Head mounted displays (HMDs) of a monocular type, now being developed as the display device for wearable computers, have the features unobtainable with HMDs for virtual reality, such as compact design, light weight, hand-free operation, excellent portability, and wide field of regard. The important factors to be considered in improving monocular type HMDs are a wide field of view, a high quality of images, see-through function, ready compatibility to ordinary eyeglasses, light weight, good weight balance, and an easy method of wearing to the operator head. We have carried out a series of investigations to further improve the optics, electric circuit, and mechanism of such a monocular type HMDs, which incorporates these factors as the basic specifications, and have successfully developed two types of monocular type HMDs-Dataglass and VGA-HMD. We are now developing monocular type HMDs of an even smaller size, lighter weight, and higher resolution. The new monocular type HMDs are capable of displaying characters, video images, computer images, etc. on a screen placed just in front of the eyes of the operator. Being operated on a battery, they can be readily carried around, and are sure to find a wide field of applications, including support jobs using wearable computers, in industrial fields.
展开▼
