Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Image superposition by optical means – Operator body-mounted heads-up display
Reexamination Certificate
1994-10-12
2001-04-10
Wu, Xiao (Department: 2674)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Image superposition by optical means
Operator body-mounted heads-up display
C345S007000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06215460
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a eyeglass type image display apparatus which permits monitoring of an image, such as a video or television image, in an immediate form via a pair of ocular lenses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Eye glass type image display devices, or ‘head mounted’ image displays, have been disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Application (First Publication) 3-251667 by the present applicant. Such a conventional eye glass type image display device will be discussed hereinbelow with reference to
FIGS. 34 and 35
.
In the drawings, a head-mounted image display apparatus
100
has a front frame
101
, comprising an essentially rectangular body portion, retained by a pair of bows
102
,
102
to be held to the head of a user in a manner similar to a pair of eyeglasses. Also provided at a lower center portion of the front frame
101
are an inverted V-shaped nose pad
101
a
and an inverted V-shaped reflector
103
. As best seen in
FIG. 34
, mounted at a position above the reflector
103
, a fluorescent tube
104
is provided. At both sides of the reflector
103
, color liquid crystal display (LCD) panels
105
,
105
(image display means) are arranged. For each of the LCD panels
105
,
105
, a convex focus lens is formed substantially integrally therewith via deflection panels
107
,
107
Mounted within the front frame
101
, so as to be positioned at the inner sides of left and right eyes of user, focusing lenses
106
,
106
are provided and, ocular lenses
108
,
108
are mounted in a position so as to be in front of the left and right eyes of a user respectively Reflectors
109
,
109
, of a rectangular plate type, are arranged so as to reflect images focused through the focusing lenses
106
,
106
to the ocular lenses
108
,
108
.
It will also be noted in
FIG. 35
that earphone cups
102
a
,
102
a
are provided on each of the bows
102
,
102
which may be utilized to provide sound accompaniment to images supplied to the image display means.
As seen in the explanatory diagram of
FIG. 34
, when such a conventional head mounted image display apparatus
100
is worn over the face of a user, images formed on the pair of LCD panels
105
,
105
, from a VTR or the like, are irradiated by the fluorescent tube
104
and projected in enlarged form on the retinas a, a of the left and right eyes A, A of the user, via the focusing lenses
106
,
106
, the reflectors
109
,
109
and the ocular lenses
108
,
108
. The virtual image reflected on the ocular lenses are adjustable to establish a comfortable viewing distance for the user.
However, in such conventional head-mounted image display apparatus as described above, since the reflector
103
is mounted above the nose pad to assist in projecting the images displayed on the LCD panels
105
,
105
, to the eyes by lateral deflection, it is difficult to enlarge the nose pad portion of the apparatus such that the reflector
103
will not contact the user's nose. That is, when a user having a larger nose wears the display apparatus
100
, it is difficult to match the left and right eye positions of the user with the positions of the ocular lenses
108
,
108
. Further, since the LCD panels
105
,
105
, cannot be moved closer to the reflector
103
, the conventional apparatus cannot be adapted for users who have a substantially small distance between their eyes. In addition, since focusing adjustments are made by moving the respective ocular lenses
108
,
108
so as to vary a distance between the eyes A, A and the ocular lenses
108
,
108
, it is possible that a portion of the image may ‘drop out’, that is to say, to be beyond the focal range of the ocular lenses
108
,
108
, at some positionings thereof.
Therefore, it has been required to provide a head mounted image display apparatus which is adaptable to a wide range of facial types and in which satisfactory focusing and eye distance adjustment can be easily and reliably carried out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a head mounted image display apparatus which is adaptable to a wide range of facial types and in which satisfactory focusing and eye distance adjustment can be easily and reliably carried out.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned and other objects, a head-mounted image display apparatus wherein images from a pair of image display means provided in a device body are provided to left and right eyes of a user in enlarged form via reflector means interposed between the image display means and a pair of ocular lenses, is provided in which a pair of optical visual units is provided housing the image display means, the reflector means and the ocular lenses, the optical visual units respectively movable horizontally in directions toward and away from each other.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a head-mounted image display apparatus wherein images from a pair of image display means provided in a device body are provided to left and right eyes of a user in enlarged form via reflector means interposed between the image display means and a pair of ocular lenses is provided, further comprising: a shaft, laterally mounted within the device body; a pair of optical visual units housing the image display means, the reflector means and the ocular lenses, the optical visual units respectively movable horizontally in directions toward and away from each other along the shaft, the ocular lenses being vertically arranged so as to oppose left and right eyes of the user, the reflector means being obliquely arranged between the ocular lenses and the image display means and the image display means being arranged on a horizontal plane and movable in a vertical direction while maintaining a horizontal attitude thereof in relation to the reflector means.
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A miniature Virtual Display Implement, Optoelectronics, vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 155-162, Jun., 1991.
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Ito Masahiko
Mizoguchi Motoshi
Kananen Ronald P.
Rader Fishman & Grauer
Sony Corporation
Wu Xiao
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