JPH11237581A - Head-mount display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a head-mount display device so as to generate a fatigue monitoring output. SOLUTION: When a display image is reflected by a combiner 14 and led into the eye, a light transmitted through the combiner 14 is detected by a photodetector 16, a light made incident upon the eye is detected by a photodetctor 17, a light from the eye part is led into a TV camera 18 by a combiner 15 to obain a picture signal picking up an image of the eye part, and these photodetection signals and the picture signal are outputted. The diameter of a pupil is calculated from the picture signal by an external device and the luminance of the display picture and that of incident light on the eye which can be detected from the photodetection signals are used, so that observer's fatigue can be found out independently of a change in brightness around the display picture.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a head mounted display (HMD), and more particularly to an HMD with fatigue monitoring.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, a virtual space is created in a virtual reality environment by using a system such as a display device such as an HMD or a projector, a teleconference using a TV phone, and a teleexistence operating a device from a remote place. You can enjoy. Especially HMD
Is a display device that can be easily immersed in a virtual space when worn on the observer's head.

[0003] By the way, when a user views an image in a virtual space, particularly a three-dimensional image for a long time, there have been many cases in which a user complains of discomfort or fatigue such as three-dimensional sickness. Against this background, various studies have been conducted on the physical and physiological fatigue of display devices used in virtual reality. As one of the methods, there is a method of measuring the pupil diameter, and the state of the fatigue of the observer is grasped by analyzing the size of the pupil diameter.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, HMD
When the above-described fatigue monitoring method based on the pupil diameter is applied to the above, there is a problem that the state of fatigue cannot always be grasped. That is, the size of the pupil diameter changes depending on the luminance (brightness) of light entering the pupil, and if the image changes, the degree of fatigue cannot be estimated from the pupil diameter. Therefore, the degree of fatigue can be analyzed only from the temporal change of the pupil diameter when the same image is continuously viewed under a constant environment, which is not practical.

[0005] In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an HMD in which the degree of fatigue can be detected even when the brightness of a displayed image changes.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, in an HMD according to the present invention, there is provided an image display device, an optical system for guiding an image displayed on the image display device to the eyes, and the display device. It is characterized in that it is provided with an image brightness detector that detects the brightness of the image, an incident light detector that detects light incident on the eye, and a pupil image imager that captures an image of the pupil.

[0007] The luminance of the displayed image is detected, and the light incident on the eye is detected. These detection signals are output, and a video signal of a pupil image is output. Therefore, if image brightness data, incident light data, and pupil diameter data in a state without fatigue and in a fatigued state are collected in advance, the above two types of detection signals and video signals can be taken into a computer or the like. By calculating the pupil diameter from the video signal, and comparing the pupil diameter with the image luminance data and the incident light data obtained from the above two types of detection signals with the above-mentioned data obtained in advance, the degree to which the observer You can ask if you are tired.

[0008]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The HMD shown in FIG. 1 is of a see-through type, and is configured so that an external scenery can be observed together with a display image. A display image from a CRT (or a display device such as an LCD) guided by a lens system or the like is reflected by a combiner (half mirror) 14 and guided to an observer's eyes. It passes through 14 and is guided to the observer's eye.

A second combiner (half mirror) 15 is disposed between the combiner 14 and the eyes, and an image of the observer's eye is reflected by the combiner 15 and guided to the TV camera 18. Then, an image of the eye portion is captured, and the video signal is output. Although two photodetectors 16 and 17 are built in, a display image passed through the combiner 14 is guided to the photodetector 16, and light incident on the eye enters the photodetector 17. It has been like that. Therefore, the photodetector 16 detects the luminance of the display image, and the photodetector 17 detects the luminance of the light of the display image combined with the external light that actually enters the eye.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a signal system. As shown in FIG. 2, two photodetectors 1 built in the HMD 10 are provided.
The detection signals 6 and 17 and the video signal from the TV camera 18 are input to the arithmetic and control unit 21 of the computer 20. Here, the image data output from the image output unit 22 of the computer 20 is sent to the image interface 11 of the HMD 10 and subjected to an appropriate conversion to perform CR conversion.
The image is sent to a T (cathode ray tube device) 12 to display an image.
This displayed image is a lens system 13, two combiners 14,
It is led to the observer's eye via 15 (see FIG. 1).

The HMD 10 has an image interface 11, a CRT 12, a lens system 13, and a combiner 1 as described above.
4, 15; photodetectors 16, 17; and a TV camera 18. These are housed in an appropriate case and mounted on the head of the observer by a belt or the like.

When the detection signals of the photodetectors 16 and 17 and the video signal from the TV camera 18 are input to the arithmetic and control unit 21 of the computer 20, the brightness of the display image and the brightness of the light incident on the eyes are reduced. The pupil diameter is calculated from the image of the eye. Therefore, when not tired, and when tired, display image luminance data, incident light luminance data to the eye, pupil diameter data are measured in advance,
If these data are held by inputting to the computer 20, by referring to these data,
It is possible to estimate whether the current observer is tired. The output of the image data can be stopped by controlling the image output unit 22 depending on the degree of the fatigue, or a warning can be generated.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment. In this embodiment, the HMD has a single combiner 14 and is not a see-through type. The image displayed by the image display device is guided to the combiner 14 via a lens system and the like, is reflected, and is guided to the eyes of the observer. The light of the display image transmitted through the combiner 14 is detected by the photodetector 16. Further, light from the eye portion is transmitted through the combiner 14 and guided to the TV camera 18 to capture an image of the eye. The photodetector 17 is disposed so as to capture light near the eye, and obtains an output corresponding to the brightness of light incident on the eye.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a signal system according to this embodiment. Here, image data from an image output unit 30 independent of the computer 20 is transmitted to the HMD 1.
0 is sent. The image data is converted into an appropriate signal by the image interface 11 and sent to an LCD (liquid crystal display) 19 which is an image display device. The image displayed on the LCD 19 is guided to the eye via the lens system 13 and the combiner 14. Photodetector 1
The detection signals of 6 and 17 and the video signal from the TV camera 18 are input to the arithmetic and control unit 21 of the computer 20, perform calculations for analyzing the degree of fatigue, and perform various controls accordingly. Is the same.

The above description relates to one embodiment of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention is not intended to be limited to the above description. Therefore, the specific configuration and the like can be variously changed. For example, TV
Since the camera 18 only needs to capture an image of the pupil portion at regular time intervals, a still image camera using a CCD or the like can be used.

[0016]

As described above, the HMD of the present invention is
According to the method, the luminance of the displayed image and the light incident on the eye are detected and the detection signals are output, and the video signal obtained by capturing the pupil image is output. By doing so, even when the brightness of the image, the brightness of the surroundings, and the like change, the state of fatigue due to the image in the virtual space can be obtained.
As a result, display can be interrupted or a warning can be issued according to the degree of fatigue, and effective measures can be taken against fatigue such as three-dimensional sickness due to the HMD. This allows anyone to safely experience the virtual space.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a signal system of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a signal system according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 HMD 11 Image interface 12 CRT 13 Lens system 14, 15 Combiner 16, 17 Photodetector 18 TV camera 19 LCD 20 Computer 21 Operation control unit 22 Image output unit 30 Image output unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] An image display device, an optical system for guiding an image displayed on the image display device to an eye, an image brightness detector for detecting the brightness of the displayed image, and a device for detecting light incident on the eye. A head mounted display device comprising: an incident light detector for detecting; and a pupil image pickup device for picking up an image of a pupil.