaces
18
L
c
,
18
R
c
, respectively. Display optical systems
19
L and
19
R are formed by the left and right drivers
15
L and
15
R, back lights
16
L and
16
R, display elements
17
L and
17
R and optical elements
18
L and
18
R, respectively.
When the power supply switch
12
is closed, the power supply circuit
13
starts the supply of electric power necessary to the entire image display. An NTSC signal which is a video signal from a TV tuner or a video reproducer is inputted to the decoder processing unit
11
and converted into an RGB signal, whereafter it is outputted to the display drive circuit
14
, and images are displayed on the display elements
17
L and
17
R. Also, the display elements
17
L and
17
R are not self-light emitting type elements and therefore are illuminated by the illuminating back lights
16
L and
16
R, respectively.
In the display optical systems
19
L and
19
R, beams emitted from the back lights
16
L and
16
R and passed through the display elements
17
L and
17
R are incident on the incidence surfaces
18
L
a
and
18
R
a
of the optical elements
18
L and
18
R, respectively, and are further incident on the reflecting surfaces
18
L
b
and
18
R
b
at an angle of incidence equal to or greater than a critical angle and are totally reflected. These totally reflected beams are reflected by the half mirror surfaces
18
L
c
and
18
R
c
, and are again incident on the reflecting surfaces
18
L
b
and
18
R
b
at an angle of incidence smaller than the critical angle, and are images on an observer's pupils eL and eR (of which eR is not shown). As the result, the images displayed on the display elements
17
L and
17
R are enlargedly observed by the observer.
The above-described head mounted display according to the prior art, however, does not take it into consideration to carry the head mounted display to the outdoors in order to perform mobile computing or wearable computing, and is of a shape unsuitable for carrying. Accordingly, it is more preferable that the head mounted display be mounted on the head only when electric mail is to be read or when access is to be had to the internet, and can be dismounted from the head and contained and carried in a bag or the like when the access or the like is completed. Further, the head mounted display according to the prior art is not designed to be capable of more simply controlling an external apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a head mounted display which is easy to carry in its daily used state and is easy to mount and dismount.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a head mounted display which can be utilized for a long time with the amount of use of a battery curtailed and without the battery being recharged, and a control method of making it possible.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a head mounted display which makes an external apparatus connected thereto more simply controllable, a control method and a control program for a video signal supplying apparatus which make it possible.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5414544 (1995-05-01), Aoyagi et al.
patent: 5844530 (1998-12-01), Tosaki
patent: 5949388 (1999-09-01), Atsumi et al.
patent: 5954642 (1999-09-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 5991085 (1999-11-01), Rallison et al.
patent: 6124976 (2000-09-01), Miyazaki
patent: 6215460 (2001-04-01), Mizoguchi et al.
patent: 6239771 (2001-05-01), Usuki et al.
patent: 6346929 (2002-02-01), Fukushima et al.
patent: 6359603 (2002-03-01), Zwern
patent: 6388640 (2002-05-01), Chigira et al.
patent: 2218812 (1998-10-01), None
patent: 10-289034 (1998-10-01), None
Dharia Prabodh M.
Shankar Vijay
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