Head-mounted display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11073701-B2
Application number	US-201716313172-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 3, 2017
Priority date	Jul 6, 2016
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

A head-mounted display device includes a first display portion disposed in front of a pupil of a viewer and displaying a first image, a second display portion disposed on an ear side of the viewer and diagonally in front of the pupil and displaying a second image, a first lens disposed between the pupil and the first display portion for projecting a first image onto the pupil, and a second lens disposed between the pupil and the second display portion for projecting a second image onto the pupil. The second lens is disposed adjacent to the first lens on the ear side of the viewer, and an optical axis of the first lens and an optical axis of the second lens intersect with each other at an angle ranging from 30 degrees to 80 degrees inclusive.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A head-mounted display device that is worn on a head of a viewer when used, the head-mounted display device comprising:
a first display portion that is disposed in front of a pupil of the viewer gazing forward, while facing the pupil, the first display portion displaying a first image;
a second display portion that is disposed close to an ear of the viewer and diagonally in front of the pupil, while facing the pupil, the second display portion displaying a second image;
a first eyepiece having a first display-portion-side lens surface and a first viewer-side lens surface, disposed between the pupil and the first display portion, and projecting the first image onto the pupil, the first display-portion-side lens surface being a surface closer to the first display portion than the viewer, the first viewer-side lens surface being a surface closer to the viewer than the first display portion; and
a second eyepiece having a second display-portion-side lens surface and a second viewer-side lens surface, disposed between the pupil and the second display portion, and projecting the second image onto the pupil, the second display-portion-side lens surface being a surface closer to the second display portion than the viewer, the second viewer-side lens surface being a surface closer to the viewer than the second display portion,
wherein
the second eyepiece is disposed adjacent to the first eyepiece at a position closer to an ear of the viewer than the first eyepiece is,
an optical axis of the first eyepiece and an optical axis of the second eyepiece intersect with each other at an angle ranging from 30 degrees to 80 degrees inclusive,
the first display portion and the second display portion are separate and move separately,
a distance between the first display portion and the first eyepiece in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the first eyepiece is changeable,
a distance between the second display portion and the second eyepiece in a direction parallel to the optical axis of the second eyepiece is changeable, and
the distance between the second display portion and the second eyepiece is increased with an increase in the distance between the first display portion and the first eyepiece.

2. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1 , wherein a display position of the second image displayed in the second display portion horizontally moves toward an ear of the viewer with respect to the first display portion with an increase in the distance between the first display portion and the first eyepiece.

3. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1 , wherein a display position of the second image displayed in the second display portion horizontally moves toward the first display portion with an increase in the distance between the first display portion and the first eyepiece.

4. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the second display portion and the second eyepiece is shorter than a distance between the first display portion and the first eyepiece.

5. The head-mounted display device according to claim 4 , wherein the optical axis of the first eyepiece is parallel to a straight line extending in a gaze direction of the pupil of the viewer gazing forward.

6. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the second display portion and the second eyepiece becomes shorter with an increase in a distance from the first display portion.

7. The head-mounted display device according to claim 6 , wherein the optical axis of the first eyepiece is parallel to a straight line extending in a gaze direction of the pupil of the viewer gazing forward.

8. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical axis of the second eyepiece is offset from a center of a contour shape of the second eyepiece.

9. The head-mounted display device according to claim 8 , wherein the optical axis of the first eyepiece is parallel to a straight line extending in a gaze direction of the pupil of the viewer gazing forward.

10. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1 , wherein a contour shape of the first viewer-side lens surface and a contour shape of the second viewer-side lens surface respectively have joint shape parts that are in contact with each other, and
the first viewer-side lens surface and the second viewer-side lens surface are horizontally continuous through the joint shape parts in an entire visual field of the viewer in a vertical direction or in a central part of a visual field of the viewer.

11. The head-mounted display device according to claim 10 , wherein
the first display portion emits a first light ray that enters an end of the first display-portion-side lens surface and is emitted from the first viewer-side lens surface toward the pupil of the viewer, the end being adjacent to the second eyepiece,
the second display portion emits a second light ray that enters an end of the second display-portion-side lens surface and is emitted from the second viewer-side lens surface toward the pupil of the viewer, the end being adjacent to the first eyepiece,
the first eyepiece has a radial end surface inclined with respect to the optical axis of the first eyepiece to extend along the first light ray emitted toward the pupil of the viewer, and
the second eyepiece has a radial end surface inclined with respect to the optical axis of the second eyepiece to extend along the second light ray emitted toward the pupil of the viewer.

12. The head-mounted display device according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of an observation field angle of the second eyepiece to an observation field angle of the first eyepiece is less than 0.95.

13. The head-mounted display device according to claim 12 , wherein the optical axis of the first eyepiece is parallel to a straight line extending in a gaze direction of the pupil of the viewer gazing forward.

14. The head-mounted display device according to claim 12 , wherein a ratio R/f of a paraxial radius of curvature R of the first viewer-side lens surface to a rear-side focal length f of the first eyepiece is larger than 0 and smaller than 3.0.

15. The head-mounted display device according to claim 14 , wherein the optical axis of the first eyepiece is parallel to a straight line extending in a gaze direction of the pupil of the viewer gazing forward.

16. The head-mounted display device according to claim 14 , wherein the observation field angle of the first eyepiece is from 60 degrees to 120 degrees inclusive.

17. The head-mounted display device according to claim 16 , wherein the optical axis of the first eyepiece is parallel to a straight line extending in a gaze direction of the pupil of the viewer gazing forward.

18. A head-mounted display device that is worn on a head of a viewer when used, the head-mounted display device comprising:
a first display portion that is disposed in front of a pupil of the viewer gazing forward, while facing the pupil, the first display portion displaying a first image;
a second display portion that is disposed close to an ear of the viewer and diagonally in front of the pupil, while facing the pupil, the second display portion displaying a second image;
a first eyepiece having a first display-portion-side lens surface and a first viewer-side lens surface, disposed between the pupil and the first display portion, and projecting the first image onto the pupil, the first display-portion-side lens surface being a surface closer to the first display portion than the v

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsumura Yoshio
• Makino Hiroyasu

Classifications

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/0132

  comprising binocular systems · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G02B2027/011

  comprising device for correcting geometrical aberrations, distortion · CPC title

• G02B2027/0123

  comprising devices increasing the field of view · CPC title