JP2010113057A - Projector - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a projector for suitably setting an operation mode even when a user does not perform special operation. <P>SOLUTION: The projector 1 includes: a history storage part 23 in which setting history of past set values of an operation mode is stored as history information; and an operation mode decision part (controller 20) which decides a next set value of the operation mode based on the history information stored in the history storage part 23. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a projector.

  Conventionally, a projector has various input terminals, and a user can input an image signal to a favorite input terminal. In such a projector, in order to project an image, the user needs to select and set an input terminal to which an image signal is input. However, such an operation of selecting and setting an input terminal to which an image signal is input from among a plurality of input terminals is difficult for the user to understand and takes time and effort. In Patent Document 1, an image display apparatus (projector) that includes a plurality of signal input systems and further has a plurality of input terminals for each signal input system, and stores the input terminal settings for each selected signal input system. A device that reduces the number of operations for switching the input terminal by setting the input terminal based on the stored setting is disclosed.

JP 2003-274316 A

  However, since the projector of Patent Document 1 stores the setting of the input terminal for each signal input system, it is necessary for the user to perform the switching operation of the signal input system. The input terminal setting stored for each signal input system is the input terminal selected when the projector is turned off. For this reason, when a user who is different from the user who was using the previous time uses the projector, the setting may be unintended. For example, a projector used in an educational institution such as a school is often shared by a plurality of users. Therefore, a user who uses a projector can change his / her preference from the settings of the user who has been using the projector. It was necessary to change the setting. Therefore, there has been a demand for a projector that is not fixed to the previous user settings and that can perform suitable settings without any special operation by the user.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  Application Example 1 A projector according to this application example is a projector that operates based on a set value of an operation mode that has been set, and a history storage that stores setting history of past setting values of the operation mode as history information. And an operation mode determination unit that determines a next set value of the operation mode based on the history information stored in the history storage unit.

  According to such a projector, the history storage unit stores history information of past setting values of the operation mode. Then, the operation mode determination unit determines the next set value based on the history information. That is, the projector determines the next set value of the operation mode based on the history information of the past set value. Thereby, even if the user does not perform an operation mode setting operation, the projector can determine the next set value of a suitable operation mode based on the history information. Here, the “next set value” indicates a set value of an operation mode to be set next by the projector.

  Application Example 2 In the projector according to the application example, the history information stored in the history storage unit includes setting frequency information of the past setting value, and the operation mode determination unit includes the history information The next set value is determined based on setting frequency information.

  According to such a projector, the history information in the history storage unit includes setting frequency information of past setting values. Then, the operation mode determination unit determines the next set value of the operation mode based on the setting frequency information. That is, the projector determines the operation mode reflecting the past setting frequency. Thereby, even if a user does not perform operation mode setting operation, the projector can determine the next setting value of the suitable operation mode according to the past setting frequency.

  Application Example 3 In the projector according to the application example, the projector further includes a clock unit that counts date and time information as day and time information, and the setting frequency information in the history storage unit includes the past setting of the operation mode. It is characterized by having a frequency distribution for each date and time information about the value.

  According to such a projector, the setting frequency information of the history storage unit is a frequency distribution for each date / time information regarding the past setting values of the operation mode. Thereby, the frequency distribution of the past set value of the operation mode for each day of the week and time can be grasped. Therefore, even if the user does not perform the operation mode setting operation, the projector can determine the next set value of the suitable operation mode according to the past frequency distribution.

  Application Example 4 In the projector according to the application example, the operation mode determination unit selects a setting value having the highest frequency from the frequency distribution based on the date and time information when the projector is turned on. The next set value is used.

  According to such a projector, the operation mode determination unit selects the most frequent setting value from the frequency distribution in the history storage unit based on the date and time information when the projector is turned on, and sets the next setting value. And Accordingly, since the projector can determine the next set value of the operation mode corresponding to the day of the week and the time, for example, when a plurality of users use the projector according to the day of the week and the time, it is suitable for each user. The next set value of the operation mode can be determined.

  Application Example 5 In the projector according to the application example, the operation mode is an input terminal type setting mode.

  According to such a projector, the operation mode is an input terminal type setting mode. Accordingly, since the type of the input terminal of the projector can be set based on the past history, the projector determines a suitable next set value of the input terminal without the user performing an input terminal setting operation. be able to.

  Application Example 6 In the projector according to the application example, the operation mode is an image quality adjustment type setting mode.

  According to such a projector, the operation mode is an image quality adjustment type setting mode. As a result, the type of image quality adjustment of the projector can be set based on the past history, so that the projector determines the next set value for the appropriate image quality adjustment without the user performing an image quality adjustment setting operation. be able to.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a projector 1 according to the embodiment. The internal configuration of the projector 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The projector 1 includes an image projection unit 10, a control unit 20, an input operation unit 21, a clock unit 22, a history storage unit 23, a light source control unit 24, an input terminal group 30, an input selection unit 31, an image processing unit 32, and an OSD processing unit. 33 etc. are provided. Further, FIG. 1 illustrates a screen SC outside the projector 1.

  The image projection unit 10 includes a light source 11 including a discharge light source such as an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp and a metal halide lamp, and a solid light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a liquid crystal light valve 12 as a light modulation device, and a projection optical system. Projection lens 13 and a light valve driving unit 14 for driving the liquid crystal light valve 12.

  The liquid crystal light valve 12 is configured by a transmissive liquid crystal panel in which liquid crystal is sealed between a pair of transparent substrates. When a driving voltage corresponding to an image signal is applied to each pixel of the liquid crystal light valve 12 by driving the light valve driving unit 14, each pixel transmits light source light with a light transmittance corresponding to the image signal.

  The light emitted from the light source 11 is modulated by passing through the liquid crystal light valve 12, and the modulated light is projected by the projection lens 13, whereby an image corresponding to the image signal is displayed on the screen SC or the like. The

  The control unit 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory) used for temporary storage of various data, a mask ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, and a FeRAM (Ferroelectric RAM: ferroelectric memory). ) And the like (both not shown) and function as a computer. The control unit 20 controls the overall operation of the projector 1 by causing the CPU to operate according to a control program stored in a nonvolatile memory.

  The control unit 20 is configured by a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or FeRAM, and is similarly rewritable and non-volatile, similar to the input terminal storage unit 20a that stores the setting value of the input terminal type setting mode. And a color mode storage unit 20b configured to store the setting value of the image quality adjustment type setting mode. In this embodiment, the rewritable nonvolatile memory is a flash memory.

  The input terminal storage unit 20a stores the type of the input terminal selected and determined as a set value. The color mode storage unit 20b stores the type of color mode selected and determined as a set value. In either case, writing and reading are performed by the control unit 20.

  The input operation unit 21 includes a plurality of keys for giving various instructions to the projector 1. As keys provided in the input operation unit 21, a “power key” for turning on / off the power, an “input switching key” for switching input terminals, and display / non-display of a menu screen for performing various settings. There are a “menu key” for switching, a “cursor key” used for moving the cursor on the menu screen, and a “decision key” for determining various settings. When the user operates the input operation unit 21, the input operation unit 21 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation content of the user to the control unit 20. The input operation unit 21 may include a remote control signal receiving unit (not shown) and a remote controller (not shown) that can be remotely operated. In this case, the remote controller emits an operation signal such as an infrared ray corresponding to the operation content of the user, and the remote control signal receiving unit receives this and transmits it to the control unit 20.

  The clock unit 22 has a calendar function and a clock function, and measures the day of the week and the time to obtain date / time information. The date / time information is read by the control unit 20. Further, the clock unit 22 outputs the current date and time information to the control unit 20 at every predetermined time. In this embodiment, the predetermined time is 15 minutes. The predetermined time is not limited to 15 minutes.

The history storage unit 23 includes a non-volatile memory, and stores history information of past setting values of the input terminal and past setting values of the color mode as a table. The history information table is read and written by the control unit 20.
Here, the history information table stored in the history storage unit 23 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram of a history information table.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the history information table T1, the row direction is composed of time classes (sections) obtained by dividing one week from Monday to Sunday in units of 15 minutes (ie, predetermined time units). In addition, the column direction is “computer 1”, “computer 2”, “video 1”, “video 2”, “video 3” as the class (section) of the input terminal setting values, and the setting values of the color mode. It consists of “Living”, “Natural”, and “Theater” as classes (sections). The history information table T1 configured as described above is a statistically usable frequency distribution table.

  In the history information table T1, the control unit 20 acquires the setting values of the input terminal and the color mode in a predetermined time unit, adds the number of acquisitions for each setting value, and stores it as a frequency. This represents setting frequency information. As a result, the input terminal and color mode setting value having the highest setting frequency (that is, setting time) can be grasped for each date and time information (day of the week and time).

  Returning to FIG. 1, the light source control unit 24 controls the supply and stop of power to the light source 11 based on an instruction from the control unit 20, and switches the light source 11 on and off.

  The input terminal group 30 includes a plurality of input terminals 30a capable of inputting various types of image signals from an external image supply device (not shown) such as a personal computer or a video player. The image signal input to each input terminal 30 a is supplied to the input selection unit 31.

  The input selection unit 31 selects one input terminal 30 a based on an instruction from the control unit 20 among the plurality of input terminals 30 a, and outputs an image signal input to the input terminal 30 a to the image processing unit 32.

  The image processing unit 32 converts the image signal input from the input selection unit 31 into image data representing the gradation of each pixel of the liquid crystal light valve 12, that is, image data for defining a driving voltage applied to each pixel. To do. Then, based on an instruction from the control unit 20, processing for adjusting brightness, contrast, sharpness, hue, and the like is performed on the converted image data. Furthermore, in order to enhance the expressive power of the image according to the content of the image and the projection environment, “gamma” adjustment that adjusts the basic γ characteristic, which is the basic gradation characteristic of the image, and accentuating the characteristic to the reference γ characteristic “Color mode” adjustment function to be performed. Image data that has undergone image quality adjustment and the like in the image processing unit 32 is output to the OSD processing unit 33.

  The OSD processing unit 33 performs processing for superimposing an OSD (on-screen display) image such as a menu screen or a message screen on image data input from the image processing unit 32 based on an instruction from the control unit 20. The OSD processing unit 33 includes an OSD memory (not shown), and stores OSD image data representing graphics, fonts, and the like for forming an OSD image. When the control unit 20 instructs to superimpose the OSD image, the OSD processing unit 33 reads necessary OSD image data from the OSD memory, and the image processing unit 32 so that the OSD image is superimposed at a predetermined position of the input image. The OSD image data is synthesized with the image data input from the. The image data combined with the OSD image data is output to the light valve driving unit 14. When there is no instruction to superimpose the OSD image from the control unit 20, the OSD processing unit 33 outputs the image data output from the image processing unit 32 to the light valve driving unit 14 as it is.

  The light valve driving unit 14 drives the liquid crystal light valve 12 according to the input image data. As a result, an image based on the image data is projected from the image projection unit 10 onto the screen SC.

  Next, the switching function of the input terminal 30a in the projector 1 will be described. When the user operates the input switching key provided in the input operation unit 21 while the projector 1 is activated, a screen for setting the input terminal 30a is displayed on the projection image of the projector 1.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of an input terminal setting screen.
When the user performs the above-described operation, the control unit 20 instructs the OSD processing unit 33 to superimpose the OSD image (input terminal setting screen M1) illustrated in FIG. 3 on the projection image.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of selectable input terminals 30a are displayed on the input terminal setting screen M1. Selectable input terminals 30a include “computer 1”, “computer 2”, “video 1”, “video 2”, and “video 3”. The user can use the cursor keys and enter key of the input operation unit 21. To select a desired input terminal 30a. When the input terminal 30a is selected by the user, the control unit 20 instructs the input selection unit 31 to select the selected input terminal 30a and the input selected in the input terminal storage unit 20a. The terminal 30a is stored as a set value. Then, the control unit 20 instructs the OSD processing unit 33 to end the superimposition of the input terminal setting screen M1.

  Next, the color mode switching function in the projector 1 will be described. When the user performs a predetermined operation using a menu key or a cursor key provided in the input operation unit 21 in a state where the projector 1 is activated, a screen for setting a color mode for the projected image of the projector 1 is displayed. Is displayed.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a color mode setting screen.
When the user performs the predetermined operation described above, the control unit 20 instructs the OSD processing unit 33 to superimpose the OSD image (color mode setting screen M2) illustrated in FIG. 4 on the projection image.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the color mode setting screen M2 displays a plurality of selectable color modes. Selectable color modes include “Living” suitable for viewing in a relatively bright environment, “Natural” for making pictures faithfully to the video source, and “Theatre” suitable for watching movies. A desired color mode is selected by operating the 21 cursor keys and the enter key. When the color mode is selected by the user, the control unit 20 instructs the image processing unit 32 according to the selected color mode and sets the selected color mode in the color mode storage unit 20b. Remember as. Then, the control unit 20 instructs the OSD processing unit 33 to end the superimposition of the color mode setting screen M2.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the user can switch the input terminal 30a or switch the color mode by operating the input operation unit 21.

  Next, update processing of the history information table T1 performed by the projector 1 every predetermined time will be described. When the current date and time information is output from the clock unit 22 to the control unit 20 every predetermined time (15 minutes) in a state where the projector 1 is activated, the control unit 20 performs history information update processing. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the history information update process of the projector 1.

  The control unit 20 inputs the current date and time information from the clock unit 22 (step S101). Then, the control unit 20 adds the frequency to the corresponding class in the history information table T1 based on the current date and time information and the set value of the current input terminal 30a stored in the input terminal storage unit 20a (step S102). ). Further, the control unit 20 adds the frequency to the corresponding class of the history information table T1 (frequency distribution table) based on the current date and time information and the current color mode setting value stored in the color mode storage unit 20b. (Step S103). The control unit 20 at this time corresponds to a history storage unit. Then, the history information update process ends.

  As described above, the projector 1 updates the history information table T1 that stores the setting history of the setting values of the input terminal 30a and the color mode every predetermined time.

  Next, processing in which the projector 1 selects and sets the input terminal 30a and the color mode based on the history information table T1 will be described. In the present embodiment, the projector 1 selects and sets the input terminal 30a and the color mode when the power is turned on. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the power-on process of the projector 1.

  When a power key provided in the input operation unit 21 is pressed and a power-on signal of the projector 1 is input, the control unit 20 performs an initial process (step S201). In this embodiment, the initialization process initializes a CPU and a memory such as a RAM. Also, initialization of other software and hardware is performed. Next, the control unit 20 instructs the light source control unit 24 to turn on the light source 11 (step S202).

  Next, the control unit 20 acquires the day and time information as the current date and time information from the clock unit 22 (step S203). Then, the control unit 20 selects the input terminal 30a having the highest frequency among the classes corresponding to the current date and time information in the history information table T1 of the history storage unit 23 (step S204). Furthermore, the control unit 20 selects the color mode with the highest frequency among the classes corresponding to the current date and time information in the history information table T1 (step S205). The control unit 20 at this time corresponds to an operation mode determination unit. The selected input terminal 30a and the color mode correspond to the next set value.

  The control unit 20 instructs the input selection unit 31 to switch to the selected input terminal 30a (step S206). And the control part 20 memorize | stores the selected input terminal 30a as a setting value in the input terminal memory | storage part 20a (step S207). In addition, the control unit 20 instructs the image processing unit 32 to switch to the selected color mode (step S208). Then, the control unit 20 stores the selected color mode as a set value in the color mode storage unit 20b. (Step S209). Then, the power-on process is terminated.

  As described above, when the power is turned on, the projector 1 can make a statistical determination from the frequency distribution of the history information table T1 and select and switch the input terminal 30a and the color mode.

According to the embodiment described above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The projector 1 adds the input terminal 30a and the color mode setting frequency every predetermined time, and updates the history information table T1. Thereby, based on the history information table T1, the tendency of the setting values of the past input terminal 30a and the color mode can be statistically grasped.

  (2) From the frequency distribution of the input terminal 30a and the color mode setting value stored in the history information table T1, the projector 1 has the highest frequency among the classes corresponding to the date and time information when the projector 1 is turned on. The input terminal 30a having a large number of colors and the setting value of the color mode are selected and switched. That is, in the date and time information when the projector 1 is turned on, it is possible to switch to the input terminal 30a and the color mode setting value that are used most frequently. Thereby, even if a user does not perform special operation, the projector 1 can set the suitable input terminal 30a and color mode according to setting frequency.

  (3) Since the projector 1 can select and switch the input terminal 30a and the color mode corresponding to the date and time information when the power is turned on, when a plurality of users use different projectors depending on the day of the week and the time of day. Each user can obtain an input terminal 30a and a color mode setting suitable for the user. For example, when the projector 1 is an educational institution such as a school and is used by a plurality of users for each timetable, a history information table T1 corresponding to the timetable is automatically created. Thereby, when a user uses, since the suitable input terminal 30a and color mode are selected and switched based on the history information table T1 corresponding to a timetable, it is useful.

  (4) Since the projector 1 selects and switches the input terminal 30a and the color mode when the power is turned on, the user does not need to perform an operation for setting the input terminal 30a and the color mode. High nature.

  In addition, it is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, It is possible to implement by adding various change, improvement, etc. A modification will be described below.

  (Modification 1) In the above embodiment, when the projector 1 is turned on, the input terminal 30a and the color mode are selected and switched based on the history information table T1, but a predetermined key operation is performed. At this time, the input terminal 30a and the color mode may be selected and switched based on the history information table T1. In this way, even after the user turns on the projector 1, the input terminal 30a and the color mode can be set at a desired timing (time).

  (Modification 2) In the above embodiment, when the projector 1 is turned on, the input terminal 30a and the color mode with the highest frequency are selected from the class of the history information table T1 corresponding to the date and time information. However, the input terminal 30a and the color mode with the highest frequency may be selected with a class within a predetermined range from the class as a selection range. For example, it is possible to select the input terminal 30a and the color mode having the highest total frequency as a selection range from the class in the range of one hour. In this way, the input terminal 30a and the color mode can be selected with reference to the vicinity of the time when the projector 1 is powered on.

  (Modification 3) In the above embodiment, the history is stored in the history information table T1, and the two modes of operation are the input terminal 30a and the color mode, which are selected and switched when the projector 1 is turned on. It is good also as one side.

  (Modification 4) In the above embodiment, the history is stored in the history information table T1, and the selection and switching when the projector 1 is turned on are the input terminal 30a and the color mode. It is not limited to. For example, operation modes such as brightness, contrast, sharpness, and hue may be set.

  (Modification 5) In the above embodiment, the transmissive liquid crystal light valve 12 is used as the light modulator, but a reflective light modulator such as a reflective liquid crystal light valve can also be used. In addition, it is possible to use a micromirror array device that modulates light emitted from a light source by controlling the emission direction of incident light for each micromirror as a pixel.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a projector according to an embodiment. The figure of a history information table. Explanatory drawing of an input terminal setting screen. Explanatory drawing of a color mode setting screen. The flowchart of the historical information update process of a projector. The flowchart of the power-on process of a projector.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Projector, 10 ... Image projection part, 11 ... Light source, 12 ... Liquid crystal light valve, 13 ... Projection lens, 14 ... Light valve drive part, 20 ... Control part, 20a ... Input terminal memory | storage part, 20b ... Color mode memory | storage part , 21 ... input operation part, 22 ... clock part, 23 ... history storage part, 24 ... light source control part, 30 ... input terminal group, 30a ... input terminal, 31 ... input selection part, 32 ... image processing part, 33 ... OSD Processing part.

Claims (6)

A projector that operates based on a set value of a set operation mode,
A history storage unit that stores setting history of past setting values of the operation mode as history information;
Based on the history information stored in the history storage unit, an operation mode determination unit that determines a next set value of the operation mode;
A projector comprising: The projector according to claim 1,
The history information stored in the history storage unit includes setting frequency information of the past setting values,
The projector, wherein the operation mode determination unit determines the next set value based on the setting frequency information of the history information. The projector according to claim 2,
It further includes a clock unit that measures date and time information as day and time information,
The projector according to claim 1, wherein the setting frequency information of the history storage unit is a frequency distribution for each date and time information regarding the past setting value of the operation mode. The projector according to claim 3, wherein
The operation mode determination unit selects a setting value having the highest frequency from the frequency distribution based on the date and time information when the projector is turned on, and sets the selected value as the next setting value. projector. The projector according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The projector according to claim 1, wherein the operation mode is an input terminal type setting mode. A projector according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The projector is characterized in that the operation mode is an image quality adjustment type setting mode.

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