JP2006330329A - Multi-projection display - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress the lowering of animation display characteristics resulting from long rewriting time of a screen in the case of performing tiling projection of projection images from a plurality of projectors on a projection surface. <P>SOLUTION: This multi-projection display has a light source, a plurality of projectors with an electro-optical modulator capable of updating the projection images by horizontal scanning and vertical scanning and a projection optical system and constitutes one screen by performing the tiling projection of the plurality of projection images projected from each of the plurality of projectors on the projection surface, in which the vertical scanning direction of each electro-optical modulator in each projector for projecting the adjacent projection images on the projection surface among the projection images arranged in the vertical scanning direction are altered to be opposite direction to each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-projection display and a method for scanning image data in the multi-projection display.

  There is known a multi-projection display capable of constructing a large screen by tiling and projecting a plurality of projection images projected from a plurality of projectors on a screen. In such a multi-projection display, when each projector starts scanning at the same time and displays an image, the projected image adjacent in the direction along the vertical scanning direction in a scene where an object moves at high speed in the displayed image. There is a problem that a display shift occurs at the joint between the two (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 22 is a diagram showing problems in the multi-projection display. FIG. 22A shows image data to be displayed as a projection image as a whole, and FIGS. 22B, 22C and 22D show projection images as a whole by individual projectors. The screen is configured by arranging a total of four screens of two screens vertically and two screens horizontally. In FIG. 22, the arrow indicates the direction in which the object moves within the screen.

  In the multi-projection display as described above, the scan for the upper half projection image and the scan for the lower half projection image are synchronized with the scan of the image data for one frame as shown in FIG. If this is done (the scanning timings of the projectors are made to coincide with each other by some method), there arises a problem that a display shift occurs in the portion A of the upper and lower joints as shown in FIG. This is because there is a time difference corresponding to one vertical scanning period in the display of the portion A of the upper and lower joints.

  On the other hand, in the first multi-screen display system described in Patent Document 1, the image data relating to the lower projection image is scanned one vertical scan at the scanning start timing for the image data relating to the upper projection image. It will be delayed by the period. For this reason, according to the 1st multi-screen display system described in patent document 1, as shown in FIG.22 (c), generation | occurrence | production of the display shift | offset | difference in the part A of an upper and lower joint can be eliminated. become.

  However, the technique of the first multi-screen display system described in Patent Document 1 is large by using a plurality of projectors and tiling and projecting the projection images so that adjacent projection images have overlapping areas. When applied to a multi-projection display that constitutes a screen, a time shift corresponding to the width of the overlapping region occurs in the overlapping region of projection images adjacent to each other in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. In the overlap region, display deviation occurs.

  On the other hand, in the second multi-projection display described in Patent Document 1, the lower image data is not simply shifted by one vertical scanning period, but is an overlapping region of projection images adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. The scanning timing of the image data relating to the upper and lower projected images is shifted in time corresponding to the width of. For this reason, according to the second multi-projection display described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to eliminate the display shift in the overlapping region between the upper and lower projected images as shown in FIG.

JP 2001-222269 A

However, in the second multi-projection display described in Patent Document 1 described above, the image data for the lower projection image is delayed by about one vertical scanning period with respect to the image data for the upper projection image. However, it takes about two vertical scanning periods to rewrite the entire screen from the upper end to the lower end, and there is a problem in that the moving image display characteristics deteriorate depending on the state of the displayed image data.
Note that the time required to rewrite the entire screen from the upper end to the lower end is about three vertical scanning periods when projecting the tiled images by arranging the projected images in three stages in the vertical direction, and the projected image in four stages in the vertical direction. In the case of side-by-side tiling projection, there are about four vertical scanning periods. Therefore, this problem becomes more serious as the number of projectors increases.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem. When a projected image from a plurality of projectors is tiled and projected, moving image display characteristics deteriorate due to a long screen rewriting time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-projection display capable of suppressing the above and a method for scanning image data in the multi-projection display.

  (1) A multi-projection display according to the present invention includes a plurality of projectors including a light source, an electro-optic modulation device capable of updating a projection image by horizontal scanning and vertical scanning, and a projection optical system. A multi-projection display capable of tiling and projecting a plurality of projection images projected from the respective projection surfaces to form a single screen, and projecting adjacent projection images among the projection images arranged in the vertical scanning direction. The scanning is performed so that the vertical scanning directions of the electro-optic modulation devices in the projector are opposite to each other on the projection plane.

  When projecting, for example, vertically adjacent projection images using multiple general-purpose projectors capable of projecting a landscape image in the original way of installation, the vertical scanning direction of the electro-optic modulation device in each projector is from top to bottom It is common to become. On the other hand, in the multi-projection display according to the present invention, in the projector that projects the upper projection image, the vertical scanning direction of the electro-optic modulation device is set, for example, from the top to the bottom, and the lower projection image is projected. In FIG. 2, the vertical scanning direction of the electro-optic modulation device is from the bottom to the top. Of course, the reverse is also possible.

  Thus, according to the multi-projection display of the present invention, the vertical scanning directions of the electro-optic modulation devices in the projectors that project adjacent projection images among the projected images arranged in the vertical scanning direction are opposite to each other. Thus, it is possible to display the entire tiling projection image within one vertical scanning period, and it is possible to suppress degradation in moving image display characteristics due to a long screen rewriting time. The multi-projection display according to the present invention is also characterized in that the above-described effect can be obtained even when the number of projectors constituting the multi-projection display is increased.

  The above-mentioned “projected images arranged in the vertical scanning direction” includes projection images arranged in the direction opposite to the vertical scanning direction (hereinafter referred to as the vertical scanning direction). For example, when the vertical scanning direction of the electro-optic modulation device in its own projector is from the top to the bottom, it projects by itself as well as the projected images of other projectors arranged below the projected image that it projects It includes a projection image of another projector arranged on the upper side of the projection image. The same applies to the case where the projected images are arranged in the left-right direction.

  In addition, the multi-projection display of the present invention can form a horizontally long screen with a desired high resolution with fewer projectors by projecting a vertically long image side by side with a plurality of projectors. Such a multi-projection display can be realized by installing a general-purpose projector capable of projecting a horizontally long image in an original installation manner in a state rotated 90 degrees with respect to the original installation state.

  As described above, when a plurality of projectors constituting the multi-projection display are rotated by 90 degrees with respect to the original installation state, the vertical scanning direction of the electro-optic modulation device of each projector is the left-right direction. Therefore, in this case, setting the vertical scanning direction to the opposite direction in the projector that projects adjacent projection images means that the projector that projects the left projection image among the two projectors that project the projection images adjacent in the left-right direction. In the projector, the vertical scanning direction of the electro-optic modulation device is, for example, from left to right, and in the projector that projects the right projection image, the vertical scanning direction of the electro-optic modulation device is from right to left. Of course, the reverse is also possible. Even in such a multi-projection display, the same effect as described above can be obtained by setting the vertical scanning directions of the electro-optic modulation devices in the projectors that project adjacent projection images to be opposite to each other.

  Further, according to the multi-projection display of the present invention, the electro-optic modulation device may be driven at the vertical scanning frequency of the original image data, and it is not always necessary to use the electro-optic modulation device having a high response speed. One of the effects.

(2) In the multi-projection display according to (1), the plurality of projection images projected from each of the plurality of projectors has an overlapping area where adjacent projection images on the projection plane overlap. Also good.
In this way, when adjacent projection images have overlapping regions, the vertical scanning directions of the electro-optic modulation device in each projector that projects the adjacent projection images are opposite to each other, so that the two adjacent projection images Scanning in the overlapping region can be performed at substantially the same timing.

(3) In the multi-projection display according to (1), it is preferable that the vertical scanning of each electro-optic modulation device in each projector is performed in synchronization between the projectors in each frame.
By performing such scanning, scanning of image data can be performed at the same timing between projectors that project adjacent projection images. In particular, since the same image data is scanned at almost the same timing in the overlapping area, a high-quality image without time lag is obtained. Furthermore, since it is only necessary that the scanning start timings of the projectors coincide with each other, there is no need for means for temporally shifting the image data as described in the multi-projection display described in Patent Document 1. In order to obtain the time shift amount, a means for capturing the entire projected image and acquiring information on the width of the overlapped portion is not necessary.

(4) In the multi-projection display according to any one of (1) to (3), both projectors that project the adjacent projection images can be installed upright.
In this way, when both projectors that project adjacent projection images are installed upright, the vertical scanning direction of the electro-optic modulation device in one of the two projectors that project adjacent projection images is opposite. By setting the direction, the multi-projection display described in (1) can be realized. In the present invention, the term “upright installation” refers to a state in which the projector is installed in the original manner, that is, a state in which the bottom surface side of the projector is opposed to the upper surface side of an installation base such as a rack. And

(5) In the multi-projection display according to any one of (1) to (3), one of the projectors that projects the adjacent projection images may be installed upside down.
This is a case where one of the projectors that project adjacent projection images in the direction along the vertical scanning direction is in a suspended state and the other is used in an upright installation state. Depending on the manner, the multi-projection display described in (1) can be realized. Further, in a plurality of projectors constituting the multi-projection display, by combining a projector installed upright and a projector installed upside down, an effect of reducing the space required for installing the projector can be obtained.

(6) In the multi-projection display according to (5), it is preferable that the projector installed upside down performs projection in a ceiling projection mode.
As described above, by projecting the projector installed upside down in the ceiling projection mode, the multi-projection display described in (1) can be easily realized without changing the vertical scanning direction of the electro-optic modulation device in each projector. .

(7) In the multi-projection display according to (5), the vertically inverted image data is given to the projector that is installed upside down, and the projector that is installed upside down is It is also preferable to perform projection in the suspended projection mode.
For example, an image data output device (scan converter, personal computer, etc.) that outputs image data to a projector generates an image obtained by inverting the image data upside down, and the image obtained by inverting the image upside down It is given to a projector installed upside down. As a result, the multi-projection display described in (1) can be realized by performing projection in the normal projection mode that is not the ceiling-suspended mode in the projector that is installed upside down.

(8) In the multi-projection display according to any one of (5) to (7), each projector has a lens shift function of the projection optical system, and the one projector is installed upside down. It is preferable that the shift of the projected image due to the difference in the horizontal or vertical position of the projection optical system of each projector caused by this can be adjusted by the lens shift function of the projection optical system.
If one projector is installed upside down, there may be horizontal or vertical misalignment between adjacent projected images, but this misalignment can be adequately adjusted by adjusting the position of the projected image using the lens shift function. It can be corrected.

  (9) A method for scanning image data in a multi-projection display according to the present invention includes a plurality of projectors including a light source, an electro-optic modulation device capable of updating a projected image by horizontal scanning and vertical scanning, and a projection optical system. A method for scanning image data in a multi-projection display capable of tiling and projecting a plurality of projection images projected from each of the plurality of projectors onto a projection surface, and arranged in the direction of the vertical scanning The projection is performed such that the vertical scanning directions of the electro-optic modulation devices in the projectors that project adjacent projection images among the projection images are opposite to each other on the projection surface.

  By adopting such an image data scanning method, the multi-projection display described in (1) can be realized. Note that the multi-projection display described in (9) preferably has the same characteristics as the multi-projection displays described in (2) to (8).

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic external configuration of a multi-projection display according to the first embodiment. The multi-projection display shown in FIG. 1 uses a total of four projectors PJ1 to PJ4, two in the vertical direction and two in the horizontal direction, and has an overlapping area between adjacent projected images, and a screen as a projection plane. This is an example of performing tiling projection on the SCR.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a pair of projectors PJ1 and PJ2 in the vertical direction and their projected images G1 and G2 in the multi-projection display of FIG. In the first embodiment, a pair of projectors PJ1 and PJ2 in the vertical direction will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an overlapping region is provided between the projected images from the projectors PJ1 and PJ2. The electro-optic modulation device of each projector PJ1, PJ2 (assuming that it is a liquid crystal modulation device in each embodiment of the present invention) is assumed to have a resolution of horizontal 1280 pixels × vertical 720 pixels. The same applies to PJ3 and PJ4.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the image data output device 10 in the multi-projection display according to the first embodiment. As the image data output device 10, for example, a video device such as a personal computer, a video disk player, or a scan converter can be used.

The image data output device 10 includes an image data input unit 11 capable of inputting image data from, for example, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), display position information S1 indicating a decoding process and a projection image area to be projected by each projector PJ1, PJ2. , S2 and the like, the image data processing unit 12 that performs various image data processing, such as a generation process, and a synchronization signal for synchronizing the display on each projector PJ1, PJ2 based on the time information included in the input image data Synchronous control unit 13 to be generated, image data output unit 14 to output image data (including a synchronization signal) to each projector, and external device control information such as display position information S1 and S2 generated by image data processing unit 12 is output. The external device control information output unit 15 is provided.
The image data processing unit 12 includes an image data storage unit 121 as a storage area necessary for performing image data processing.

  In the image data output apparatus 10, the image data output unit 14 has an image data distribution function, and outputs the same image data to a plurality of projectors (in the first embodiment, two projectors PJ1 and PJ2). To do.

  Further, as described above, the image data output device 10 generates the display position information S1 and S2 indicating the projection image areas to be projected by the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 by the image data processing unit 12 and supplies the display position information S1 and SJ2 to the projectors PJ1 and PJ2. Although it has a function of outputting, it is also possible to preset a projection image area to be projected on each projector PJ1, PJ2 side. In this case, the display position information S1, Generation of S2 and output processing of the display position information S1 and S2 to each projector are not necessary.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of each projector. Although the projector PJ1 is described in FIG. 4, other projectors have the same configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the projector PJ1 includes an image data input unit 31 capable of inputting image data (including a synchronization signal) from the image data output device 10, display position information (display position information S1 for the projector PJ1). The device control information input unit 32 that can input device control information necessary for controlling itself, the image data processing unit 33, and synchronization that synchronizes display on each projector based on a synchronization signal included in the image data The control unit 34, the liquid crystal modulation device 36 as an electro-optic modulation device, the liquid crystal modulation device driving unit 35 that drives the liquid crystal modulation device 36, the light source 37, the light source driving unit 38 that drives the light source 37, and the light from the light source 37 are liquid crystal modulated. The image light from the optical system 39 and the liquid crystal modulation device 36 for guiding to the device 36 is projected on the screen SCR (not shown in FIG. 4) as a projection image. And a shooting optical system 40. The image data processing unit 33 includes an image data storage unit 331 as a storage area necessary for performing image data processing.

  Based on the display position information S1 input to the device control information input unit 32, the image data processing unit 33 performs processing (cropping processing) for cutting out image data to be projected from the image data input to the image data input unit 31. ). The image data processing unit 33 also performs enlargement / reduction processing (scaling processing) of the cut out image data, shape conversion processing such as keystone correction, gamma correction processing, color unevenness correction processing, color tone correction processing, IP conversion processing, edge conversion It also has a function to perform blending processing.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of each projector PJ1, PJ2. In the case of a three-plate projector, there are liquid crystal modulation devices corresponding to red (R), green (G), and blue (B). However, in each embodiment of the present invention, red (R) ), Green (G), and blue (B), the respective liquid crystal modulation devices are collectively referred to as a liquid crystal modulation device 36.

As shown in FIG. 5, the liquid crystal modulation device 36 includes a scanning line driver 51 and a data line driver 52. From the scanning line driver 51, scanning lines L _G1 , L _G2 ,. _LG720 are arranged in the left-right direction, and data lines L _D1 , L _D2 ,..., L _D1280 corresponding to 1280 pixels are arranged in the up-down direction from the data line driver 52.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a scanning signal (referred to as a gate signal) for scanning image data in the multi-projection display according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a gate signal of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of the projector PJ1 that projects the upper projection image. As shown in FIG. 6A, in the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of the projector PJ1, the gate signals from the scanning line driver 51 are in the order of gate signals V _G1 , V _{G2 ,.} , L _G720 are sequentially output to the scanning lines L _G1 , L _{G2 ,.}

FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a gate signal of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of the projector PJ2 that projects the lower projection image. As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the liquid crystal modulator 36 of projector PJ2, in each frame, the gate signal from the scanning line driver 51, the gate signal _{V G720, V G719, ···,} in the order of _{V G1} , L _G1 are sequentially output to the scanning lines L _G720 , L _G719,.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 based on the gate signal shown in FIG.
7A is a diagram showing the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 in the projector PJ1, and in the projector PJ1, the gate signals V _G1 , V _G2 ,..., V _G720 shown in FIG. Therefore, the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 is the white arrow Y direction.

7B is a diagram showing the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 in the projector PJ2. In the projector PJ2, the gate signals V _G720 , V _G719 ,..., V _G1 shown in FIG. Therefore, the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 is the white arrow Y ′ direction.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing projected images G1 and G2 of the projectors PJ1 and PJ2. FIG. 8A shows a projection image projected by the projector PJ1, FIG. 8B shows a projection image projected by the projector PJ2, and FIG. 8C shows two projectors PJ1 on the screen SCR. , PJ2 shows a projected image. Note that arrows Y and Y ′ indicated by broken lines in FIG. 8C indicate the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 in each of the projectors PJ1 and PJ2.

  The two projectors PJ1 and PJ2 are scanned by the gate signal shown in FIG. 6 in a state where the frame is locked by the synchronization signal input together with the image data. Therefore, the scanning of the image data from the position A1 of the projection image G1 in the projector PJ1 and the scanning of the image data from the position B1 of the projection image G2 in the projector PJ2 are performed at the same timing.

Thereby, the overlapping area (A2 to A3 area of the projected image G1, B2 to B3 area of the projected image G2) of the projected image G1 of the projector PJ1 and the projected image G2 of the projector PJ2 becomes the same image data. However, in the case of performing edge blending processing or the like on the respective image data in the A2 to A3 region of the projection image G1 and the B2 to B3 region of the projection image G2, strictly speaking, the luminance value may be different. .
Further, since image data is scanned in all projectors within one vertical scanning period, different frames are not displayed in adjacent projection images G1 and G2.

  In FIG. 8C, scanning of an image corresponding to the scanning line at position A2, scanning of an image corresponding to the scanning line at position B3, scanning of an image corresponding to the scanning line at position A3, and scanning line at position B2. Scanning of the image corresponding to each produces the maximum time difference within one frame. However, the time difference is 1/10 of one vertical scanning period if the overlapping area is 10% of the entire projection screen area of each projector. This can be made a smaller value by reducing the overlapping area.

  As described above, according to the multi-projection display according to the first embodiment, the vertical scanning direction on the screen SCR of each liquid crystal modulation device 36 in each projector PJ1, PJ2 that projects adjacent projection images among the projection images arranged in the vertical direction. By making the directions opposite to each other, scanning in the overlapping region of two adjacent projection images can be performed at substantially the same timing.

Further, according to the multi-projection display according to the first embodiment, the entire tiling projection image can be displayed within one vertical scanning period, and the moving image display characteristics are deteriorated due to the long screen rewriting time. Can be suppressed.
Further, according to the multi-projection display according to the first embodiment, it is only necessary to drive the electro-optic modulator at the vertical scanning frequency of the original image data, and it is not always necessary to use an electro-optic modulator having a high response speed. This is also one of the effects.

  In the multi-projection display according to the first embodiment, the case where the projected image has two levels in the vertical direction has been described. However, even when the projected image has three levels or more in the vertical direction, adjacent projected images are displayed. This can be dealt with by setting the vertical scanning directions of the liquid crystal modulation devices of the projector to project in opposite directions.

  For example, in the case where three projector images G1, G2, G3 are projected in the vertical direction by three projectors (projectors PJ1, PJ2, PJ3), as shown in FIG. 9, the liquid crystal modulation in projector PJ1 The vertical scanning direction of the device 36 is an arrow Y direction, the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device in the projector PJ2 is an arrow Y ′ direction, and the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device in the projector PJ3 is an arrow Y direction.

Such scanning, the projector PJ1 is the gate signal _{V G1,} V G2, · · _·, performs scanning in order of _{V G720,} projector PJ2 gate signal _{V G720, V G719, ···,} in the order of _{V G1} The projector PJ3 can be realized by scanning in the order of the gate signals V _G1 , V _G2 ,..., V _G720 .
Thus, even if the number of projectors constituting the multi-projection display increases, the above-described effects are not impaired.

[Embodiment 2]
The multi-projection display according to the second embodiment performs projection by placing one projector upside down among two projectors that project vertically adjacent projection images. At this time, the projector installed in an inverted manner performs, for example, projection using the ceiling suspension projection function, that is, projection in the ceiling suspension mode. Thus, the vertical scanning directions of the liquid crystal modulation devices in the projectors that project adjacent projection images among the projection images arranged in the vertical direction are opposite to each other.

  In the multi-projection display according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a pair of projectors PJ1 and PJ2 in the vertical direction will be described.

  Further, the image data output device in the multi-projection display according to the second embodiment can use the configuration of the image data output device 10 shown in FIG. 3, and the configurations of the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 are the configurations shown in FIG. Since it can be used, the illustration of the configuration of the image data output device as the multi-projection display according to the second embodiment and the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 is omitted. Note that an image data output apparatus as a multi-projection display according to the second embodiment will be described as the image data output apparatus 10.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 in the multi-projection display according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, the projector PJ1 is installed upside down so as to be suspended from the ceiling, and the projector PJ2 is installed upright.

The projector PJ1 performs projection using the ceiling suspension projection function. Therefore, the projector PJ1 performs a process of rotating the image data by 180 degrees in the image data processing unit 33 (see FIG. 4), and the image data rotated by 180 degrees is converted into the gate signals V _G1 , V _G2 ,. _Write to the liquid crystal modulation device 36 by V _G720 .

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the liquid crystal modulation devices 36 of the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 arranged as shown in FIG. In the multi-projection display according to the second embodiment, since the projector PJ1 is installed upside down, as shown in FIG. 11A, the liquid crystal modulation device 36 is also the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of the projector PJ2 (see FIG. 11B). ) With respect to 180 degrees.

  White arrows Y ′ and Y in FIGS. 11A and 11B indicate the vertical scanning directions of the respective liquid crystal modulation devices 36. On the projector PJ1 side, as shown in FIG. 11A, vertical scanning is performed on the liquid crystal modulation device 36 from the bottom to the top (in the direction of the white arrow Y '). On the other hand, on the projector PJ2 side, as shown in FIG. 11B, vertical scanning is performed on the liquid crystal modulation device 36 from top to bottom (in the direction of the white arrow Y).

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing gate signals when the vertical scanning shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B is performed. FIG. 12A shows a gate signal of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 on the projector PJ1 side. As shown in FIG. 12A, in the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of the projector PJ1, the gate signals from the scanning line driver 51 are in the order of gate signals V _G1 , V _{G2 ,.} , L _G720 are sequentially output to the scanning lines L _G1 , L _{G2 ,.}

FIG. 12B is a diagram showing a gate signal of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 on the projector PJ2 side. As shown in FIG. 12A, also in the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of the projector PJ2, the gate signal from the scanning line driver 51 is in the order of the gate signals V _G1 , V _{G2 ,. Are} sequentially output to the scanning lines L _G1 , L _G2 ,..., L _G720 .

  In the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 arranged as shown in FIG. 10, vertical scanning is performed using the gate signals shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B. 11 (a) and 11 (b), the image data can be scanned in the vertical scanning direction and at the same timing.

This will be described with reference to FIG. 8C used in the description of the first embodiment. That is, when the vertical scanning as shown in FIG. 11 is performed by the gate signal shown in FIG. 12, scanning of the image data from the position A3 of the projection image G1 in the projector PJ1 in FIG. 8C and the projection image in the projector PJ2 The scanning of the image data from the position B3 of G2 is performed at the same timing.
The vertical scanning direction at this time is opposite to the dashed arrows Y and Y ′ shown in FIG. 8C in each of the projection images G1 and G2. That is, vertical scanning is performed in the direction of the arrow Y ′ in the projected image G1, and in the direction of the arrow Y in the projected image G2.

  Even when the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 are arranged as shown in FIG. 10, the overlapping areas of the projection image G1 of the projector PJ1 and the projection image G2 of the projector PJ1 (A2 to A3 area of the projection image G1, B2 to B3 of the projection image G2). In the same manner as described in the first embodiment, the image data is substantially the same in time, and scanning is performed at substantially the same timing, so that the same effect as the multi-projection display of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In the example of FIG. 10, the projector PJ1 is installed upside down and the projector PJ2 is installed upright, and the projector PJ1 performs scanning using the ceiling projection function, but the reverse is also possible. Of course.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an arrangement example in which the projector PJ1 is installed upright and the projector PJ2 side is installed upside down. In the case of the arrangement shown in FIG. 13, if projection using the ceiling projection function is performed on the projector PJ2 side, the vertical scanning directions of the liquid crystal modulation devices in the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 may be opposite to each other. it can.

  Further, the image data processing unit 12 on the image data output apparatus 10 side generates image data obtained by rotating image data to be projected by one projector by 180 degrees, and the image data rotated by 180 degrees is used as one projector. Even if the projector PJ2 is given to (for example, the projector PJ2) and the projector PJ2 is reversed and installed as shown in FIG. 13, the vertical scanning directions of the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 can be opposite to each other. In this case, since the image data inverted by 180 degrees is already given on the projector PJ2 side, it is not necessary to perform the process of rotating the image data by 180 degrees in the image data processing unit 33 on the projector PJ2, and simply the projector PJ2 is simply connected. All you need to do is reverse installation.

  In this case, on the projector PJ1 side, the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 is from the top to the bottom, and on the projector PJ2 side, the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 is from the bottom to the top. Also by performing such scanning, as described with reference to FIG. 8C, scanning of image data from the position A1 of the projection image G1 in the projector PJ1, and image data from the position B1 of the projection image G2 in the projector PJ2. Since these scans are performed at the same timing, the same effect as the multi-projection display according to the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In addition, the image data output unit 10 of the image data output apparatus 10 may be combined with upside down image processing and rotation processing, a ceiling-mounted projection function on the projector side, a rear projection function, and an upside down installation of the projector itself. The vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device in the projector that projects the upper projection image and the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device in the projector that projects the lower projection image can be opposite to each other.

  In addition, since the two projectors PJ1 and PJ2 can be arranged close to each other by adopting the installation method as shown in FIG. 13, the installation space for a plurality of projectors constituting the multi-projection display can be reduced.

  In addition, each projector can be provided with a function of translating a projected image, which is known as a lens shift function. For example, if one projector is installed upside down, there may be horizontal or vertical misalignment between adjacent projected images. By adjusting using the lens shift function, this misalignment of the projected image can be reduced appropriately. It can be corrected. By providing such a lens shift function, the degree of freedom of installation of the projector can be further increased.

[Embodiment 3]
The multi-projection display according to the third embodiment can realize a high-luminance and high-resolution screen by installing a plurality of projectors constituting the multi-projection display so that each projection image is vertically long. Here, a case where a full high-definition image having a resolution of horizontal 1920 × vertical 1080 is realized using three projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3 will be described.

  The individual projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3 used in the multi-projection display according to the third embodiment have a resolution of horizontal 1280 × vertical 720, and when projected in the original installation manner, a horizontally long projected image is displayed. It is assumed that it is formed on the screen SCR.

  Note that the image data output device in the multi-projection display according to the third embodiment can use the configuration of the image data output device 10 shown in FIG. 3, and the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 have the configuration shown in FIG. Since it can be used, illustration of the configuration of the image data output device as the multi-projection display according to the third embodiment and the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 is omitted. Note that an image data output apparatus as a multi-projection display according to the third embodiment will be described as the image data output apparatus 10.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a schematic external configuration of a multi-projection display according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 14, the multi-projection display according to the third embodiment includes three projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3.

  These three projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3 are installed in an installation state rotated 90 degrees with respect to the original installation method for projecting a horizontally long projection image so that each of the projection images is vertically long (hereinafter, referred to as “projection image”). It will be called vertical installation). Further, it is assumed that the projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3 are installed so that the vertically long projection images from the projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3 have a predetermined overlapping area on the screen SCR.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of each projector PJ1, PJ2, PJ3 constituting the multi-projection display according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 15A shows a projected image of horizontal 1920 pixels × vertical 1080 pixels, and respective image formation areas when the projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3 are vertically installed (image formation areas of the projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3). And GA1, GA2, and GA3). In order to express by dot-by-dot, overlapping areas of 120 pixels are provided in the left-right direction between the image forming areas GA1 and GA2 and between GA2 and GA3. For 100 pixels, image data always filled with black or the like is input to each projector.

FIG. 15B is a diagram showing the liquid crystal modulation device 36 when the projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3 (here, only the projector PJ1 will be described) are installed vertically. When the projector PJ1 is installed vertically and used, as shown in FIG. 15B, the respective scanning lines L _G1 , L _G2 ,..., L _G720 corresponding to 720 pixels from the scanning line driver 51 are The data lines L _D1 , L _D2 ,..., L _D1280 corresponding to 1280 pixels from the data line driver 52 are arranged in the vertical direction.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining scanning of image data to the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of each projector PJ1, PJ2, PJ3 in the multi-projection display according to the third embodiment.
In the multi-projection display according to the third embodiment, when the projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3 are installed vertically, the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of the projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3 is the left-right direction. For this reason, the scanning timing of the image data arranged in the left-right direction becomes a problem. Therefore, in the multi-projection display according to the third embodiment, the projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3 arranged in the left-right direction are vertically scanned on each liquid crystal modulation device 36, for example, as shown in FIGS. Thus, the image data is scanned.

  FIG. 16A shows the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of the projector PJ1, which performs vertical scanning from the left to the right (the direction of the white arrow X). FIG. 16B shows the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device of the projector PJ2, and the vertical scanning is performed from the right to the left (the direction of the white arrow X ′). FIG. 16C shows the vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of the projector PJ3, and performs vertical scanning from the left to the right (the direction of the white arrow X).

In the projector PJ1, the gate signal when scanning the image data as shown in FIG. 16A is the gate signal as shown in FIG. 6A used in the description of the first embodiment. That is, in each frame, the gate signal is a gate signal _{V G1,} V G2, · · _·, sequentially with the scanning lines _L G1 to _{V G720,} L G2, · · _·, by sequentially output to the _{L G720,} 16 Vertical scanning as shown in FIG. The projector PJ3 also performs vertical scanning similar to the projector PJ1.

On the other hand, in the projector PJ2, the gate signal when scanning the image data as shown in FIG. 16B is the gate signal as shown in FIG. 6B used in the description of the first embodiment. That is, in each frame, the gate signal is a gate signal _{V G720, V G719, ···,} sequentially with the scanning lines of the _{V G1 L G720, L G719,} ···, by sequentially output to the _{L G1,} 16 Vertical scanning as shown in (b) is possible.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram showing projected images G1, G2, and G3 on the screen SCR of the three projectors PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3. In FIG. 17, white arrows X and X 'indicate the vertical scanning direction. As shown in FIG. 17, the vertical scanning direction is opposite between adjacent projectors.

  As in the multi-projection display according to the third embodiment, even when each projector is projected in a vertical installation, the vertical scanning of each liquid crystal modulation device 36 is performed in the opposite direction between the projectors that project adjacent projection images. By doing so, the same effect as described in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  That is, in FIG. 17, the two projectors PJ1 and PJ2 have the same scanning of image data from the position A1 of the projection image G1 in the projector PJ1 and scanning of the image data from the position B1 of the projection image G2 in the projector PJ2. It is done at the timing.

  As a result, the overlapping area (the A2 to A3 area of the projection image G1 and the B2 to B3 area of the projection image G2) of the projection image G1 of the projector PJ1 and the projection image G2 of the projector PJ2 is substantially the same in time. Become. However, as described above, when the edge blending processing of the respective image data is performed in the A2 to A3 area of the projection image G1 and the B2 to B3 area of the projection image G2, strictly speaking, the brightness value is different. There is also. Further, since image data is scanned in all projectors within one vertical scanning period, different frames are not displayed in adjacent projection images G1 and G2.

  In FIG. 17, the scanning of the image corresponding to the scanning line at position A2, the scanning of the image corresponding to the scanning line at position B3, the scanning of the image corresponding to the scanning line at position A3, and the scanning line at position B2. The scanning of the image causes the maximum time difference within one frame. However, if the overlap area is 10%, the time difference is 1/10 of the time required for one vertical scan. This can be made a smaller value by reducing the overlapping area. Further, in FIG. 17, the same can be considered between the projected image G2 and the projected image G3.

In addition, when the projection image of each projector is set to be vertically long, it is possible to use a projector that can project a vertically long image in the original installation manner.
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a liquid crystal modulation device 36 of a projector capable of projecting a vertically long projection image of horizontal 720 pixels × vertical 1280 pixels in the original installation manner. The projector having such a liquid crystal modulation device 36 can form a vertically long projected image on the screen SCR by the original installation method without being installed vertically.

In the liquid crystal modulation device 36 shown in FIG. 18, the respective scanning lines L _G1 , L _G2 ,..., L _G1280 corresponding to 1280 pixels from the scanning line driver 51 are arranged in the left-right direction. Respective data lines L _D1 , L _D2 ,..., L _D720 corresponding to 720 pixels are arranged in the vertical direction.

In the liquid crystal modulator 36 shown in FIG. 18, a gate signal from the scanning line driver 51, the gate signal _{V G1,} V G2, · · _·, scanning lines in the order of _{V G1280 L G1, L G2,} ···, If the _signals are sequentially output to _{LG 1280} , the vertical scanning direction is the direction of the white arrow Y shown in the figure.

  When, for example, m projectors having the liquid crystal modulation device 36 are arranged in the vertical direction and n projectors are arranged in the horizontal direction to form a horizontally long screen, or when m projectors are arranged in only the vertical direction to constitute a vertically long screen. The vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 is the vertical direction. For this reason, as in the first and second embodiments, the scanning timing of image data arranged in the vertical direction becomes a problem.

  Therefore, as described in the first and second embodiments, the vertical scanning directions of the liquid crystal modulation devices 36 in the projectors that project adjacent projection images in the plurality of projection images arranged in the vertical direction are opposite to each other. Then, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

  Incidentally, in each of the above-described embodiments, the edge blending process has not been described, but here, the edge blending process will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 19A shows a case where the edge blending process is not performed. As shown in FIG. 19A, if the edge blending process is not performed, for example, the luminance value in the overlapping area on the screen SCR of the projected images from the two projectors PJ1 and PJ2 is larger than that in the other areas. Become.

  On the other hand, FIG. 19B shows a case where the edge blending process is performed by installing a light shielding plate 60 capable of adjusting the amount of light on the optical path of the projection light. As shown in FIG. 19B, when the edge blending process is performed, the luminance value in the overlapping area on the screen SCR of the projected images from the two projectors PJ1 and PJ2 becomes larger than that in the other areas. Can be prevented.

  This edge blending process can be performed by using the light shielding plate 60 as shown in FIG. 19B, but also by performing image data processing on the overlapping area projected and displayed by each projector. Is possible.

  The edge blending process performed by the image data process can be realized by performing the process of controlling the luminance value of the overlapping area by the image data processing unit 33 on the projector PJ1, PJ2 side in each of the previous embodiments.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described so far, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the image data output device 10 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, but may be configured as shown in FIGS. Note that the image data output device shown in FIG. 20 is the image data output device 101, and the image data output device shown in FIG.

  Image data output apparatus 101 generates image data to be projected by a plurality of projectors (in this case, projectors PJ1 and PJ2), and sends the generated image data individually to corresponding projectors PJ1 and PJ2. Is different from the image data output apparatus 10 shown in FIG.

  For this reason, the image data output device 101 has a cropping processing function for cutting out image data to be projected by the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 from the input image data, and for each projector PJ1 and PJ2 cut out by the cropping processing. It has a function of individually sending image data to each projector PJ1, PJ2. As described above, since the cropping process is performed on the image data output apparatus 101 side, it is not necessary to send the display position information S1 and S2 to the projectors PJ1 and PJ2.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the configuration of the image data output apparatus 101. As shown in FIG. 20, the image data output device 101 has image data output units 141 and 142 corresponding to the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 with respect to the image data output device 10 shown in FIG. Further, since the image data output apparatus 101 performs the cropping process on the image data output apparatus 101 side, it is not necessary to send the display position information S1 and S2 to the projectors PJ1 and PJ2. Therefore, the external device control information output unit 15 shown in FIG. 3 is not shown in FIG. Other configurations include an image data input unit 11, an image data processing unit 12, and a synchronization control unit 13 as in FIG.

  The image data processing unit 12 of the image data output apparatus 101 has a function of performing a decoding process, an IP conversion process, a cropping process, a scaling process, an edge blending process, and the like.

  Since the image data output device 101 has such a function, the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 do not need to perform the cropping process in the image data processing unit 33. The image data processing unit 33 of each projector PJ1, PJ2 has a function of performing shape conversion processing such as keystone, gamma correction processing, color unevenness correction processing, color tone correction processing, and the like as necessary. Is selectively performed.

  Even when the image data output device 10 shown in FIG. 3 is configured like the image data output device 101 of FIG. 20, as described in the first to third embodiments, the liquid crystal in the projector that projects adjacent projection images is used. The vertical scanning directions of the modulation device 36 can be opposite to each other.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the configuration of the image data output device 102. The image data output device 102 has image data output devices (referred to as image data output devices 102A and 102B) corresponding to the projectors PJ1 and PJ2.

  The image data output devices 102A and 102B receive common image data. The image data may be directly given to the image data output devices 102A and 102B from, for example, a common DVD, but the image data output device (personal computer or the like) different from the image data output devices 102A and 102B. You may make it give from. FIG. 21 shows an example in which image data is supplied from another image data output device 200.

  Similar to the image data output device 101 shown in FIG. 20, the image data output devices 102A and 102B have a cropping function for cutting out image data to be projected by the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 from the input image data. The image data for each projector PJ1, PJ2 cut out by the processing is individually sent to each projector PJ1, PJ2.

  As described above, since the cropping process is performed on the image data output devices 102A and 102B, it is not necessary to send the display position information S1 and S2 to the projectors PJ1 and PJ2. Therefore, like the image data output device 101 shown in FIG. 20, the external device control information output unit 15 shown in FIG. 3 is not shown in FIG.

  The image data output devices 102A and 102B have an external synchronization signal input unit 16 for inputting an external synchronization signal. Thereby, the synchronization control unit 13 generates a synchronization signal for synchronizing the display in each projector PJ1, PJ2 by the external synchronization signal input to the external synchronization signal input unit 16. In the example of FIG. 21, an example in which the external synchronization signal is given from the image data output device 200 to each of the image data output devices 102A and 102B is shown.

  The image data processing unit 12 of the image data output devices 102A and 102B has a function of performing decoding processing, IP conversion processing, cropping processing, scaling processing, edge blending processing, and the like.

  Since the image data output devices 102A and 102B have such functions, the projectors PJ1 and PJ2 do not need to perform the cropping process in the image data processing unit 33. The image data processing unit 33 of each projector PJ1, PJ2 has a function of performing shape conversion processing such as keystone, gamma correction processing, color unevenness correction processing, color tone correction processing, and the like as necessary. Is selectively performed.

  The image data output device 10 shown in FIG. 3 is configured as the image data output device 102 of FIG. 21, that is, the image data output devices 102A and 102B corresponding to the projectors PJ1 and PJ2. As described above, the vertical scanning directions of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 in the projector that projects adjacent projection images can be opposite to each other.

  It should be noted that the processing contents performed by the image data processing unit 12 of the image data output device 10, the image data output device 101, and the image data output devices 102A and 102B described above and the image data processing unit 33 on the projector side are as follows. It is not restricted to the content mentioned above, It can change suitably according to a condition. For example, the image data output device 10, the image data output device 101, and the image data output devices 102A and 102B side perform most of the processing, and the projector side image data processing unit 33 performs only limited processing. Can also be performed, and vice versa.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the projection type multi-projection display has been described. However, the present invention can also be applied to a rear projection type multi-projection display.

  Further, the number of projectors constituting the multi-projection display is not limited to 2 × 2 or the like, and may be a multi-projection display using a larger number of projectors.

  The first and second embodiments can also be applied to a multi-projection display that forms a plurality of projected images in a vertical row.

  Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, each projector constituting the multi-projection display can be applied not only to a three-plate projector but also to a single-plate projector having one liquid crystal modulation device. The present invention can also be applied to a projector having two or four or more liquid crystal devices.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the electro-optic modulation device used for each projector has been described as a liquid crystal modulation device, but a digital micromirror device may be used as the electro-optic modulation device.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a schematic external configuration of a multi-projection display according to the first embodiment. The figure which takes out and shows 1 set of projectors PJ1 and PJ2 and its projection image G1, G2 of the up-down direction in the multi-projection display of FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image data output device 10 in a multi-projection display according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 6 illustrates a configuration of a projector. The figure explaining the liquid crystal modulation device 36 of a projector. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a gate signal for scanning image data in the multi-projection display according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device 36 based on a gate signal illustrated in FIG. 6. The figure which shows each projection image G1, G2 of projector PJ1, PJ2. The figure which shows the perpendicular | vertical scanning direction of the liquid crystal modulation device in each projector in case the projection image of 3 steps | paragraphs is projected up and down by three projectors PJ1-PJ3. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an arrangement example of projectors PJ1 and PJ2 of a multi-projection display according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing each liquid crystal modulation device 36 of projectors PJ1, PJ2 arranged as shown in FIG. The figure which shows the gate signal at the time of performing the scan shown in FIG. The figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning which installed the projector PJ1 in the erect posture and installed the projector PJ2 upside down. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a schematic external configuration of a multi-projection display according to a third embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a liquid crystal modulation device of each projector constituting a multi-projection display according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining scanning of liquid crystal modulation device 36 in each projector PJ1, PJ2, and PJ3 of image data of a multi-projection display according to Embodiment 3. The figure which shows the projection images G1, G2, G3 on the screen SCR of the three projectors PJ1-PJ3. The figure which shows the liquid crystal modulation device of the projector which can project the vertically long projection image of horizontal 720 pixels x vertical 1280 pixels by the original installation method (upright installation). The figure explaining an edge blending process. The figure which shows the structure of the image data output apparatus 101 as another structural example of the image data output apparatus 10. FIG. The figure which shows the structure of the image data output device 102 as another structural example of the image data output device 10. FIG. The figure which shows the problem in a multi-projection display.

Explanation of symbols

10, 101, 102A, 102B ... image data output device, 36 ... liquid crystal modulation device, 51 ... scanning line driver, 52 ... data line driver, PJ1, PJ2, PJ3 ... projector, L _{G1, L G2, ···, L} G720 ··· scanning _{lines, L D1, L D2, ···} , L D1280 ··· data _{line, V G1, V G2, ···} , V G720 ··· Gate signal, SCR ... Screen

Claims (9)

A plurality of projectors each having a light source, an electro-optic modulation device capable of updating a projection image by horizontal scanning and vertical scanning, and a projection optical system; and projecting a plurality of projection images projected from each of the plurality of projectors A multi-projection display that can compose a single screen by tiling projection on a surface,
Scanning is performed such that the vertical scanning directions of the electro-optic modulation devices in the projectors that project adjacent projection images among the projected images arranged in the vertical scanning direction are opposite to each other on the projection plane. Multi-projection display. The multi-projection display according to claim 1.
A plurality of projected images projected from each of the plurality of projectors has an overlapping area where adjacent projected images on a projection plane have an overlapping area. The multi-projection display according to claim 1 or 2,
The multi-projection display according to claim 1, wherein the vertical scanning of each electro-optic modulation device in each projector is performed in synchronization between the projectors in each frame. In the multi-projection display in any one of Claims 1-3,
The multi-projection display, wherein the projectors that project the adjacent projection images are both installed upright. In the multi-projection display in any one of Claims 1-3,
A multi-projection display, wherein each projector that projects adjacent projection images has one projector installed upside down. The multi-projection display according to claim 5, wherein
The multi-projection display, wherein the upside down projector performs projection in a ceiling projection mode. The multi-projection display according to claim 5, wherein
A multi-projection display characterized in that image data that is vertically inverted is externally supplied to the projector that is installed upside down, and the projector that is installed upside down performs projection in a non-ceiling projection mode. . In the multi-projection display in any one of Claims 5-7,
Each of the projectors has a lens shift function of the projection optical system, and a projection image is generated by a difference in the horizontal or vertical position of the projection optical system of each of the projectors generated when the one projector is installed upside down. The multi-projection display is characterized in that the shift can be adjusted by the lens shift function of the projection optical system. A plurality of projectors each having a light source, an electro-optic modulation device capable of updating a projection image by horizontal scanning and vertical scanning, and a projection optical system; and projecting a plurality of projection images projected from each of the plurality of projectors A method of scanning image data in a multi-projection display capable of constructing one screen by tiling projection on a surface,
Scanning is performed such that the vertical scanning directions of the electro-optic modulation devices in the projectors that project adjacent projection images among the projected images arranged in the vertical scanning direction are opposite to each other on the projection plane. A method for scanning image data in a multi-projection display.