Head-mounted display device, control method for head-mounted display device, and computer program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015268473-A1
Application number	US-201514626103-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 19, 2015
Priority date	Mar 18, 2014
Publication date	Sep 24, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

A head-mounted display device with which a user can visually recognize a virtual image and an outside scene includes an outside-scene acquiring unit configured to acquire outside scene information including at least a feature of the outside scene in a visual field direction of the user, a position estimating unit configured to estimate, on the basis of at least two kinds of the outside scene information acquired by the outside-scene acquiring unit over time, a position of any target object present in a real world, and an augmented-reality processing unit configured to cause the image display unit to form, on the basis of the estimated position of the target object, the virtual image representing a virtual object to be added to the target object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A head-mounted display device with which a user can visually recognize a virtual image and an outside scene,
the head-mounted display device comprising: an image display unit configured to cause the user to visually recognize the virtual image; an outside-scene acquiring unit configured to acquire outside scene information including at least a feature of the outside scene in a visual field direction of the user; a position estimating unit configured to estimate, on the basis of at least two kinds of the outside scene information acquired by the outside-scene acquiring unit over time, a position of any target object present in a real world; and an augmented-reality processing unit configured to cause the image display unit to form, on the basis of the estimated position of the target object, the virtual image representing a virtual object to be added to the target object.

2 . The head-mounted display device according to claim 1 , wherein the position estimating unit estimates the position of the target object using first outside scene information and second outside scene information acquired according to a movement amount of the outside-scene acquiring unit after acquisition of the first outside scene information.

3 . The head-mounted display device according to claim 2 , further comprising a first motion detecting unit configured to detect motion of the head of the user, wherein
the position estimating unit estimates the movement amount of the outside-scene acquiring unit from the motion of the head detected by the first motion detecting unit.

4 . The head-mounted display device according to claim 2 , further comprising a second motion detecting unit configured to detect motion of the body of the user, wherein
the position estimating unit estimates the movement amount of the outside-scene acquiring unit from the motion of the body detected by the second motion detecting unit.

5 . The head-mounted display device according to claim 2 , further comprising a present-position acquiring unit configured to acquire present position information of the user, wherein
the position estimating unit estimates the movement amount of the outside-scene acquiring unit from the present position information acquired by the present-position acquiring unit.

6 . The head-mounted display device according to claim 3 , further comprising an inducing unit configured to cause the image display unit to form the virtual image for inducing motion of the user.

7 . The head-mounted display device according to claim 1 , wherein the position estimating unit estimates the position of the target object using first outside scene information and second outside scene information acquired according to a difference between features of the outside scene included in the outside scene information after acquisition of the first outside scene.

8 . The head-mounted display device according to claim 2 , wherein the position estimating unit calculates a parallax between the first outside scene information and the second outside scene information and estimates the position of the target object using the calculated parallax, the movement amount of the outside-scene acquiring unit, and a focal length of the outside-scene acquiring unit.

9 . The head-mounted display device according to claim 8 , wherein the position estimating unit calculates the parallax with reference to an edge of the target object included in the first outside scene information and an edge of the target object included in the second outside scene information.

10 . The head-mounted display device according to claim 1 , wherein
the image display unit includes an optical-image display unit configured to form the virtual image in front of the eye of the user, the position estimating unit further calculates a position of the optical-image display unit corresponding to an extended line of the estimated position of the target object and the position of the eye of the user, and the augmented-reality processing unit determines a position of the virtual object on the basis of the calculated position of the optical-image display unit.

11 . The head-mounted display device according to claim 10 , further comprising an eye-image acquiring unit configured to acquire an image of the eye of the user, wherein
the position estimating unit analyzes the image of the eye acquired by the eye-image acquiring unit, acquires size of the eye of the user, and estimates a position of the eye of the user on the basis of the acquired size of the eye.

12 . The head-mounted display device according to claim 11 , wherein the eye-image acquiring unit is arranged near the outside-scene acquiring unit.

13 . A method of controlling a head-mounted display device, comprising:
causing a user of the head-mounted display device to visually recognize a virtual image; acquiring outside scene information including at least a feature of the outside scene in a visual field direction of the user; estimating, on the basis of at least two kinds of the outside scene information acquired over time, a position of any target object present in a real world; and forming, on the basis of the estimated position of the target object, the virtual image representing a virtual object to be added to the target object.

14 . A computer program for causing a computer to implement:
a forming function for causing a user of the head-mounted display device to visually recognize a virtual image; an acquiring function for acquiring outside scene information including at least a feature of the outside scene in a visual field direction of the user; an estimating function for estimating, on the basis of at least two kinds of the outside scene information acquired over time, a position of any target object present in a real world; and an augmented reality function for causing the forming function to form, on the basis of the estimated position of the target object, the virtual image representing a virtual object to be added to the target object.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Yajima Kenro
• Kobayashi Shinichi
• Aruga Naoto

Classifications

• G06T2207/30201

  Face · CPC title

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G06T19/006

  Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00) · CPC title

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title

• G02B2027/0138

  comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera · CPC title