JP2008122441A - Projector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a projector constituted so that exhaust air from the projector may not blow off surrounding people only by adding simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: The projector is equipped with an exhaust air guide 43 provided to be freely housed so that it may cover over an exhaust port 42 provided at the side part of a projector main body 41 and guiding the exhaust air from the exhaust port 42 to the front of the projector main body 41. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a projector, and more particularly to exhaust from a projector body.

Conventionally, it is desirable that the projector exhaust port be installed in the same direction as the projection direction of the image so that the exhaust air exhausted from it does not hit the surrounding people. There was an adverse effect that an exhaust port had to be installed on the side surface, and unpleasant exhaust air hit the surrounding users. In order to eliminate such an adverse effect, for example, “the exhaust air temperature reducing device is covered with the exhaust air port 2 provided in the liquid crystal projector main body 1, and the exhaust air from the exhaust air intake port 3 of the exhaust air temperature reducing device 3 is exhausted. Wind is taken into the duct 5 and fresh outside air is taken into the duct 5 from the outside air inlet 4 and mixed. The mixed air mixed in the duct 5 is discharged to the outside by the fan 6. Have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP-A-6-67144 (Claims)

  What is proposed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is to take in the exhaust of the projector and discharge it forward, but an exhaust air temperature reducing device must be separately attached to the projector, and the device The fan itself becomes a new noise source.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a projector in which the exhaust air from the projector is prevented from hitting the surrounding people only by adding a simple structure. And

  A projector according to the present invention is provided so as to be storable so as to cover an exhaust port provided in a side portion or an upper portion of the projector main body, and includes an exhaust guide that guides exhaust from the exhaust port to the front of the projector main body. It is. In the present invention, the exhaust guide guides the exhaust air from the exhaust port to the front of the projector main body, so that the exhaust air from inside the projector main body does not hit the surrounding people. Further, the structure is simple, and further, since the exhaust guide is not provided with a fan, there is no possibility of becoming a new noise source. In the present invention, the front of the projector main body indicates the projection direction of the image, and includes the oblique direction.

  In addition, the projector according to the present invention further includes an exhaust guide detection unit that detects a stored or pulled-out state of the exhaust guide. When the exhaust guide detecting unit detects a pulled-out state of the exhaust guide when the power is turned on, power supply is performed. To start. In the present invention, for example, when an operation signal for turning on the power is input, if the exhaust guide is in the pulled out state, the power is supplied to project an image. If it is not (the exhaust guide is stored), the power supply is not performed. In this way, the projection of the image is prevented while the exhaust guide is housed, and the heat generated during the projection of the image is not trapped in the projector body.

  In addition, the projector according to the present invention further includes a display unit, and displays a warning on the display unit and stops power supply when the exhaust guide detection unit detects the storage state of the exhaust guide during video projection. . In the present invention, when the exhaust guide is in the retracted state while an image is being projected, a warning is displayed on the display unit, and the power supply is stopped. The projector is warned that the projector has been stored, and the projection of the image is stopped so that no more heat is generated in the projector when the image is projected. The user can be notified that the stop of the projection of the image is not a malfunction of the projector.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a projector according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The projector 1 includes a light source 11, three liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B (which are collectively referred to as a liquid crystal light valve 12) as spatial light modulation devices that modulate light emitted from the light source 11. A projection optical system 13 for enlarging and projecting modulated light emitted from the liquid crystal light valve 12 onto a screen (including the equivalent) SC and a liquid crystal light valve driving unit 14 for driving the liquid crystal light valve 12 are provided. The liquid crystal light valve 12 is formed with a plurality of pixels (not shown) in a matrix, and the liquid crystal light valve driving unit 14 selects each pixel based on a video signal supplied from an external video signal supply device PC. By adjusting the transmittance, a video corresponding to the video signal is drawn and the modulated light is displayed on the screen SC. The projection optical system 13 includes a focus mechanism that can change the focus of the projection light, a zoom mechanism that can change the magnification of the projection light, and the like (all of which are not shown). As described above, the liquid crystal light valve 12 is composed of the three liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B, and modulates each color light of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). The light emitted from the light source 11 is separated into each color light by a color light separation optical system (not shown), and then modulated by the corresponding liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B, and is combined with a synthesis optical system (not shown, for example, a cross dichroic prism). ) And then enlarged and projected by the projection optical system 13.

  The projector 1 further includes a control unit 20 that performs overall control of the operation of the projector 1, a storage unit 21 connected to the control unit 20, an operation signal processing unit 22, a video input unit 23, a video signal processing unit 24, and a trapezoidal distortion correction process. A unit 25, a focus control unit 26, and a zoom control unit 27. An operation panel 28 is connected to the operation signal processing unit 22, and the operation signal processing unit 22 includes various switches (for example, a power on key, a power off key, a keystone correction key, etc.) for changing the state of the projector 1. An operation signal corresponding to the content of the operation by the user is received from the operation panel 28 or the remote controller RC, and is output to the control unit 20. Further, the operation panel 28 is provided with a display unit 28a made of LDE or the like, which is turned on by a control signal from the control unit 20 (warning display) and issues a warning to the user (details will be described later). The control unit 20 is configured by a signal processing circuit such as a microprocessor, for example, and executes a control program stored in a built-in storage unit (not shown) or the storage unit 21, for example, from the operation signal processing unit 22 The video signal processing unit 24, the trapezoidal distortion correction processing unit 25, the focus control unit 26, and the zoom control unit 27 are controlled based on the operation signal. In addition, the storage unit 21 connected to the control unit 20 stores the above-described control program and stores various setting values (for example, menu video data) of the projector 1.

  The video input unit 23 takes in a video signal from an external video signal supply device PC and converts it into a digital video signal if it is an analog video signal, for example, and performs various signal processing corresponding to the input video signal. And output to the video signal processing unit 24. The video signal processing unit 24 includes a signal processing circuit such as a microprocessor (for example, a DSP), for example, and performs various processes by executing a control program stored in a storage unit incorporated therein. In addition, a frame memory 29 is connected to the video signal processing unit 24, and the video signal from the video input unit 23 is stored in the frame memory 29 for each frame (one video screen) and stored in the frame memory 29. And a variety of signal processing such as resolution conversion processing for matching the resolution of the video signal to the resolution of the liquid crystal light valve 12. Further, the video signal processing unit 24 has a function of an OSD processing unit, and in accordance with control commands from the control unit 20, characters and symbols representing various states of the projector 1 and an OSD video of a menu video when image quality adjustment is performed. A process of combining the signal with the frame video signal is performed. Specifically, the control unit 20 reads out menu video data from the storage unit 21, for example, and supplies it to the video signal processing unit 24. The video signal processing unit 24 generates an OSD video signal from the menu video data, and this OSD The video signal is combined with the frame video signal. When the OSD process is not performed, the frame video signal is output as it is. When the menu image is displayed by the OSD process, the user sets or adjusts the function of each unit of the projector 1 according to the menu image. The light source 11, the liquid crystal light valve 12, the projection optical system 13, and the liquid crystal light valve driving unit 14 constitute a video projection unit of the present invention. The display unit 28a of the operation panel 28 constitutes the display unit of the present invention.

  The trapezoidal distortion correction processing unit 25 corrects an input video signal in order to suppress trapezoidal distortion that occurs when projection (tilting projection) is performed with the projector 1 tilted with respect to the screen SC. The signal is output to the liquid crystal light valve driving unit 14. If no trapezoidal distortion occurs, the video signal output from the video signal processing unit 24 is supplied to the liquid crystal light valve driving unit 14 as it is without performing the above correction, and the liquid crystal light valve driving unit 14 The liquid crystal light valve 12 is driven in accordance with the input video signal. By the way, in the present embodiment, the trapezoidal distortion correction is performed manually, which is performed as follows. For example, when the user operates the remote controller RC and the operation signal processing unit 22 inputs a trapezoidal correction operation signal, the control unit 20 takes in the operation signal and outputs a trapezoidal correction processing control command to the trapezoidal distortion correction processing unit 25. The trapezoidal distortion correction processing unit 25 performs a keystone correction (keystone correction) process on the video signal from the video signal processing unit 24 based on the control command to correct the trapezoidal distortion of the video displayed on the screen SC.

  The focus control unit 26 drives the focus mechanism of the projection optical system 13 in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 20. Specifically, the focus state can be adjusted by moving the focus lens constituting the projection optical system 13 in the optical axis direction. The focus control unit 26 can also detect the focus adjustment amount, that is, the focus lens movement amount (focus amount), and can output the detected focus amount to the control unit 20. As a method for detecting the focus amount, a detection mechanism such as a rotary encoder or a potentiometer that detects the rotation amount of a rotary cam mechanism (not shown) for moving the focus lens in the optical axis direction can be used. Alternatively, the focus amount may be detected based on the number of steps of a stepping motor that is a drive source of the focus mechanism.

  The zoom control unit 27 drives the zoom mechanism of the projection optical system 13 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 20. Specifically, the magnification of the image displayed on the screen SC can be changed by moving the zoom lens constituting the projection optical system 13 in the optical axis direction to change the focal length. . The zoom control unit 27 also functions as a zoom amount detection unit that detects the focal length, that is, the movement amount (zoom amount) of the zoom lens, and can output the detected zoom amount to the control unit 20. As a method of detecting the zoom amount, as with the method of detecting the focus amount, detection of a rotary encoder, a potentiometer, or the like that detects the amount of rotation of a rotary cam mechanism (not shown) for moving the zoom lens in the optical axis direction. It may be detected by a mechanism, or may be detected based on the number of steps of a stepping motor that is a drive source of the zoom mechanism.

  The projector 1 also includes a lamp driving unit 31, a fan driving unit 32, fans 33 and 34, and a power supply circuit 35 for controlling the lighting of the light source 11. The fan 33 mainly cools the light source 11 and is driven when the light source 11 is turned on or when it is turned off and cooled. The fan 34 functions as an exhaust fan, and exhausts heat generated in each part of the projector 1 to the outside. For example, when the projector 1 is connected to a commercial power supply, the power supply circuit 35 outputs a voltage V1 to various circuits and supplies it as a drive voltage to each circuit other than the lamp drive unit 31 and the fan drive unit 32. The power supply circuit 35 supplies the voltages V2 and V3 to the lamp drive unit 31 and the fan drive unit 32 as drive voltages based on the control signal from the control unit 20, respectively.

  Further, the projector 1 is provided with an exhaust guide detection means 36 for detecting whether the exhaust guide (see FIG. 2) is in the retracted state or in the pulled-out state. The output is output to the control unit 20.

  2A and 2B are plan views of the projector main body, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the projector main body. The projector main body 41 is a housing that houses the circuit of FIG. 1, and is provided with an air inlet (not shown) at the bottom thereof, and an air outlet that includes a plurality of slit holes 42a on one side surface thereof. 42 is formed, and slits 44a and 44b for accommodating the upper surface portion 43a and the lower surface portion 43b of the exhaust guide 43 are formed. A fan 34 is attached to the projector main body 1 at a position close to the exhaust port 42, and the air in the projector main body 1 is exhausted through the exhaust port 42 by the rotational drive of the fan 34. Has been. One end of the exhaust guide 43 is rotatably supported by the projector main body 41. The upper surface portion 43a and the lower surface portion 43b have a substantially triangular shape, and the side surface portion 43c has the upper surface portion 43a and the lower surface portion 43b. Are connected. When the power of the projector body 41 is not turned on (when the voltages V2 and V3 are not output), as shown in FIG. 2A, the upper surface portion 43a and the lower surface portion 43b of the exhaust guide 43 are The main body 41 is accommodated in the slits 44 a and 44 b, and the side surface portion 43 c covers the exhaust port 42. When the user operates the power-on key to turn on the projector 1 and project an image (in the state where the voltages V2 and V3 are output), it is shown in FIG. 2B and FIG. As described above, the exhaust guide 43 is rotated about one end of the exhaust guide 43 so that the exhaust guide 43 is pulled out, and the exhaust air generated by rotating the fan 34 is supplied to the projector main body 1 through the exhaust port 42. Make it flow forward. In the first embodiment, the control differs depending on whether or not the exhaust guide 43 is pulled out. Therefore, the control when the power-on key is operated and the exhaust during the image projection are performed. Control when the guide 43 is pulled out will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing when the user operates the power-on key of the remote controller RC.
When the power on key of the remote controller RC is operated, the operation signal processing unit 22 outputs the operation signal to the control unit 20 when receiving the operation signal. The control unit 20 detects the operation of the power-on key based on the operation signal (S11). When detecting the operation of the power-on key, the control unit 20 next determines whether or not the exhaust guide 43 has already been pulled out (S12). The controller 20 makes this determination based on the output of the exhaust guide detection means 36. When the control unit 20 determines that the exhaust guide 43 has already been pulled out, the power supply circuit 35 outputs the voltages V2 and V3 to turn on the main body power, and the lamp driving unit 31 turns on the light source 11. Then, the fans 33 and 34 are driven by the fan driving unit 32, and projection of the video is started in this state (S13). Here, when the video input unit 23 inputs a video signal from the video supply device PC, various signal processes corresponding to the input video signal are performed and output to the video signal processing unit 24. The video signal processing unit 24 is a video input unit. Various processings for converting the video signal from the video signal 23 into a video signal for display are output to the trapezoidal distortion correction processing unit 25. The trapezoidal distortion correction processing unit 25 performs trapezoidal correction of the video signal, and outputs the corrected video signal to the liquid crystal light valve driving unit 14. The liquid crystal light valve driving unit 14 according to the input video signal. Is driven to adjust the transmittance of each pixel to draw a video corresponding to the video signal, and the modulated light is projected onto the screen SC by the projection optical system 13 to display a video corresponding to the input video signal. . Further, in the above determination (S12), when it is determined that the exhaust guide 43 is not pulled out (when the exhaust guide 43 is housed), the main body power supply is turned on even if the operation of the power-on key is detected. Exit without turning it on. As described above, when the exhaust guide 43 is not pulled out, the heat in the projector main body 1 is not exhausted to the outside. Therefore, even if the operation of the power-on key is detected, the operation is regarded as substantially invalid. To do.

  In the above description, when the exhaust guide 43 is not pulled out (S12), the operation of the power-on key is treated as invalid, but after the determination (S12), within a predetermined time. In addition, when the exhaust guide 43 is pulled out, the main body power supply may be turned on to start projection (S13).

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing when the exhaust guide 43 is housed during the projection of the above-described image. If the user accidentally stores the exhaust guide 43 in the projector main body 41 during the projection of the video, the control unit 20 detects that the exhaust guide 43 is stored based on the output of the exhaust guide detection means 36 (S21). ). When the control unit 20 detects that the exhaust guide 43 is stored, the control unit 20 displays a warning by, for example, blinking the display unit 28a of the operation panel 28 via the operation signal processing unit 22 (S22). Then, the output of the voltages V2 and V3 of the power supply circuit 35 is stopped, and the power supply is turned off by performing processing such as turning off the light source 11 (S22). As described above, when the exhaust guide 43 is housed during image projection, the heat in the projector main body 1 is not discharged to the outside, so that further heat is not generated in the projector main body by performing the power-off process. ing.

  In the above description, the example in which the power-off process is performed immediately after the warning is displayed has been described. However, the exhaust guide 43 is accommodated within a predetermined time (although it is a short time) after the warning is displayed. In some cases, the image projection may be continued without performing the power-off process.

  In the above description, the example in which the exhaust port 42 is provided on the side of the projector main body 1 has been described. When the exhaust port 42 is provided in the upper part of the projector main body 1, the exhaust guide 43 is provided in the upper part of the projector main body 1 so as to be retractable so as to cover the exhaust port in the same manner as described above. To do.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the exhaust guide 43 is provided so as to be storable so as to cover the exhaust port provided on the side or upper portion of the projector main body 41, and the exhaust air from the projector main body 1 is supplied to the exhaust guide 43. Since it is guided forward, the exhaust air from the projector main body 1 does not hit the surrounding people. Further, the structure is simple, and the exhaust guide 43 does not include a fan, so there is no possibility of becoming a new noise source.
Further, if the exhaust guide 43 is pulled out when a power-on key operation signal is input, a drive voltage is supplied to the light source 11 and the fans 33 and 34 to project an image. If 43 is not pulled out (the exhaust guide 43 is housed), the drive voltage is not supplied to the light source 11 and the fans 33 and 34. In this way, a situation in which the power-on process is performed in a state where the exhaust guide 43 is housed (a state where the exhaust port 42 is blocked) is avoided. The generated heat is prevented from trapping in the projector body 1.
Further, when the image is projected by the projection optical system 13 or the like and the exhaust guide detection means 36 detects the storage state of the exhaust guide 43, the control unit 20 displays a warning on the display unit 28a and the power supply circuit 35. In contrast, the supply of the drive voltage to the light source 11 and the fans 33 and 34 is stopped. By doing so, a warning is given to the storage state of the exhaust guide 43, and no more heat is generated in the projector main body 41 by stopping the projection of the image. This prevents the components inside the projector main body 41 from being deteriorated by heat. Further, by issuing a warning, it is possible to notify the user that the stop of the projection of the video is not a failure of the projector 1.

  In the above description, the exhaust guide 43 has been described with respect to the pull-out configuration example as shown in FIG. 3, but other configurations may be used as long as the exhaust guide is configured to guide the exhaust air forward. In the above description, the light emitted from the light source 11 is modulated using the liquid crystal light valve 12, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other spatial light modulators may be used. A DMD (Digital Micro Mirror Device: registered trademark) that projects an image by controlling the inclination of a mirror with a small area spread on a semiconductor substrate based on image data may be used.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a projector according to an embodiment of the invention. The top view of a projector. The perspective view of a projector. The flowchart which shows a process when operation of a power-on key is detected. The flowchart which shows a process when the accommodation of an exhaust guide is detected during the projection.

Explanation of symbols

   DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Light source, 12 Liquid crystal light valve, 13 Projection optical system, 14 Liquid crystal light valve drive part, 20 Control part, 21 Storage part, 22 Operation signal processing part, 23 Video input part, 24 Video signal processing part, 25 Trapezoid distortion correction process 26, focus control unit, 27 zoom control unit, 28 operation panel, 28a display unit, 29 frame memory, 31 lamp drive unit, 32 fan drive unit, 33, 34 fan, 35 power supply circuit, 41 projector main body, 42 exhaust port 43 Exhaust guide.

Claims (3)

A projector comprising an exhaust guide that is storable so as to cover an exhaust port provided at a side or upper portion of the projector body and guides exhaust from the exhaust port to the front of the projector body. Further comprising an exhaust guide detection means for detecting the storage or withdrawal state of the exhaust guide;
2. The projector according to claim 1, wherein, when the power is turned on, the power supply is started when the exhaust guide detecting means detects the pulled-out state of the exhaust guide. A display unit;
3. The projector according to claim 2, wherein when the exhaust guide detection means detects the storage state of the exhaust guide during image projection, a warning is displayed on the display unit and power supply is stopped.

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