Display device, head-mount type display device, method of controlling display device, and method of controlling head-mount type display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9542958-B2
Application number	US-201314100421-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2013
Priority date	Dec 18, 2012
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A transmissive display device includes an image display section adapted to generate image light representing an image, allow a user to visually recognize the image light, and transmit an external sight, a sound acquisition section adapted to obtain a sound, a conversion section adapted to convert the sound into a character image expressing the sound as an image using characters, a specific direction setting section adapted to set a specific direction, and a display position setting section adapted to set an image display position, which is a position where character image light representing the character image is made to be visually recognized in a visual field of the user, based on the specific direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A transmissive display device comprising:
an image display section adapted to generate image light representing an image, allow a user to visually recognize the image light in a state of being worn on a head of the user, and transmit an external sight;
a sound acquisition section adapted to obtain a sound;
a conversion section adapted to convert the sound into a character image expressing the sound as an image using characters;
a specific direction setting section adapted to set a specific direction, the specific direction being a direction from the sound acquisition section to a sound source;
an eye direction estimation section adapted to estimate an eye direction of the user; and
a display position setting section adapted to set an image display position, which is a position where character image light representing the character image is allowed to be visually recognized in a visual field of the user, based on the specific direction,
wherein the display position setting section
sets the image display position based on a relationship between the specific direction and the eye direction,
sets the image display position to a vicinity of the position corresponding to the specific direction in the visual field of the user in a case in which a specific angle, which is an angle formed between the eye direction and the specific direction, is smaller than a first threshold value, and
sets the image display position independently of the specific direction in a case in which the specific angle is equal to or larger than the first threshold value.

2. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein
the display position setting section sets the image display position so as not to overlap a position corresponding to the specific direction in the visual field of the user.

3. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein
the display position setting section sets the image display position to a position corresponding to a part other than a center in the visual field of the user.

4. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein
the sound acquisition section has sensitivity of obtaining a sound, the sensitivity varying with a direction from the sound source to the sound acquisition section, and
the specific direction is set based on the sensitivity to the sound obtained.

5. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an image acquisition section adapted to obtain an image of the external sight at a plurality of time points,
wherein the image display position setting section sets the image display position based on a variation in the image of the external sight at the plurality of time points and the specific direction.

6. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a distance identification section adapted to identify a distance from the display device to the sound source,
wherein the display position setting section performs at least one of change in size of the character image light and setting of the image display device based on the distance identified.

7. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a distance identification section adapted to identify a distance from the display device to the sound source,
wherein the conversion section changes a type of the character image based on the distance identified.

8. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein
the sound acquisition section has sensitivity of obtaining a volume of a sound, the sensitivity varying with a direction from the sound source to the sound acquisition section, and
the display position setting section sets the image display position based on the volumes of the sound generated by the same sound source and differently obtained in respective directions different from each other.

9. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein
the sound acquisition section has sensitivity of obtaining a sound, the sensitivity varying with a direction from the sound source to the sound acquisition section, and is configured so that the sensitivity of obtaining the sound from the specific direction becomes the highest.

10. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sound identification section adapted to distribute the sounds into types of the sounds, the sounds being obtained from a plurality of sound sources, and having the respective types different from each other; and
an operation section adapted to receive an operation by the user,
wherein the specific direction setting section identifies a specific sound source direction, which is a direction from the sound acquisition section to the sound source from which one of the plurality of sounds is obtained based on the operation, and
the display position setting section sets a position, where the character image light representing the one sound is made to be visually recognized, to a vicinity of a position corresponding to the specific sound source direction in a visual field of the user.

11. The display device according to claim 10 , wherein
the display position setting section sets a position, where the character image light representing the one sound is made to be visually recognized, to a position failing to overlap any of positions corresponding respectively to the plurality of specific sound source directions in a visual field of the user.

12. The display device according to claim 10 , wherein
the image display section converts the plurality of sounds into the character image lights different from each other by the type of the sound, and allows the user to visually recognize the image light of each of the types of the plurality of sounds, and
the operation corresponds to an operation of specifying the character image light corresponding to the sound from the one specific sound source direction from the character image lights of the respective types of the plurality of sounds visually recognized in the visual field of the user.

13. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein
the image display section allows the user to recognize the character image light as a virtual image with a predetermined time delay from a time point when the sound acquisition section obtains the sound.

14. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an image acquisition section adapted to obtain an image of the external sight,
wherein the image display section
generates specific direction image light, which is image light representing an image in the specific direction obtained by the image acquisition section, and allows the user to visually recognize the specific direction image light in a case in which a specific angle, which is an angle formed between the eye direction and the specific direction, is one of equal to and larger than a second threshold value, and
stops generating the specific direction image light in a case in which the specific angle is smaller than the second threshold value, and

the display position setting section
sets the position, where the specific direction image light is made to be recognized, in a vicinity of the image display position, and so as to fail to overlap the image display position, in a case in which the specific angle is one of equal to and larger than the second threshold value, and
sets the image display position in a vicinity of a position corresponding to the specific direction in a visual field of the user in a case in which the specific angle is smaller than the second threshold value.

15. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a sound identification section adapted to distinguish the sou

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Sendai Kaori

Classifications

• G10L21/10 Primary

  Transforming into visible information · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title

• G02B2027/0138

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

• G02C11/10

  Electronic devices other than hearing aids · CPC title