JP2009251246A - Projector and light source control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate determinination of a lamp unit mounting condition, with a configuration of a projector simplified as much as possible, and to simplify a configuration of the whole device, too. <P>SOLUTION: The projector includes the light source lamp unit 16 having a lamp 18 provided detachably for the device and being a light source, a fuse F1 indicating a non-use condition of the lamp 18, and a mounting detection circuit 16a connecting thermisters TM1 in parallel, projection systems 14, 15, 19-25 for projecting image by using the light coming from the lamp 16, and a projected light processing part 26 for determining whether the light source lamp unit 16 is mounted and whether the lamp 18 is in the non-use condition while it is mounted by conducting electricity into the mounting detection circuit 16a. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a projection apparatus and a light source control method suitable for a projector apparatus using a light source such as a high-pressure mercury lamp.

  In recent years, while projector devices such as liquid crystal projectors that can view a large screen image with higher image quality are becoming popular, data projector devices that can be connected to a personal computer for business use are also available. Generalized.

  In this type of projector apparatus, a high-intensity discharge tube such as a high-pressure mercury lamp is used as a light source. However, this high-intensity discharge tube has an accumulated usage time of several hundred hours to a line time, and is relatively expensive. Despite being there, it is the most exhausting part in the device.

  For this reason, there are many models in which the user can easily replace the lamp as a unit part (hereinafter referred to as “lamp unit”), but it is difficult to accurately determine the usage time, and the user has an extremely low emission luminance. The current situation is that it can finally be recognized in a severely degraded state.

  In addition, there is also considered a model having a function of measuring the accumulated usage time of the lamp unit by manually resetting a switch in the apparatus when replacing the lamp unit. However, the user does not necessarily perform the reset operation reliably, and if he / she notices that he / she has forgotten the reset operation after using a new lamp unit for a while, there is no way to accurately know the time already used, It is also impossible to determine how much can be used thereafter.

Therefore, a technology that can reliably reset the accumulated usage time when replacing the lamp unit has been considered. (For example, Patent Document 1)
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-177898

  The technique described in Patent Document 1 is used to determine whether or not the lamp unit is unused from the blown state of the fuse as a non-reversible switch provided in the lamp unit. It can be recognized that the lamp unit has been used due to its resistance value because the fuse is blown and the corresponding terminals are opened.

  By the way, in order to replace the lamp unit with this type of projector apparatus, it is necessary to remove at least a part of the casing forming the outer surface of the casing of the apparatus or to open a cover portion that covers the lamp unit replacement opening. From the normal appearance, it is difficult to visually determine whether or not the lamp unit is mounted.

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the resistance value between the terminals corresponding to the non-reciprocal switch is determined when the used lamp unit is mounted as described above and when the lamp unit is not mounted. In any case, it is open (infinite), and in such a state, it cannot be determined whether a used lamp unit is installed or not. .

  For this reason, in order to detect the mounting state of the lamp unit, for example, a method of energizing the lamp itself can be considered, but in a lamp using this type of high-intensity discharge tube, the voltage that must be applied between the electrodes is very high. Considering the lamp lighting characteristics, it is not practical to consume a large amount of power just to determine the presence or absence of the lamp unit.

  Furthermore, it is conceivable to provide a dedicated circuit for determining the presence or absence of the lamp unit and a terminal therefor in the lamp unit, but this directly increases the cost of the lamp unit which is a consumable part.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to easily determine the mounting state of the lamp unit while having the simplest possible configuration, and further to the whole projection apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide a projection apparatus and a light source control method capable of simplifying the configuration.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a light source lamp unit that is detachably attached to the apparatus and has a lamp as a light source, and a mounting detection circuit in which a fuse and an electric resistance element indicating an unused state of the lamp are connected in parallel. And projection means for projecting an image using light emitted from the lamp, and whether or not the light source lamp unit is attached by energizing the attachment detection circuit, and whether the lamp is unused. And determining means for determining whether or not.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the light source lamp unit mounting detection circuit includes an element capable of detecting a temperature as an electric resistance element disposed close to the lamp, and the element capable of detecting the temperature. The projector further comprises lamp management means for managing the temperature of the lamp during the projection operation by the projection means.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the light source lamp unit mounting detection circuit uses an electric fuse as a fuse, and clocking means for counting the accumulated usage time of the light source lamp unit; A first control unit that resets the accumulated usage time of the light source lamp unit that is timed by the time measuring unit when the light source lamp unit is mounted by the determination unit and when the lamp is not used, and the light source by the determination unit The apparatus further comprises second control means for energizing the electric fuse and blowing the electric fuse when the lamp unit is mounted and the lamp is not used.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the light source lamp unit mounting detection circuit uses a temperature fuse that blows when the lamp is turned on as a fuse, and the accumulated usage time of the light source lamp unit is increased. Timekeeping means for timing, and control means for resetting the accumulated usage time of the light source lamp unit that is timed by the timekeeping means when the light source lamp unit is mounted by the determination means and when the lamp is not used is determined. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 5 is a light source lamp unit that is detachably attached to the apparatus and has a lamp as a light source, and a mounting detection circuit in which a fuse and an electric resistance element indicating an unused state of the lamp are connected in parallel. And a light source control method in a projection apparatus comprising a projection unit that projects an image using light emitted from the lamp, and whether or not the light source lamp unit is attached by energizing the attachment detection circuit, and It has the determination process of determining whether the lamp is in an unused state when it is mounted.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily determine the mounting state of the lamp unit while making the configuration as simple as possible, and further to simplify the configuration of the entire projection apparatus.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a DLP (Digital Light Processing) (registered trademark) data projector apparatus will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic functional configuration of a data projector apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. Reference numeral 11 denotes an input / output connector unit, which includes, for example, a pin jack (RCA) type video input terminal, a D-sub15 type RGB input terminal, and a USB terminal.

  Image signals of various standards input from the input / output connector unit 11 are transmitted through an input / output interface 12 (I / F) 12 and a system bus SB, in a predetermined format suitable for projection by an image conversion unit 13 also called a scaler. After being unified into the image signal, it is sent to the projection image processing unit 14.

  At this time, various characters, pointers, and the like for OSD (On Screen Display) are also sent to the projection image processing unit 14 to be superimposed on the image signal as necessary.

  The projection image processing unit 14 multiplies a frame rate according to a predetermined format, for example, 60 [frames / second], the number of color component divisions, and the number of display gradations in accordance with the transmitted image signal. The micromirror element 15 which is a spatial light modulation element (SOM) is displayed and driven by high-speed time division driving.

  On the other hand, a light source lamp 18 using a high-pressure mercury lamp, for example, disposed at the focal position of the reflector 17 in the lamp unit 16 emits high-intensity white light. The light source lamp 18 is AC driven by the power from the ballast 19.

  The white light emitted from the light source lamp 18 is colored into primary colors in a time-sharing manner through a color wheel 20 that rotates at high speed in synchronization with the display on the micromirror element 15, and is converted into a luminous flux having a substantially uniform luminance distribution by the integrator 21. After that, the light is totally reflected by the mirror 22 and applied to the micromirror element 15.

  Then, an optical image is formed by the reflected light from the micromirror element 15, and the formed optical image is projected onto a screen (not shown) to be projected through the projection lens unit 23.

  The projection lens unit 23 enlarges and projects the light image formed by the micromirror element 15 onto a target such as a screen, and the focus position and the zoom position (projection angle of view) can be arbitrarily changed. .

  That is, both the focus lens and the zoom lens (not shown) in the projection lens unit 23 are controlled by moving back and forth along the optical axis direction, and these lenses are moved by rotating the stepping motor (M) 24. To do.

  Further, power supply to the ballast 19 for lighting the light source lamp 18, rotation driving of the motor (M) 25 for the color wheel 20, rotation driving of the stepping motor 24, and the lamp unit 16 are provided. The projection light processing unit 26 executes the control of the mounted detection circuit 16a.

  The projection image processing unit 14 outputs a lamp synchronization signal synchronized with the switching timing of the image for each color component displayed on the micromirror element 15 to the ballast 19.

  The CPU 27 controls all the operations of the above circuits. The CPU 27 uses the main memory 28 composed of DRAM and the program memory 29 composed of an electrically rewritable non-volatile memory storing operation programs, various fixed data, and the like to perform control operations in the data projector apparatus 10. Execute.

  Further, the CPU 27 causes the program memory 29 to update and store the accumulated usage time of the lamp unit 16. That is, the CPU 27 counts the usage time of the lamp unit 16 during the projection operation, adds the count value at the end of the projection operation, and the accumulated usage time stored in the program memory 29, and displays the sum. As an accumulated use time, the program memory 29 is updated and stored.

  The CPU 27 executes various projection operations according to operation signals from the operation unit 30. The operation unit 30 includes a key operation unit provided in the casing body of the data projector device 10 and an infrared receiving unit that receives an infrared modulation signal from a remote controller (not shown) dedicated to the data projector device 1. Directly outputs to the CPU 27 a key code signal based on the key operated by the key operation unit or the remote controller.

The CPU 27 is further connected to the audio processing unit 31 via the system bus SB.
The sound processing unit 31 includes a sound source circuit such as a PCM sound source, converts the sound data given at the time of projection operation into an analog signal, drives the speaker unit 32 to emit a loud sound, or generates a beep sound or the like as necessary.

Next, a specific electric circuit configuration of the lamp unit 16 and its periphery will be described with reference to FIG.
Inside the lamp unit 16, there is a reflector 17 having a light source lamp 18 disposed at a focal position thereof, and a mounting detection circuit 16 a. The mounting detection circuit 16a employs a configuration in which the electric fuse F1 and the thermistor TM1 are connected in parallel.

The lamp unit 16 is provided with a total of four terminals, two of which are connected to the ballast 19 for driving the light source lamp 18 with an alternating current.
The remaining two terminals are for the mounting detection circuit 16a, and one of the terminals is connected to the projection light processing unit 26, the emitter of the transistor Q1 for the switch circuit, and one end of the resistor R1. A voltage V is applied to the collector of the transistor Q1, and the collector is connected to the other end of the resistor R1. Further, a switching signal from the projection light processing unit 26 is given to the base of the transistor Q1. The other terminal for the attachment detection circuit 16a is grounded through a resistor R2.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the content of the lamp unit check process executed as part of initialization at the beginning of power-on in the data projector apparatus 10. The operation is an operation program read from the program memory 29 by the CPU 27. By developing and executing in the main memory 28, control data is sequentially delivered from the CPU 27 to the projection light processing unit 26 via the system bus SB, and the projection light processing unit 26 performs processing based on the control data.

  At the beginning of the operation, under the control of the CPU 27, the projection light processing unit 26 checks the resistance value R of the mounting detection circuit 16a using a terminal connected to the mounting detection circuit 16a of the lamp unit 16 (step S101). .

  Specifically, it is very rough whether the resistance value R of the attachment detection circuit 16a is on the order of several hundreds [mΩ], several [kΩ], or “∞ (infinity)”. Resistance value detection.

  When the resistance value R of the mounting detection circuit 16a is on the order of several hundreds [mΩ], two elements constituting the mounting detection circuit 16a, the electric fuse F1 and the thermistor TM1, are both present, and the electric fuse F1 is still Since it is not blown out, it is recognized that the lamp unit 16 is newly installed (step S102).

In accordance with this recognition result, the CPU 27 resets the accumulated usage time stored in the program memory 29 (step S103).
Thereafter, in order to set that the lamp unit 16 is already mounted, the CPU 27 turns on the switching signal to the base of the transistor Q1 and makes the transistor Q1 conductive, so that it is applied to the collector of the transistor Q1. The applied voltage V is directly applied to the electric fuse F1 of the mounting detection circuit 16a to blow the electric fuse F1 (step S104).

  Thereafter, the temperature of the lamp unit 16 is detected by detecting again the resistance value R of the mounting detection circuit 16a which is only the thermistor TM1 (step S105), and the processing of FIG.

  If the resistance value R of the mounting detection circuit 16a is on the order of several [kΩ] in step S101, the electric fuse F1 is already out of the two elements constituting the mounting detection circuit 16a, the electric fuse F1 and the thermistor TM1. Since it is blown out, it is recognized that the lamp unit 16 is already mounted (old) (step S106).

  Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S105 to detect again the resistance value R of the mounting detection circuit 16a that has only the thermistor TM1, thereby detecting the temperature of the lamp unit 16, and the process of FIG.

  Furthermore, when the resistance value R of the mounting detection circuit 16a is “∞ (infinite)” in step S101, nothing is connected to the two terminals for the mounting detection circuit 16a, and the lamp unit 16 itself. Is recognized as not being mounted (step S107).

In this case, since the lamp unit 16 serving as a light source is not connected, the projection operation cannot be performed, and the processing of FIG. 3 is immediately terminated, and the CPU 27 performs a predetermined warning notification, for example, a sound processing unit 31. In the speaker unit 32, for example,
“The lamp unit is not installed.
Please install a new lamp unit 16 "
The user is notified that the lamp unit 16 is not mounted by outputting a voice guide message such as the above or by emitting a beep sound according to a predetermined pattern.

  As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to determine the mounting state of the lamp unit 16 very easily while the mounting detection circuit 16a formed in the lamp unit 16 has a very simple circuit configuration.

  Further, the lamp unit 16 has a total of four terminals for connecting to the data projector device 10 side, including the light source lamp 18 and only two terminals for the attachment detection circuit 16a. In addition to the simple circuit configuration, the overall configuration of the data projector device 10 can be simplified.

  In the above embodiment, the electric fuse F1 for determining whether or not the lamp unit 16 is not attached and whether or not the lamp unit 16 is attached as two elements constituting the attachment detection circuit 16a. The thermistor TM1 that also serves as a sensor for detecting the temperature of the light source lamp 18 and that detects the temperature of the light source lamp 18 is connected in parallel.

  However, if it is only determined whether or not the lamp unit 16 is mounted, a simple electric resistance may be provided instead of the thermistor TM1.

In the present embodiment, the thermistor TM1 that functions as a sensor for managing the temperature of the light source lamp 18 is provided in the mounting detection circuit 16a, so that it is not necessary to provide a temperature sensor on the data projector device 10 side.
In this respect, the configuration of the data projector apparatus 10 can be further simplified, and the thermistor TM1 as a temperature sensor corresponding to the temperature characteristic of the light source lamp 18 to be newly supplied in the future can be changed. Since the lamp unit 16 may be provided in the lamp unit 16, it is possible to easily cope with version upgrade of the lamp unit 16 which is a consumable part.

In the above embodiment, the electric fuse F1 is used as an element for determining whether or not the lamp unit 16 is not mounted in the mounting detection circuit 16a.
As a result, one component constituting the lamp unit 16 can be realized with an extremely inexpensive element, and the price of the lamp unit 16 itself, which is a consumable component, can be kept low.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment when the present invention is applied to a DLP (registered trademark) data projector apparatus will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  Note that the schematic functional configuration of the data projector apparatus according to the present embodiment is basically the same as the contents shown in FIG. 1, and therefore, the same reference numerals are used for the same parts, and illustration and description thereof are omitted. To do.

  Next, referring to FIG. 4, the configuration of the lamp unit 16 and specific electrical circuits around it will be described. In FIG. 4, the thermal fuse TF1 is used as an element corresponding to the electric fuse F1 in FIG. 2 among the two elements constituting the mounting detection circuit 16a in the lamp unit 16.

  Further, the switching circuit by the transistor Q1 and the resistor R1 in FIG. 2 is not necessary, and only the direct connection from the projection light processing unit 26 to one terminal for the mounting detection circuit 16a is made.

  The other parts are the same as those described with reference to FIG. 2, and therefore, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the case of the circuit configuration as described above, if the mounting detection circuit 16a is not mounted on the data projector apparatus 10, the thermal fuse TF1 is not blown when the lamp unit 16 is newly mounted. Since the light processing unit 26 and the CPU 27 can recognize that the lamp unit 16 is new, the accumulated usage time stored in the program memory 29 is reset.

  After that, when energization to the light source lamp 18 is started in the process of performing the projection operation, the temperature fuse TF1 in the mounting detection circuit 16a is blown by the heat generation, so that the transistor Q1 and the resistor R1 shown in FIG. There is no need to provide a switching circuit, and the configuration of the apparatus can be further simplified as compared with the first embodiment.

  The processing of the data projector device 10 for the lamp unit 16 in which the temperature fuse TF1 is blown, and the processing on the data projector device 10 side when the lamp unit 16 is not mounted are the same as in the first embodiment.

  In the first and second embodiments, the thermistor TM1 is used as a sensor for determining whether or not the lamp unit 16 is mounted by the mounting detection circuit 16a and for detecting the temperature of the light source lamp 18. However, as long as the element achieves the same function, for example, a thermocouple or a resistance temperature detector may be used.

  Further, both the first and second embodiments have been described for the case where the present invention is applied to a DLP (registered trademark) type data projector apparatus. However, the present invention limits elements and the like that form a light image. In short, as long as a replaceable lamp unit is used, the invention can be similarly applied to other projection apparatuses.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, the functions executed in the above-described embodiments may be implemented in appropriate combination as much as possible. The above-described embodiment includes various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by an appropriate combination of a plurality of disclosed constituent elements. For example, even if some constituent requirements are deleted from all the constituent requirements shown in the embodiment, if the effect is obtained, a configuration from which the constituent requirements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an electronic circuit of a data projector device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The figure which shows the specific electric circuit structure of the lamp unit which concerns on the embodiment, and its periphery. The flowchart which shows the content of the check process of the lamp unit performed as a part of initialization at the time of power activation concerning the embodiment. The figure which shows the concrete electric circuit structure of the lamp unit which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and its periphery.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Data projector apparatus, 11 ... Input / output connector part, 12 ... Input / output interface (I / F), 13 ... Image conversion part, 14 ... Projection image processing part, 15 ... Micromirror element, 16 ... Lamp unit, 16a ... Mounting detection circuit, 17 ... reflector, 18 ... light source lamp, 19 ... ballast, 20 ... color wheel, 21 ... integrator, 22 ... mirror, 23 ... projection lens unit, 24 ... stepping motor (M), 25 ... motor (M) , 26 ... projection light processing section, 27 ... CPU, 28 ... main memory, 29 ... program memory, 30 ... operation section, 31 ... sound processing section, 32 ... speaker section, F1 ... electric fuse, Q1 ... (for switching) transistor , R1, R2 ... resistors, SB ... system bus, TF1 ... thermal fuse, TM1 ... thermistor.

Claims (5)

A light source lamp unit provided detachably with respect to the apparatus and having a lamp as a light source, and a mounting detection circuit in which a fuse indicating an unused state of the lamp and an electric resistance element are connected in parallel;
Projecting means for projecting an image using light emitted from the lamp;
A projection apparatus comprising: a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the light source lamp unit is mounted by energizing the mounting detection circuit and whether or not the lamp is in an unused state when the light source lamp unit is mounted. The mounting detection circuit for the light source lamp unit is arranged close to the lamp with an element capable of detecting temperature as an electric resistance element,
2. The projection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising lamp management means for managing the temperature of the lamp during the projection operation by the projection means by the temperature-detectable element. The light source lamp unit mounting detection circuit uses an electrical fuse as a fuse,
A time measuring means for measuring the accumulated usage time of the light source lamp unit;
A first control unit that resets the accumulated usage time of the light source lamp unit that is timed by the time counting unit when the light source lamp unit is mounted by the determination unit and when the lamp is not used;
And a second control unit configured to cause the electric fuse to be blown by energizing the electric fuse when the light source lamp unit is mounted by the determining unit and when the lamp is not used. Item 4. The projection device according to Item 1. The mounting detection circuit of the light source lamp unit uses a temperature fuse that blows when the lamp is turned on as a fuse.
A time measuring means for measuring the accumulated usage time of the light source lamp unit;
Control means for resetting the accumulated usage time of the light source lamp unit that is timed by the time measuring means when the light source lamp unit is mounted by the determination means and when the lamp is not used is determined. The projection apparatus according to claim 1. A light source lamp unit that is detachably attached to the apparatus and has a lamp serving as a light source, a mounting detection circuit in which a fuse indicating an unused state of the lamp and an electric resistance element are connected in parallel, and emitted from the lamp A light source control method in a projection device including a projection unit that projects an image using light,
A light source control method comprising: a step of determining whether or not the light source lamp unit is mounted by energizing the mounting detection circuit and whether or not the lamp is unused when the light source lamp unit is mounted.

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