JP2008287142A - Image projector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image projector in which reduction in the visibility of an image projected onto a projection surface is prevented and further, the detection sensitivity of the gesture of an operator can be improved by making it possible to detect the gesture of the operator made in a predetermined direction different from the projection direction of image light, thereby detecting the gesture of the operator, even when the interval between a projector and the projection surface is small. <P>SOLUTION: The image projector 1 for modulating light from a light source into the image light by an optical modulation element, to project the image light through an image forming optical system and display the image on the projection surface 20, is configured to include a gesture detecting means 13 which can detect the gesture JS of the operator OP made in the predetermined direction different from the projection direction D1 of the image light, a detection range setting means for setting a range where the gesture can be detected by the gesture detecting means 13 and a control signal producing means which produces a control signal, based on gesture information as the result of the detection by the gesture detecting means 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image projection apparatus such as a projector that projects image light onto a projection surface such as a screen, and more particularly to an image projection apparatus that detects a gesture of an operator and performs predetermined operation control. About.

  In a conventional projector, an operator's gesture on the projection surface or pointing light of an optical pointer on the projection surface is detected by an imaging unit such as a CCD (charge-coupled device), and operation control of the projector is performed based on the detection result. There was a thing.

  For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-141151 (see Patent Document 1), an imaging unit that images a projection plane, an image recognition unit that recognizes an image captured by the imaging unit, and various functions of the projector can be set. There has been proposed a projector provided with projection image generation means capable of generating the function setting information.

  In the projector having the above-described configuration, the function setting information of the projector is set by capturing an image of a gesture such as an operator holding a hand over the function setting information projected on the projection plane, and determining the gesture by the image recognition unit. I was going.

  In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-148560 (see Patent Document 2), a projection unit that projects image light onto a screen and displays an image, and a point image is superimposed on the projected image on the screen by projecting pointing light. An optical pointer to be picked up, an image pickup means for picking up an image on the screen, a detection means for extracting a point image from a projected image picked up by the image pickup means and detecting a pointing position on the screen, and an image on the screen based on the pointing position. There has been proposed a projector provided with processing means for superimposing and displaying a point-emphasized image.

In the projector having the above configuration, a point-enhanced image can be superimposed on the projected image on the screen, so that it is not necessary to rotate and scan the light spot at the same position many times in order to emphasize a part of the projected image. The burden on the explainer can be reduced.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-141151 JP 2005-148560 A

  However, the above-described projector disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to detect an operator's gesture performed in front of a projection surface such as a screen by an imaging unit, and thus is a projector capable of proximity projection on the projection surface. In addition, when the distance between the projector and the projection surface is too small for a person to enter, there is a problem that the gesture of the operator cannot be detected.

  In addition, as in the projector of Patent Document 1 described above, when the operator performs a gesture such as holding the hand over the projection surface, a part of the image projected on the projection surface becomes a shadow by the operator's hand. There was also a problem of reducing the visibility of the image.

  Furthermore, since both projectors of Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above are configured to image the projection plane with the imaging unit, a bright projected image always enters the field of view of the imaging unit, and the sensitivity of the imaging unit is reduced. There was also the problem of doing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can detect an operator's gesture performed in a predetermined direction different from the projection direction of image light, and can operate even when the distance between the projector and the projection surface is narrow. An object of the present invention is to provide an image projection apparatus that can detect a user's gesture and can further improve the detection sensitivity of the operator's gesture without reducing the visibility of the image projected on the projection plane. .

  In order to achieve the above object, an image projection apparatus of the present invention modulates light from a light source into image light by a light modulation element, projects the image light through an imaging optical system, and displays an image on a projection surface. An image projection apparatus that performs gesture detection means capable of detecting an operator's gesture performed in a predetermined direction different from the projection direction of the video light, and a gesture detectable range by the gesture detection means Detection range setting means for determining the control signal, and control signal generation means for generating a control signal based on gesture information which is a detection result of the gesture detection means.

  According to such a configuration, since the gesture detection unit detects the operator's gesture performed in a predetermined direction different from the projection direction of the image light, the operation can be performed even when the distance between the image projection device and the projection surface is narrow. It is possible to detect a person's gesture. Further, since the operator's gesture is performed in a predetermined direction different from the projection direction of the image light, the image projected on the projection surface is not shadowed by the operator's hand, and the visibility of the projected image is reduced. There is nothing. Further, if the projection plane is not included in the gesture detectable range, a bright projection image can be excluded from the visual field of the gesture detection unit, and the sensitivity of the gesture detection unit can be improved.

  Here, the “gesture detection means” includes a wide range of means capable of detecting an operator's gesture, hand gesture, and gesture, and includes, for example, an imaging element such as a CCD or a reflection sensor, a lens, an A / D converter, and the like. Is done. In addition, the “predetermined direction different from the projection direction of the image light” in which the gesture is performed includes a wide range of directions other than the projection direction of the image light. For example, when the projection direction of the image light is set to the “front direction” “Left-right direction”, “rear direction” or “up-down direction” corresponds to this.

  The “detection range setting means” includes a wide variety of means for determining a detectable range of gestures by the gesture detection means. For example, when the gesture detection means is an image sensor such as a CCD, the surface of the image sensor When the gesture detection means is a reflection sensor, a focusing lens for focusing the light projecting element and the light receiving element is applicable.

  The “control signal generator” receives the gesture information detected by the gesture detector and generates a control signal corresponding to the gesture information. The control signal is received by an internal or external control unit of the image projection apparatus, and the control unit executes predetermined operation control of the image projection apparatus based on the received control signal. In addition, the “control signal” generated by the control signal generation unit widely includes signals for causing the image projection apparatus to perform predetermined operation control, and includes signals related to predetermined operations for image display and predetermined other than image display. Operation-related signals.

  Preferably, in the above-described image projection apparatus of the present invention, the predetermined direction in which the gesture detection unit can detect the gesture may be a direction intersecting with the projection direction of the video light.

  According to such a configuration, since the gesture detection unit detects the operator's gesture performed in a direction intersecting the projection direction of the image light, the operator can be performed even when the distance between the image projection device and the projection surface is narrow. This gesture can be detected. For example, when the projection direction of the image light is “front direction”, the gesture detection unit can detect the gesture of the operator performed in the “left-right direction” or “up-down direction” of the image projection apparatus. Interference between the detectable range of the detection means and the projection plane, and interference between the operator and the projection plane can be prevented. As a result, the sensitivity of the gesture detection means is improved and the visibility of the projected image is not lowered.

  The “direction intersecting with the projection direction of the image light” includes not only an orthogonal direction such as “left-right direction” or “vertical direction” but also any direction that intersects with the projection direction of the image light with an inclination angle.

  Preferably, in the above-described image projecting device of the present invention, a gesture detectable range by the gesture detecting unit may be positioned in the vicinity of at least one side edge of the image displayed on the projection plane.

  According to such a configuration, even when the image projection apparatus is a proximity projector, an operator's gesture performed near one of the left and right side edges of the projection image is detected, and a predetermined operation is performed on the image projection apparatus. Control can be executed. Thus, the operator can smoothly operate the image projection apparatus with a simple gesture while explaining in the vicinity of the projection image.

  Preferably, in the image projection apparatus of the present invention described above, the predetermined direction in which the gesture detection unit can detect the gesture may be a direction opposite to the projection plane.

  Even in such a configuration, an operator's gesture can be detected regardless of the distance between the image projection apparatus and the projection plane. Further, the image projected on the projection plane is not shaded by the operator's hand, and the visibility of the projected image is not reduced. Furthermore, since the projection plane is not included in the detectable range of the gesture, a bright projection image can be excluded from the visual field of the gesture detection unit, and the sensitivity of the gesture detection unit can be improved.

  Preferably, in the above-described image projection apparatus of the present invention, the detectable range of the gesture by the gesture detection unit is varied according to the projection distance of the image light, or constant regardless of the projection distance of the image light. It is good also as a structure.

  When the configuration in which the gesture detection range by the gesture detection means is changed according to the projection distance of the image light is adopted, the gesture detection range is always set to the projected image regardless of the interval between the image projection device and the projection plane. It can be located near the end.

  On the other hand, when the image projection apparatus is a proximity projector, since the variation range of the distance between the image projection apparatus and the projection surface is narrow (for example, about 40 cm), the range in which the gesture detection unit can detect the gesture is the projection distance of the image light. Regardless of the case, the gesture detectable range can always be positioned near the end of the projected image.

  Regardless of which of the above configurations is employed, the operator can smoothly operate the image projection apparatus with a simple gesture while explaining in the vicinity of the projection image.

  Preferably, in the image projection apparatus of the present invention described above, the gesture detection unit may include an imaging element that images a subject, and may be detected by imaging a gesture performed within the detectable range.

  According to such a configuration, the operator's gesture can be detected as image information by the image sensor, and various operation controls respectively assigned to the gesture information as the detection result can be executed. In particular, it is possible to determine the mode of the gesture of the operator (for example, how many fingers of the hand are raised by the operator) based on the image information of the image sensor, and it is possible to perform complex motion control based on various gestures. Become.

  Preferably, in the image projection device of the present invention described above, the gesture detection unit includes a reflection sensor that detects reflected light, and detects the gesture performed within the detectable range by the reflected light. Good.

  According to such a configuration, the gesture of the operator can be detected by the reflection sensor, and various operation controls respectively assigned to the gesture information that is the detection result can be executed. For example, it is possible to execute a corresponding predetermined operation control based on the number of times the reflection sensor gesture is detected within a predetermined time. Further, since the reflection sensor has a simple configuration in which reflected light of light emitted from a light projecting element such as an LED (light-emitting diode) is received by the photosensor, the configuration of the gesture detection unit is simplified. You can also

  Preferably, the image projection apparatus of the present invention described above may include an image operation control unit that executes a control process related to a predetermined operation of the image display based on a control signal from the control signal generation unit.

  According to such a configuration, the operator can easily perform a predetermined operation such as image quality adjustment of a projected image, slide feed, etc. by performing a predetermined gesture within a detectable range of the gesture detection unit. Can be performed.

  Preferably, in the above-described image projection device of the present invention, an external terminal device connected to the image projection device by wire or wirelessly relates to a predetermined operation of the image display based on a control signal from the control signal generation means. It is good also as a structure including the image operation control means which performs control processing.

  According to such a configuration, for example, a control unit of an external terminal device such as a personal computer can be used as an image operation control unit, and more advanced operation control regarding a predetermined operation of image display can be executed. It is not necessary to perform control processing related to a predetermined operation for image display in the image projection apparatus, and the control system can be simplified.

  According to the image projection apparatus of the present invention, since the gesture detection unit detects the operator's gesture performed in a predetermined direction different from the projection direction of the image light, the distance between the image projection apparatus and the projection surface is small. However, it becomes possible to detect an operator's gesture.

  Further, since the operator's gesture is performed in a predetermined direction different from the projection direction of the image light, the image projected on the projection surface is not shadowed by the operator's hand, and the visibility of the projected image is reduced. There is nothing.

  Further, if the projection plane is not included in the gesture detectable range, a bright projection image can be excluded from the visual field of the gesture detection unit, and the sensitivity of the gesture detection unit can be improved.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, an image projection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

<Outline of image projector>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire image projection apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a usage state of the image projection apparatus.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes an image projection apparatus (projector) according to the present embodiment, and a projection lens 11 is disposed on the front surface 10 </ b> A of the housing 10. As will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 6 and 8, the image projection apparatus 1 modulates light from a light source into image light by a light modulation element inside the housing 10, and this image light is projected to the projection lens 11. The screen is enlarged and projected onto a screen (projection surface) 20 to display an image. In the following description, the direction in which the image light is projected from the projection lens 11 (see the white arrow in FIG. 2) is referred to as the image light projection direction D1.

  A control panel 12 for manually operating the image projector 1 is provided on the upper surface 10B of the housing 10. The control panel 12 includes, for example, a menu button (not shown), up / down / left / right direction keys, and an enter key. For example, the operator OP can manually operate the control panel 12 while viewing the menu screen projected on the screen 20 to adjust and set the projection image, slide the projection image, and the like.

  An interface 14 for connecting an external device is provided on the rear surface 10D of the housing 10, and a video source such as a personal computer 30, a DVD player, a digital camera, or a video game machine can be connected via the interface 14. ing. The interface 14 includes various terminals such as a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) terminal, a mini D-sub 15-pin terminal, a D4 terminal, a component terminal, a composite terminal, and an S video terminal.

<Gesture detection means>
Here, the image projection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a gesture detection means 13 in addition to the control panel 12 described above as means for operating the image projection apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the gesture detection unit 13 is configured to detect a gesture JS (for example, lowering the hand) of the operator OP and transmit predetermined gesture information. In this embodiment, the gesture detection means 13 is disposed on one side surface 10C of the housing 10, and the gesture detection direction D2 (see the white arrow in FIGS. 3B and 4B) The direction is different from the projection direction D1 of the image light.

  The gesture detection means 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 are schematic views of the gesture detection means provided in the image projection apparatus. FIGS. 3A and 3B show the configuration when a CCD is used, and FIGS. ) And FIGS. 5A and 5B show a configuration in the case of using a reflection sensor.

  In FIG. 3A, the gesture detection unit 13 includes, for example, a CCD 131 that is an image sensor and an imaging lens (detection range setting unit) 132 that forms an image on the surface of the CCD. it can. As shown in FIG. 3B, the CCD 131 continuously captures the gesture JS of the operator OP performed in the focus range R1 of the imaging lens 132, and transmits gesture information as image information.

  This gesture information is received by a control signal generation unit 103 (see FIGS. 6 and 8) described later. The control signal generation unit 103 discriminates a gesture based on a change in image information obtained in time series, and determines the predetermined information. The image control signal is generated. Further, by performing contour extraction (differentiation) processing of the image information received from the CCD 131 by the control signal generation means 103, it is possible to delete the out-of-focus portion from the image information and improve the gesture discrimination accuracy. is there.

  As described above, when the CCD 131 is used as the gesture detecting means 13, the operator's gesture can be detected as image information by the image sensor, and various operation controls respectively assigned to the gesture information as the detection result are executed. be able to. In particular, it is possible to determine the mode of the gesture of the operator (for example, how many fingers of the hand are raised by the operator) by the imaging element, and it is possible to perform complex motion control based on various gestures.

  On the other hand, the gesture detection means 13 is not limited to the CCD 131 described above, and may be configured to use a plurality of reflection sensors 133 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4B, each reflection sensor 133 has an LED 133a as a light projecting element, a photo sensor 133b as a light receiving element, and a focus for setting a detection range of a gesture by the LED 133a and the photo sensor 133b. The lens (detection range setting means) 134 is combined.

  In such a reflection sensor 133, the focus range R2 of each focal lens 134 is set in the detection direction D2 of the gesture JS, and the LED 133a is placed on an object (for example, the hand of the operator OP) existing in the focus range R2. An object is detected by reflecting the projected light and receiving the reflected light by the photosensor 133b. Thereby, the reflection sensor 133 detects the gesture JS performed within the focus range R2 (see FIG. 5A), and does not detect the gesture JS performed outside the focus range R2 (see FIG. 5B). )

<Circuit Configuration of Image Projection Device>
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration according to the first embodiment of the image projection apparatus, and the image projection apparatus has a circuit configuration in which image operation control means is built in. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of image projection processing using the gesture detection means in the circuit configuration of FIG.

  FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration according to the second embodiment of the image projection apparatus. The circuit configuration uses a personal computer externally connected to the image projection apparatus as image operation control means. . FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of image projection processing using the gesture detection means in the circuit configuration of FIG.

  Hereinafter, the circuit configuration according to the first and second embodiments of the image projecting apparatus and the image projecting process using the gesture detecting unit will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the control panel 12 and the gesture detection means 13 which were mentioned above, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

<< Circuit Configuration of First Embodiment >>
First, as a first embodiment, a circuit configuration when an image operation control means is built in an image projection apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, the components of the image projection apparatus 1 are control / operation system means (components generally shown above the input / output bus 101) related to image display, and image processing / projection for projecting an image on a screen. It can be divided into optical system means (generally shown components below the input / output bus 101).

  The control / operation system means of the image projection apparatus 1 includes a CPU 102, a control signal generation means 103, an image operation control means 104, the control panel 12 and the gesture detection means 13 described above. Note that the interface circuit 105 is for electrically connecting various external devices 40 to the image projection apparatus 1, and transmits and receives control signals and video signals to and from the external device 40. It relates to both the control / operation system and the image processing system.

  The CPU 102 is connected to the control panel 12, the gesture detection unit 13, the image operation control unit 104, the interface circuit 105, an image processing circuit 112 and a light source control circuit 121, which will be described later, via the input / output bus 101. , And performs processing related to general control and operation of the image projection apparatus 1. For example, the CPU 102 executes a predetermined activation process programmed after turning on the power of the image projection apparatus 1, and after the activation process ends, based on an operation signal from the control panel 12 or the image operation control means 104. Control processing such as adjustment and setting of the projection image and slide feed of the projection image is executed.

  The control signal generation unit 103 receives the gesture information that is the detection result of the gesture detection unit 13 and generates an image control signal corresponding to the gesture information. For example, when the gesture detection device 13 is configured by the CCD 131 (see FIG. 3), the control signal generation unit 103 sets the gesture mode (for example, how many fingers of the hand are raised by the operator based on the gesture information which is image information). And an image control signal corresponding to this gesture mode is generated. On the other hand, when the gesture detection device 13 includes the reflection sensor 133 (see FIG. 4), the control signal generation unit 103 receives the detection signal from the reflection sensor 133, which is gesture information, or the detection signal within a predetermined time. An image control signal corresponding to the gesture information is generated based on the number of times. The image control signal generated by the control signal generation unit 103 in this way is transmitted to the image operation control unit 104 described below.

  The image operation control unit 104 is connected to the input / output bus 101, transmits a control signal based on the image control signal received from the control signal generation unit 103, and causes the CPU 102 to execute a control process related to a predetermined operation of image display. .

  In the present embodiment, the CPU 102 generally controls the operation of an image processing circuit 112, a light source control circuit 121, and the like, which will be described later, based on the signal from the control panel 12 or the image operation control unit 104 described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the image processing circuit 112, the light source control circuit 121, and the like include a sub CPU, and directly receive a signal from the control panel 12 or the image operation control means 104 without using the CPU 102 to execute operation control. Also good.

  In this embodiment, the control signal generation unit 103 and the image operation control unit 104 are provided separately from the CPU 102. However, the functions of the control signal generation unit 103 and the image operation control unit 104 are used for the control processing of the CPU 102. It is good also as a structure including.

  On the other hand, the image processing / optical system means of the image projection apparatus 1 includes a video signal input means 111, an image processing circuit 112, a light modulation element drive circuit 113, a light modulation element 114, a light source control circuit 121, a light source 122, and illumination optics. A system 123 and an imaging optical system 124 are included.

  The video signal input unit 111 inputs a video signal transmitted from a video source such as the external device 40 via the input / output bus 101 and outputs the video signal to the image processing circuit 112. The image processing circuit 112 performs, for example, A / D conversion, I / P (Interlace / Progressive) conversion, scaling processing, gamma correction, noise reduction, and the like on the video signal input via the video signal input unit 111. Image processing is performed, and the input video signal is adapted to a light modulation element 114 described later and output to the light modulation element drive circuit 113.

  The light modulation drive circuit 113 outputs the video signal image-processed by the image processing circuit 112 to the light modulation element 114 and drives the light modulation element 114. The light modulation element 114 includes, for example, three LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays) corresponding to R, G, and B colors. The light modulation element 114 includes a light source 122 that is separated into R, G, and B colors by an illumination optical system 123 described later. Is modulated into video light corresponding to each color by the video signal input from the light modulation drive circuit 113. For example, R, G, and B image lights are combined by a dichroic prism (not shown) and incident on an imaging optical system 124 described later.

  The light source control circuit 121 is connected to the input / output bus 101, and controls the brightness of the light source 122 by changing the current supplied to the light source 122 based on the signal transmitted from the CPU 102. As the light source 122, for example, an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp can be used.

  The illumination optical system 123 has an integrator lens for making the light distribution of the light emitted from the light source 122 uniform, and converts the P wave component contained in the light emitted from the light source 122 into an S wave component to increase the luminance. And a dichroic mirror for separating the light emitted from the light source 122 into R, G, and B colors.

  The imaging optical system 124 mainly includes a plurality of lenses including the projection lens 11 described above. The plurality of lenses constituting the imaging optical system 124 have an optical axis perpendicular to the screen 20, and are arranged in a line along the optical axis. Such an imaging optical system 124 enlarges and projects the image light incident from the light modulation element 114 onto the screen 20 and forms a projection image on the screen 20.

  Next, image projection processing using the gesture detection means in the circuit configuration of FIG. 6 described above will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the gesture detection means in the following description is configured using a CCD as shown in FIGS.

  In step S1 of FIG. 7, the gesture detection means 13 always images the focus range R2 in the gesture detection direction D2 (see FIG. 3B), and when the image information (the operator's gesture is imaged, “ Gesture information ") is transmitted to the control signal generating means 103. As described above, in this embodiment, since the gesture detection means 13 is provided on one side surface 10C of the housing 11 (see FIG. 2), the gesture detection direction D2 is substantially orthogonal to the image light projection direction D1. The screen 20 does not interfere with the field of view of the CCD 131 of the gesture detection means 13.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S <b> 2, and the control signal generation unit 103 determines based on the image information received from the gesture detection unit 13 whether an operator gesture has been detected. As a gesture detection method, for example, the control signal generation unit 103 can determine the presence / absence of a gesture based on a change in image information transmitted in time series from the gesture detection unit 13, and can further determine the presence of the captured gesture. By analyzing the image, it is possible to determine what kind of gesture has been performed.

  For example, when receiving image information in which an operator's hand is captured after receiving image information in which nothing is captured, the control signal generation unit 103 assumes that a gesture has been performed based on the change in the image information. Can be determined. In this example, the control signal generation unit 103 can also analyze the image of the captured hand portion of the operator to determine a gesture mode such as how many fingers are held. On the other hand, when image information in which nothing is captured is continuously received, the control signal generation unit 103 can determine that no gesture is performed based on the fact that there is no change in the image information.

  If it is determined in step S2 that the control signal generation unit 103 has not detected a gesture (NO), steps S3 and S4 are omitted, the main image projection process is terminated, and the processes in step S1 and subsequent steps are repeated again. On the other hand, if it is determined that the control signal generation unit 103 has detected a gesture (YES), the process proceeds to step S3, and the control signal generation unit 103 generates a predetermined image control signal corresponding to the detected gesture.

  In step S <b> 3, the control signal generation unit 103 generates a predetermined image control signal assigned in advance according to the detection of some gesture or the detected gesture mode. For example, in response to detection of some kind of gesture, an image control signal for sliding the projection image by one sheet is generated, or when the operator stands one finger, one finger and two fingers are raised. If so, an image control signal for slidingly feeding the two projected images is generated. The predetermined image control signal generated by the control signal generation unit 103 is transmitted to the image operation control unit 104.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the control signal generating unit 103 generates the image control signal is illustrated. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the signal generated by the control signal generating unit 103 is not predetermined in the image projecting apparatus 1. Control signals for executing the operation control are widely included, and not only the image control signal related to the predetermined operation of the image display such as the slide feed described above but also the predetermined other than the image display such as the volume adjustment of the built-in speaker (not shown). Control signals relating to operation are also included.

  In step S4, the image operation control unit 104 transmits a predetermined control signal to the CPU 102 based on the image control signal received from the control signal generation unit 103, and executes operation control related to the predetermined operation of the projection image. . For example, the CPU 102 that has received the image control signal transmits a control signal to the external device 40 via the input / output bus 101 and the interface circuit 105, and executes operation control for sliding a predetermined number of projected images. Thereafter, the main image projection process is terminated, and the processes after step S1 are repeated again.

<< Circuit Configuration of Second Embodiment >>
Next, as a second embodiment, a circuit configuration when an externally connected personal computer is used as an image operation control unit and an image projection process using a gesture detection unit will be described with reference to FIGS. . 8 and 9, the same parts as those of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the first embodiment described above, the circuit configuration in which the image operation control means 104 is built in the image projection apparatus 1 (see FIG. 6) is used. However, in the image projection apparatus 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. The circuit configuration is such that the control unit of the personal computer 30 connected thereto is used as the image operation control means 31. That is, the driver software of the image projection apparatus 1 is installed in the personal computer 30 in advance, and the OS (Operating System) of the personal computer 30 recognizes the image projection apparatus 1 so that the operation can be controlled.

  In such a circuit configuration, the control signal generation unit 103 generates a predetermined image control signal based on the gesture information received from the gesture detection unit 13 (see step S3 in FIG. 9), and inputs this image control signal. The data is transmitted to the personal computer 30 via the output bus 101 and the interface circuit 105 (see step S14 in FIG. 9).

  Then, the image operation control means 31 of the personal computer 30 transmits a predetermined control signal based on the image control signal from the control signal generation means 103, and executes operation control related to the predetermined operation of the projection image to the image projection apparatus 1. Let That is, the control signal transmitted by the image operation control unit 31 is transmitted to the CPU 102 of the image projection apparatus 1 via the interface circuit 105 and the input / output bus 101, and causes the CPU 102 to perform operation control related to a predetermined operation of the projection image. (See step S15 in FIG. 9).

<Operational effects of the first embodiment>
As described above, according to the image projection apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the gesture detection unit 13 detects the gesture of the operator performed in the direction D2 different from the projection direction D1 of the video light. Therefore, even when the distance between the image projection device 1 and the screen 20 is narrow, it is possible to detect the operator's gesture. Further, since the operator's gesture is performed in the direction D2 different from the projection direction D1 of the image light, the image projected on the screen 20 is not shadowed by the operator's hand, and the visibility of the projected image is reduced. I will not let you. Further, if the screen 20 is not included in the gesture detectable range R1 or R2, a bright projected image can be excluded from the field of view of the gesture detection unit 13, and the sensitivity of the gesture detection unit 13 is improved. Is possible.

  Further, when the CCD 131 is used as the gesture detecting means 13, the operator's gesture can be detected as image information, and various operation controls respectively assigned to the gesture information as the detection result can be executed. it can. In particular, it is possible to determine the mode of the gesture of the operator (for example, how many fingers of the hand are raised by the operator) based on the image information of the CCD 131, and complex operation control based on various gestures is possible. .

  Further, when the reflection sensor 133 is used as the gesture detection unit 13, various operation controls respectively assigned to the gesture information that is the detection result of the reflection sensor 133 can be executed. Since the reflected light of the light emitted from the LED 133a is received by the photosensor 113b, the configuration of the gesture detection means 13 can be simplified.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, an image projection apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the image projection apparatus according to the present embodiment, the gesture detectable range by the gesture detection unit is changed according to the projection distance of the image light so that the gesture detectable range is always located near the edge of the screen. is there.

<Circuit Configuration of Image Projection Device>
10 and 11 are block diagrams showing the circuit configuration of the image control apparatus according to the second embodiment of the image projection apparatus. FIG. 10 shows the circuit configuration in which the image operation control means is built in the image projection apparatus. FIG. 11 shows a circuit configuration using a personal computer externally connected to the image projection apparatus as image operation control means. In these drawings, the same portions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In FIG. 10, the image projection apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes a focus detection unit 125, a motor driver circuit 106, a motor 107, and a lens drive unit 135 provided in the gesture detection unit 13.

  The focus detection unit 125 detects the focus distance of the projection lens 11 that accompanies a change in the installation position of the image projection apparatus 1. As the focus detection means 125, for example, an active sensor that irradiates the screen 20 with infrared rays or ultrasonic waves and detects the distance based on the time until the reflected wave returns and the irradiation angle can be used. Alternatively, a passive sensor that measures the distance by imaging the focus pattern projected on the screen 20 with an image sensor such as a CCD may be used.

  The motor driver circuit 106 drives the motor 107 based on the detection result of the focus detection unit 125. The lens driving unit 135 is a mechanical unit such as a gear that receives the driving force of the motor 107 and moves the imaging lens 132 or the focus lens 134 (see FIGS. 3 to 5) of the gesture detection unit 13 back and forth. The lens driving unit 135 moves the imaging lens 132 or the focal lens 134 back and forth to change the focus range (gesture detectable range) R1 or R2 of the gesture detection unit 13.

  The lens driving unit 135 can be configured, for example, by providing a gear on the outer peripheral surface of a rotatable lens barrel. The imaging lens 132 or the focusing lens 134 is housed in the lens barrel, and the imaging lens 132 or the focusing lens 134 is engaged by engaging the gear of the lens barrel with another gear attached to the drive shaft of the motor 107. Can be moved back and forth.

  As in the first embodiment described above, the image operation control means 104 may be a circuit configuration built in the image projection apparatus 1 (see FIG. 10), and the personal computer 30 externally connected to the image projection apparatus 1 may be used. A circuit configuration using the control unit as the image operation control means 31 may be used (see FIG. 11).

<Control of fluctuation of gesture detectable range>
Next, variation control of the gesture detectable range in the image projection apparatus 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the gesture detection means in the following description is configured using a CCD as shown in FIGS.

  12 and 13 are flowcharts showing the flow of image projection processing using the gesture detection means in the circuit configurations of FIGS. 10 and 11 described above. FIGS. 14A and 14B are explanatory diagrams when the detectable range of the gesture is changed according to the projection distance of the image light.

  First, image projection processing in the case of a circuit configuration (see FIG. 10) in which the image operation control means 104 is built in the image projection apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12, 14A, and 14B.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 14A, when the image projection apparatus 1 is disposed close to the screen 20, the focus detection unit 125 detects the focus distance of the projection lens 11 in step S21 of FIG.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S22, where the motor driver circuit 106 drives the motor 107 based on the detection result of the focus detection means 125, and moves the imaging lens 132 built in the gesture detection means 13 back and forth. As a result, the focus range (gesture detectable range) R1 of the gesture detection unit 13 is formed in the vicinity of the end of the image projected on the screen 20.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S23, where the CCD 131 of the gesture detection means 13 images the focus range R1 in the gesture detection direction D2, and the image information (“gesture information” when the operator's gesture is imaged) is control signal generation means. 103.

  Next, the process proceeds to step S <b> 24, where the control signal generation unit 103 determines based on the image information received from the gesture detection unit 13 whether an operator gesture has been detected. If it is determined that the control signal generation unit 103 has not detected a gesture (NO), steps S25 and S26 are omitted, the image projection processing is terminated, and the processing from step S21 is repeated again.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S24 that the control signal generation unit 103 has detected a gesture (YES), the process proceeds to step S25, where the control signal generation unit 103 generates a predetermined image control signal corresponding to the detected gesture. To do.

  In step S26, the image operation control unit 104 transmits a predetermined control signal to the CPU 102 on the basis of the image control signal received from the control signal generation unit 103, and performs a predetermined operation (for example, slide feed or the like) on the projection image. ) Is executed.

  Thereafter, the main image projection process is terminated, and the processes after step S21 are repeated again. However, when the image projection apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 14A is not moved, the focus distance of the projection lens 11 detected by the focus detection means 125 is the same in step S21, so that the gesture detection in step S22 is performed. The focus range R1 of the means 13 is not adjusted.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 14B, when the image projection apparatus 1 is moved to a position away from the screen 20, the focus distance of the projection lens 11 detected by the focus detection means 125 is changed in step S21. In the next step S22, the focus range (gesture detectable range) R1 of the gesture detection means 13 is changed. In the present embodiment, the focus range R1 is always enlarged and contracted in proportion to the focus distance of the projection lens 11, so that the focus range R1 is always located near the projected image end of the screen 20. Thereby, the operator stands on the side of the projector 1 and performs the image operation by the gesture. However, even when the projection image is enlarged, the operator moves to the end of the projection image where the projection image is not blocked. Then, it is possible to perform the image manipulation by the gesture.

  The above-described variation control of the focus range (gesture detectable range) R1 of the gesture detection unit 13 is a circuit configuration in which the control unit of the personal computer 30 externally connected to the image projection apparatus 1 is used as the image operation control unit 31. The same applies to (see FIG. 11) (see steps S21 to S22 in FIG. 13).

  In the case of the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 11, the control signal generation unit 103 generates a predetermined image control signal based on the gesture information received from the gesture detection unit 13 (see step S25 in FIG. 13). The signal is transmitted to the personal computer 30 via the input / output bus 101 and the interface circuit 105 (see step S36 in FIG. 13).

  Then, the image operation control unit 31 of the personal computer 30 transmits a predetermined control signal based on the image control signal from the control signal generation unit 103, and performs a predetermined operation (for example, a projection image) to the CPU 102 of the image projection apparatus 1. Operation control relating to slide feed or the like is executed (see step S15 in FIG. 9).

<Effects of Second Embodiment>
As described above, according to the image projecting apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the detectable range (focus range) R1 or R2 of the gesture by the gesture detection unit 13 varies according to the projection distance of the image light. Regardless of the distance between the image projection apparatus 1 and the screen 20, the gesture detectable range R <b> 1 or R <b> 2 can always be positioned near the end of the screen 20. Thus, the operator can smoothly operate the image projection apparatus 1 with a simple gesture while explaining in the vicinity of the projection image.

[Other changes]
Note that the image projection apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above. For example, in the first and second embodiments described above, a gesture is provided on one side surface 10C (see FIG. 1) or both side portions (see FIGS. 14A and 14B) of the housing 10 of the image projection apparatus 1. Although the detection means 13 is arranged, if it is possible to detect the gesture of the operator performed in a direction different from the projection direction D1 of the image light, one side 10C or other than both sides of the housing 10 is possible. The gesture detection means 13 may be arranged on the back surface (for example, the back surface 10D, the top surface 10B shown in FIG. 2 or the bottom surface if the image projection apparatus 1 is a ceiling type).

  In the second embodiment described above, the gesture detectable range R1 or R2 is changed according to the projection distance of the image light. However, when the image projection apparatus 1 is a proximity projector, generally, image projection is performed. Since the fluctuation range of the distance between the apparatus 1 and the screen 20 is narrow, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, even if the detectable range R1 or R2 of the gesture is constant regardless of the projection distance of the image light, The detectable range R1 or R2 of the gesture can always be positioned near the end of the screen 20.

1 is a perspective view showing an entire image projection apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the use condition of this image projector. It is the schematic of the gesture detection means provided in this image projector, The figure (a), (b) shows the structure at the time of using CCD. Similarly, it is a schematic diagram of a gesture detection means provided in the image projection apparatus, and FIGS. 7A and 7B show a configuration when a reflection sensor is used. FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic diagrams showing a gesture detection operation by the reflection sensor. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration according to a first embodiment of the present image projection apparatus, and has a circuit configuration in which image operation control means is built in the image projection apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the image projection process using the gesture detection means in the circuit structure of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure which concerns on 2nd Example of this image projector, and is a circuit structure using the personal computer externally connected to this image projector as an image operation control means. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the image projection process using the gesture detection means in the circuit structure of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the image control apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this image projector, and shows the circuit structure which incorporated the image operation control means in this image projector. Similarly, it is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an image control device according to the second embodiment of the image projection device, and shows a circuit configuration using a personal computer externally connected to the image projection device as image operation control means. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the image projection process using the gesture detection means in the circuit structure of FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of image projection processing using gesture detection means in the circuit configuration of FIG. FIGS. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams when the detectable range of the gesture is changed according to the projection distance of the image light. FIGS. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams when the gesture detectable range is constant regardless of the projection distance of the image light.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image projector 10 Case 10A Front surface 10B Upper surface 10C One side surface 10D Rear surface 11 Projection lens 12 Control panel 13 Gesture detection means 131 CCD (imaging element)
132 Imaging lens (detection range setting means)
R1, R2 Focus range (gesture detectable range)
133 Reflection sensor 133a LED (light emitting element)
133b Photosensor (light receiving element)
134 Focus lens 134 (detection range setting means)
135 Lens Driving Unit 14 Interface 101 Input / Output Bus 102 CPU
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 103 Control signal production | generation means 104 Image operation control means 105 Interface circuit 106 Motor driver circuit 107 Motor 111 Image signal input means 112 Image processing circuit 113 Light modulation element drive circuit 114 Light modulation element 121 Light source control circuit 122 Light source 123 Illumination optical system 124 Connection Image optical system 125 Focus detection means 20 Screen (projection surface)
30 Personal computer (video source)
31 Image operation control means 31
40 External equipment (video source)

Claims (9)

An image projection apparatus that modulates light from a light source into image light by a light modulation element, projects the image light through an imaging optical system, and displays an image on a projection surface,
Gesture detecting means capable of detecting an operator gesture performed in a predetermined direction different from the projection direction of the image light;
Detection range setting means for determining a detectable range of gestures by the gesture detection means;
An image projection apparatus comprising: control signal generation means for generating a control signal based on gesture information which is a detection result of the gesture detection means.   The image projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined direction in which the gesture detection unit can detect a gesture is a direction intersecting with the projection direction of the image light.   The image projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gesture detectable range of the gesture detection unit is located in the vicinity of at least one side edge of an image displayed on the projection plane.   The image projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined direction in which the gesture detection unit can detect the gesture is a direction opposite to the projection plane.   The range in which a gesture can be detected by the gesture detection unit is changed in accordance with the projection distance of the image light, or constant regardless of the projection distance of the image light. Image projector.   The image projection device according to claim 1, wherein the gesture detection unit includes an image pickup device that picks up an image of a subject, and detects the gesture performed within the detectable range by picking up an image.   The image projection device according to claim 1, wherein the gesture detection unit includes a reflection sensor that detects reflected light, and detects a gesture performed within the detectable range by the reflected light. . The image projection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an image operation control unit that executes a control process related to a predetermined operation of the image display based on a control signal from the control signal generation unit.   The external terminal device connected to the image projection device by wire or wireless includes an image operation control means for executing a control process related to a predetermined operation of the image display based on a control signal from the control signal generation means. The image projection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

Images