JP2010243870A - Projector and its control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a projector and its control method, with which a user appreciates an image with a suitable image quality according to surrounding brightness, even if the user does not select an image adjusting mode. <P>SOLUTION: An illuminance sensor detects illuminance, and the detection result is obtained by a control section. Based on the detection result, an image quality adjustment mode is selected from a correspondence table Ta. In the correspondence table Ta, illuminance is classified into four illuminance ranges, and one image quality adjustment mode is related to each illuminance range. Concretely, "theater" is related to a first illuminance range (less than 40 luxes), "living" to a second illuminance range (40 luxes or more, and less than 200 luxes), "presentation" to a third illuminance range (200 luxes or more, and less than 1000 luxes), and "dynamic" to a fourth illuminance range (1000 luxes or more). The control section selects the image quality adjustment mode corresponding to the illuminance range of the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a projector that projects an image based on input image information and a control method thereof.

  As a projector that projects an image based on input image information, a projector that can adjust the image quality of a projected image according to a viewing environment or the like is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). With this projector, for example, when viewing an image in a bright environment, it is possible to view an image with excellent visibility even in a bright environment by performing image quality adjustments that enhance brightness and contrast. It becomes possible. On the other hand, when watching movies in a dark environment, you can adjust the image quality with more emphasis on color reproducibility than brightness and contrast. can do. The user can set the image quality adjustment mode to be applied from a plurality of image quality adjustment modes (color modes) according to the viewing environment or the like by operating the remote controller or the like.

JP 2007-74347 A

  However, some users who use the projector do not know that the image quality adjustment mode should be changed according to the viewing environment, or do not know which image quality adjustment mode is suitable for the current viewing environment. There are not a few users. Such a user continues to use the image quality adjustment mode that is the initial setting (default), or sets the image quality adjustment mode to an inappropriate image quality mode. Therefore, the user is viewing an image with an inappropriate image quality.

  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 has an image information input unit that receives image information, a light detection unit that detects ambient brightness, and an image quality based on a detection result of the light detection unit. A mode determination unit that selects an image quality adjustment mode for adjustment, an image quality adjustment unit that performs image quality adjustment on the image information based on the image quality adjustment mode selected by the mode determination unit, and the image quality adjustment performed An image projection unit that projects an image based on the image information.

  According to the projector, the mode determination unit selects the image quality adjustment mode based on the ambient brightness detected by the light detection unit, and the image quality adjustment unit adjusts the image information to the image information based on the selected image quality adjustment mode. Therefore, even if the user does not select the image quality adjustment mode himself / herself, the image can be viewed with an appropriate image quality according to the ambient brightness.

  Application Example 2 In the projector according to the application example, the light detection unit includes a first light detection unit that detects brightness in a direction other than the direction in which the image is projected, and the direction in which the image is projected. It is preferable that the mode determination unit selects the image quality adjustment mode based on detection results of the first and second light detection units.

  According to this projector, the brightness in the direction other than the projection direction and the brightness in the projection direction are detected by the first and second light detection units, respectively, and the image quality adjustment mode is selected based on the brightness of both. Thus, it is possible to view an image with an image quality more suitable for the surrounding situation.

  Application Example 3 In the projector according to the application example described above, the projector further includes a color detection unit that detects a color of a projection surface on which the image is projected, and the mode determination unit includes a detection result of the light detection unit, and the color It is desirable to select the image quality adjustment mode based on the detection result of the detection unit.

  According to this projector, since the image quality adjustment mode is selected based on the detection result (projection surface color) of the color detection unit in addition to the detection result of the light detection unit, an appropriate image quality according to the color of the projection surface is obtained. It becomes possible to appreciate images.

  Application Example 4 In the projector according to the application example, the mode determination unit extracts a plurality of image quality adjustment modes based on the detection result of the light detection unit, and then extracts the plurality of image quality adjustment modes extracted. A desired image quality adjustment mode may be selected from among them.

  According to this projector, since the desired image quality adjustment mode is selected from a plurality of image quality adjustment modes extracted based on the detection result of the light detection unit, an undesired image quality adjustment mode is selected. Disappears.

  Application Example 5 In the projector according to the application example described above, the mode determination unit extracts a plurality of image quality adjustment modes based on a detection result of the light detection unit, and then extracts the plurality of image quality adjustment modes extracted. Of these, an image quality adjustment mode that is frequently used may be selected.

  According to this projector, in order to select an image quality adjustment mode that is frequently used among a plurality of image quality adjustment modes extracted based on the detection result of the light detection unit, the user can select the user's preference without selecting himself / herself. It is possible to make a selection with consideration.

  Application Example 6 In the projector according to the application example described above, the mode determination unit extracts a plurality of image quality adjustment modes based on a detection result of the light detection unit, and then extracts the plurality of image quality adjustment modes extracted. Of these, the image quality adjustment mode used last may be selected.

  According to this projector, since the last used image quality adjustment mode is selected from among a plurality of image quality adjustment modes extracted based on the detection result of the light detection unit, the user can select the latest image quality adjustment mode without selecting himself / herself. It is possible to make a selection taking the situation into consideration.

  Application Example 7 In the projector according to the application example, when a plurality of image quality adjustment modes are extracted by the mode determination unit, the projector further includes a selection method setting unit that sets a method for selecting one of the image quality adjustment modes. The mode determination unit may select the image quality adjustment mode according to the method set by the selection method setting unit after extracting the plurality of image quality adjustment modes as candidates.

  The projector includes a selection method setting unit that sets a method for selecting one from a plurality of image quality adjustment modes, and the mode determination unit selects the image quality adjustment mode according to the method set by the selection method setting unit. Therefore, the image quality adjustment mode can be selected by a method according to preference.

  Application Example 8 A projector control method according to this application example is a projector control method for projecting an image based on input image information, and includes a light detection step for detecting ambient brightness and the light detection. A mode determining step for selecting an image quality adjustment mode for adjusting the image quality based on the detection result in the step, and an image quality for performing image quality adjustment on the image information based on the image quality adjustment mode selected in the mode determining step. An adjustment step.

  According to this projector control method, the image quality adjustment mode is selected in the mode determination step based on the ambient brightness detected in the light detection step, and further, in the image quality adjustment step based on the selected image quality adjustment mode. Since the image quality adjustment is performed on the image information, it is possible to view the image with an appropriate image quality according to the ambient brightness without the user himself selecting the image quality adjustment mode.

  When the projector and the control method described above are constructed using a computer provided in the projector, the form and the application example described above are a program for realizing the function, or the program is stored in the computer. It is also possible to constitute in the form of a recording medium or the like recorded so as to be readable by the user. Recording media include flexible discs, CD-ROMs, magneto-optical discs, IC cards, ROM cartridges, punch cards, printed matter printed with codes such as bar codes, projector internal storage devices (memory such as RAM and ROM), Various media that can be read by the computer, such as an external storage device, can be used.

It is the perspective view which shows the projector of 1st Embodiment, (a) is the figure which looked at the projector from the front side, (b) is the figure which looked at the projector from the back side. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a projector according to a first embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the mode setting menu of 1st Embodiment. The flowchart for demonstrating the mode selection process of 1st Embodiment. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the corresponding | compatible table of 1st Embodiment. 6 is a flowchart for explaining switching of an image quality adjustment mode following a change in illuminance. Explanatory drawing which shows the mode setting menu of 2nd Embodiment. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the corresponding | compatible table of 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart for demonstrating the mode selection process of 2nd Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the selection method designation | designated menu. Explanatory drawing which shows a mode selection menu. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the log | history information of 2nd Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the projector of 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a projector according to a third embodiment. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the corresponding | compatible table of 3rd Embodiment. The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the projector of 4th Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the mode setting menu of 4th Embodiment. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the corresponding | compatible table of 4th Embodiment. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the historical information of 4th Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
The projector according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.
1A and 1B are perspective views illustrating a projector according to the present embodiment, in which FIG. 1A is a diagram of the projector viewed from the front side, and FIG. 1B is a diagram of the projector viewed from the back side. It is.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the projector 1 of the present embodiment has a configuration covered with a housing 2, and an image is directed forward on the front surface 2 f of the housing 2. The projection lens 13 for projecting is exposed. A connection terminal 30a is disposed on the back surface 2b of the housing 2, and an external image output device (for example, a personal computer) 100 is connected to the connection terminal 30a via a cable. The projector 1 projects an image (hereinafter referred to as “input image”) Gi based on image information input from the image output apparatus 100 from a projection lens 13 onto a projection surface S such as a screen. Further, on the upper surface 2t of the housing 2, an input operation unit 22 in which an input operation is performed by a user and an illuminance sensor 23 for detecting ambient brightness are arranged.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the projector 1.
As shown in FIG. 2, the projector 1 includes an image projection unit 10, a control unit 20, a storage unit 21, an input operation unit 22, an illuminance sensor 23, an image information input unit 30, a scaler 31, an OSD processing unit 32, and an image quality adjustment unit. 33 or the like.

  The image projection unit 10 includes a light source 11, three liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B as light modulation devices, a projection lens 13 as a projection optical system, a light valve drive unit 14, and the like. The image projection unit 10 corresponds to a display unit, modulates the light emitted from the light source 11 with the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B, forms an image, and projects the image from the projection lens 13. Displayed on the projection surface S.

  The light source 11 includes a discharge-type light source lamp 11a made of an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, or the like, and a reflector 11b that reflects light emitted from the light source lamp 11a toward the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B. ing. Light emitted from the light source 11 is converted into light having a substantially uniform luminance distribution by an integrator optical system (not shown), and red (R), green (G), and blue, which are the three primary colors of light, by a color separation optical system (not shown). After being separated into each color light component of (B), it enters the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B, respectively.

  The liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B are configured by a liquid crystal panel in which liquid crystal is sealed between a pair of transparent substrates. The liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B are formed with a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix, and a driving voltage can be applied to the liquid crystal for each pixel. When the light valve driving unit 14 applies a driving voltage corresponding to the input image information to each pixel, each pixel is set to a light transmittance corresponding to the image information. For this reason, the light emitted from the light source 11 is modulated by transmitting through the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B, and an image corresponding to the image information is formed for each color light. The formed color images are synthesized for each pixel by a color synthesis optical system (not shown) to form a color image, and then enlarged and projected by the projection lens 13.

  The control unit 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory) used for temporary storage of various data, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores a control program, and the like (none of which are shown). Provided, and the CPU operates according to a control program stored in the ROM, thereby performing overall control of the operation of the projector 1. That is, the control unit 20 functions as a computer.

  The storage unit 21 is configured by a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or FeRAM (Ferroelectric RAM), and stores various setting data for defining the operating conditions of the projector 1. Is done.

  The input operation unit 22 receives an input operation from the user, and includes a plurality of operation keys for performing various instructions to the projector 1. The operation keys provided in the input operation unit 22 include a “power key” for switching power on / off, a “menu key” for displaying a menu image (not shown) for performing various settings, a menu image, and the like. The “direction keys” (four keys corresponding to up, down, left and right) used for selecting items, “decision keys” for confirming items selected in the menu image, etc., and “image quality adjustment mode” described later are set. Mode setting key ". When the user operates various operation keys of the input operation unit 22, the input operation unit 22 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation content of the user to the control unit 20. The input operation unit 22 may be configured using a remote control (not shown) capable of remote operation. In this case, the remote control transmits an infrared operation signal corresponding to the operation content of the user, and a receiving unit (not shown) receives the signal and transmits it to the control unit 20.

  The illuminance sensor 23 corresponds to a light detection unit, detects the brightness (illuminance) around the projector 1 based on an instruction from the control unit 20, and outputs the detection result to the control unit 20. In addition, in order to suppress the influence by the light (image) projected from the projection lens 13, it is desirable for the illuminance sensor 23 to detect brightness in a direction other than the front (projection direction) of the projector 1, and in this embodiment. Then, the brightness above the projector 1 is detected.

  The image information input unit 30 includes a connection terminal 30a (see FIG. 1B) for connecting to an external image output device 100 such as a personal computer or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) playback device via a cable. Accordingly, various types of image information (image signals) are input from the image output apparatus 100. The image information input unit 30 converts the image information input to the connection terminal 30 a into digital image information and outputs the digital image information to the scaler 31.

  The scaler 31 performs a process for adjusting the resolution (number of pixels) of the image information input from the image information input unit 30 to the resolution (number of pixels) of the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B, and the liquid crystal light valve 12R. , 12G, and 12B are converted into image information including a plurality of pixel values corresponding to all the pixels. The pixel value determines the light transmittance of the corresponding pixel, and the intensity (gradation) of light emitted from each pixel is defined by the pixel value. The scaler 31 outputs the converted image information to the OSD processing unit 32.

  The OSD processing unit 32 performs processing for displaying an OSD (On Screen Display) image such as a menu image or a message image on the input image Gi based on an instruction from the control unit 20. The OSD processing unit 32 includes an OSD memory (not shown) and stores OSD image information 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 32 reads the necessary OSD image information from the OSD memory, and the scaler so that the OSD image is superimposed at a predetermined position on the input image Gi. The OSD image information is combined with the image information input from 31. The image information combined with the OSD image information is output to the image quality adjustment unit 33. If there is no instruction to superimpose the OSD image from the control unit 20, the OSD processing unit 32 outputs the image information input from the scaler 31 to the image quality adjustment unit 33 as it is.

  The image quality adjustment unit 33 performs processing for adjusting the image quality on the image information input from the OSD processing unit 32 based on an instruction from the control unit 20, and outputs the processed image information to the light valve driving unit 14. To do. The user can select and set a desired one from a plurality of image quality adjustment modes by operating a mode setting key provided in the input operation unit 22. An image quality adjustment process according to the set image quality adjustment mode is performed. Details of the image quality adjustment unit 33 will be described later.

  When the light valve driving unit 14 drives the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B according to the image information input from the image quality adjustment unit 33, the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B display images corresponding to the image information (input images Gi). ) And the input image Gi is projected from the projection lens 13.

  When the mode setting key provided in the input operation unit 22 is operated by the user while the projector 1 is projecting the input image Gi, the control unit 20 instructs the OSD processing unit 32 to set the image quality adjustment mode. A mode setting menu Gc (see FIG. 3) for setting is displayed superimposed on the input image Gi. The mode setting menu Gc may be called from the main menu. For example, the mode setting menu Gc may be displayed in a superimposed manner when a predetermined operation is performed after the menu key is operated and the main menu is displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the mode setting menu Gc lists a plurality of selectable image quality adjustment modes. Specifically, the mode setting menu Gc includes, in order from the top, “dynamic” suitable for use in a bright room, “presentation” suitable for presentation, “living” suitable for use in a dim environment, dark A total of five items are described: “Theater” image quality adjustment mode suitable for watching movies in the environment, and “Auto” which automatically determines the image quality adjustment mode according to the ambient brightness. Yes. The user can select a desired item (image quality adjustment mode or “auto”) by operating the direction key of the input operation unit 22, and the item can be selected by operating the enter key after selection. Complete.

  When the user selects any of the four image quality adjustment modes other than “Auto”, the control unit 20 instructs the OSD processing unit 32 to end the superimposition of the mode setting menu Gc and to select the selected mode. The image quality adjustment mode is notified to the image quality adjustment unit 33, and the image information input from the OSD processing unit 32 is adjusted according to the image quality adjustment mode. Although not shown, the image quality adjustment unit 33 includes a plurality of LUTs (Look Up Tables) corresponding to each image quality adjustment mode. When the image quality adjustment mode is selected, the image quality adjustment unit 33 The LUT corresponding to the selected image quality adjustment mode is enabled. Thereafter, image quality adjustment is performed on the image information input from the OSD processing unit 32 by converting pixel values using an effective LUT.

  On the other hand, when “Auto” is selected by the user in the mode setting menu Gc, the control unit 20 executes the following mode selection process to adjust the ambient brightness from the above four image quality adjustment modes. Select the appropriate image quality adjustment mode.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the mode selection process. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the correspondence table stored in the storage unit 21, and shows correspondence between the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 23 and the image quality adjustment mode. When “auto” is selected by the user in the mode setting menu Gc, the control unit 20 operates according to the flow shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in step S <b> 101, the control unit 20 causes the illuminance sensor 23 to detect illuminance and acquires the detection result. In subsequent step S102, the control unit 20 selects an image quality adjustment mode from the correspondence table Ta based on the detection result of the illuminance sensor 23. As shown in FIG. 5, in the correspondence table Ta, the illuminance is divided into four illuminance ranges, and one image quality adjustment mode is associated with each illuminance range. Specifically, the first illuminance range (less than 40 lux) is “theater”, the second illuminance range (40 lux or more, less than 200 lux) is “living”, and the third illuminance range (200 lux or more). , Less than 1000 lux) is associated with “presentation”, and the fourth illumination range (1000 lux or more) is associated with “dynamic”. Then, the control unit 20 selects an image quality adjustment mode corresponding to the illuminance range of the illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 23.

  In step S103, the control unit 20 notifies the image quality adjustment unit 33 of the selected image quality adjustment mode, and starts image quality adjustment according to the image quality adjustment mode.

  In continuing step S104, the control part 20 memorize | stores the illuminance range (it is which of the 1st-4th illuminance range) of the detected illumination intensity in the memory | storage part 21, and complete | finishes a flow.

  As a result, an image quality adjustment mode corresponding to the ambient brightness is selected, and image quality adjustment corresponding to the image quality adjustment mode is performed on the image information. The input image Gi with the image quality adjusted is projected onto the projection surface S.

  Further, the control unit 20 detects a change in illuminance thereafter. When the illuminance changes, the image quality adjustment mode is switched following the change.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the switching of the image quality adjustment mode following the change in illuminance. The control unit 20 switches the image quality adjustment mode according to a change in ambient brightness by repeating the flow shown in FIG. 6 every predetermined time.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in step S <b> 201, the control unit 20 causes the illuminance sensor 23 to detect illuminance and acquires the detection result. In subsequent step S <b> 202, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the illuminance has changed based on the detection result of the illuminance sensor 23. Specifically, the control unit 20 determines that the illuminance range newly detected in step S201 is the illuminance range stored in the storage unit 21, that is, the illuminance detected in the previous mode selection process (see FIG. 4). It is judged whether it is the same as the illuminance range. And when it is the same illumination intensity range, a flow is complete | finished as a thing with no change in illumination intensity. On the other hand, when the illuminance ranges are different, it is determined that the illuminance has changed, the process proceeds to step S203, and the above-described mode selection process (see FIG. 4) is executed again. Then, an image quality adjustment mode corresponding to the new illuminance range is selected, and then the flow ends. As described above, when the brightness (illuminance) around the projector 1 changes, the image quality adjustment mode corresponding to the new illuminance is selected.

  Note that when the mode selection process is performed in step S203, since the detection of illuminance has been completed in step S201, the detection in step S101 may be omitted. That is, the image quality adjustment mode may be selected in step S102 based on the illuminance detected in step S201.

  As described above, according to the projector 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 20 selects the image quality adjustment mode and the image quality adjustment unit 33 is selected based on the ambient brightness detected by the illuminance sensor 23. Since the image quality is adjusted based on the image quality adjustment mode, the user can view the image with an appropriate image quality according to the ambient brightness without selecting the image quality adjustment mode by himself / herself.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 20 that executes step S102 of the mode selection process (see FIG. 4) and selects the image quality adjustment mode corresponds to the mode determination unit.

(Second Embodiment)
Hereinafter, the projector according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
The projector of this embodiment has the same hardware configuration as that of the first embodiment, but a part of the software configuration is different from that of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing the mode setting menu Gc of this embodiment, and FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the correspondence table Ta stored in the storage unit 21 of this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, display conforming to sRGB is performed in the four image quality adjustment modes (“dynamic”, “presentation”, “living room”, and “theater”) shown in the first embodiment. Seven items of “sRGB” and six image quality adjustment modes including “photo” suitable for displaying a still image and “auto” can be selected. When “Auto” is selected from these, one of the six image quality adjustment modes is selected based on the detection result of the illuminance sensor 23.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the correspondence table Ta of this embodiment is divided into four illuminance ranges as in the first embodiment, and the first illuminance range (less than 40 lux) includes “theater”, “Living” and “Photo” for the illuminance range of 2 (40 lux or more and less than 200 lux), “Presentation” and “sRGB” for the third illuminance range (200 lux and less than 1000 lux), 4th “Dynamic” is associated with the illuminance range (1000 lux or more). As described above, since the plurality of (two) image quality adjustment modes are associated with the second and third illuminance ranges, the illuminance range of the detected illuminance is the second or third illuminance range. In this case, it is necessary to select one of the two image quality adjustment modes.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the mode selection processing of the present embodiment. When “Auto” is selected in the mode setting menu Gc, the control unit 20 sets the image quality adjustment mode according to the flow shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in step S301, the control unit 20 causes the illuminance sensor 23 to detect illuminance, and acquires the detection result. In subsequent step S302, the control unit 20 selects (extracts) an image quality adjustment mode from the correspondence table Ta shown in FIG. 8 based on the detection result of the illuminance sensor 23. However, as described above, when the illuminance range of the detected illuminance is the first or fourth illuminance range, the image quality adjustment mode is fixed to one, but it is the second or third illuminance range. In this case, two image quality adjustment modes are extracted as candidates.

  In step S303, the control unit 20 determines whether one image quality adjustment mode has been determined or a plurality of candidates have been extracted. When the image quality adjustment mode is fixed to one, that is, the detected illuminance is the first illuminance range (less than 40 lux) or the fourth illuminance range (1000 lux or more), and the image quality adjustment mode is “theater”. Alternatively, if “dynamic” is determined, the process proceeds to step S308. On the other hand, when the detected illuminance is the second illuminance range or the third illuminance range and a plurality of candidates are extracted, the process proceeds to step S304.

  When a plurality of candidates are extracted and the process proceeds to step S304, the control unit 20 selects one image quality adjustment mode from the plurality of candidates according to a selection method set in advance by the user.

  The user can designate a selection method by a selection method designation menu Gp (see FIG. 10) that can be called from the main menu. When the user operates the menu key to display the main menu and performs a predetermined operation, the control unit 20 instructs the OSD processing unit 32 to superimpose the selection method specifying menu Gp on the input image Gi. . The selection method designation menu Gp includes, in order from the top, a menu for displaying a menu and allowing the user to select one image quality adjustment mode (“select with menu”) and a plurality of candidates (image quality adjustment mode). Among them, a second selection method for selecting the last used candidate (“select the last used mode”) and a third selection method for selecting a frequently used candidate among a plurality of candidates (“use” “Select frequently used mode”) is listed, and the user can specify a desired selection method by operating the direction key and the enter key of the input operation unit 22. Then, the control unit 20 stores the selection method designated by the user in the storage unit 21.

  That is, in step S304, the control unit 20 reads the selection method stored in the storage unit 21, and determines whether the selection method specified by the user is the first selection method or the second selection method. Or the third selection method. If it is the first selection method, the process proceeds to step S305. If it is the second selection method, the process proceeds to step S306. If it is the third selection method, the process proceeds to step S307.

  When the designated selection method is the first selection method and the process proceeds to step S305, the control unit 20 instructs the OSD processing unit 32 to select one from a plurality of candidates. A menu image (mode selection menu Gf) is displayed in a superimposed manner (see FIG. 11). The mode selection menu Gf lists a plurality of extracted candidates (image quality adjustment mode), and the user can select a desired image quality adjustment mode by operating the direction keys of the input operation unit 22. it can. When the enter key is operated after selection, the image quality adjustment mode is confirmed and the process proceeds to step S308.

  On the other hand, when the designated selection method is the second selection method and the process proceeds to step S306, the control unit 20 selects the last used candidate from the plurality of candidates, and proceeds to step S308. Transition. In addition, when the designated selection method is the third selection method and the process proceeds to step S307, the control unit 20 selects a frequently used candidate from the plurality of candidates and proceeds to step S308. To do. As will be described later in step S309, the storage unit 21 stores history information Th (see FIG. 12) based on the finally determined image quality adjustment mode history. Candidates used frequently or candidates that are frequently used are determined based on the history information Th, and the image quality adjustment mode is determined.

  When the image quality adjustment mode is determined and the process proceeds to step S308, the control unit 20 notifies the image quality adjustment unit 33 of the determined image quality adjustment mode, and starts image quality adjustment according to the image quality adjustment mode.

  In subsequent step S309, the control unit 20 updates the history information Th stored in the storage unit 21 based on the determined image quality adjustment mode, and ends the flow.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the history information Th.
As shown in FIG. 12, in the history information Th, in addition to the illuminance range of the illuminance detected in step S301, the usage frequency of each image quality adjustment mode (the cumulative number set so far) and the second illuminance Of the two image quality adjustment modes corresponding to the range (“living” and “photo”), the image quality adjustment mode used last and the two image quality adjustment modes corresponding to the third illumination range (“presentation” and “sRGB”). ”) Includes information such as the last used image quality adjustment mode, and in step S309, the control unit 20 determines these based on the image quality adjustment mode determined in step S302 or steps S305, S306, and S307. Update the information.

  Specifically, the control unit 20 stores the illuminance range of the illuminance detected in step S301 and increments the use frequency of the determined image quality adjustment mode. When the determined image quality adjustment mode is any one of “living”, “photo”, “presentation”, and “sRGB”, the information regarding the image quality adjustment mode used last is also updated. Even when an image quality adjustment mode other than “Auto” is selected in the mode setting menu Gc, the control unit 20 updates the use frequency in the history information Th based on the selection result of the user.

  As described above, when “Auto” is selected in the mode setting menu Gc, the control unit 20 selects the image quality adjustment mode according to the ambient brightness. Thereafter, as in the first embodiment, the flow shown in FIG. 6 is executed every predetermined time, and the image quality adjustment mode is switched following the change in illuminance. That is, in step S201, the control unit 20 causes the illuminance sensor 23 to detect illuminance and obtains the detection result. In subsequent step S202, the control unit 20 determines whether or not the illuminance has changed. Specifically, the control unit 20 determines that the illuminance range newly detected in step S201 is included in the history information Th stored in the storage unit 21, that is, the previous mode selection process (see FIG. 9). It is determined whether or not the illuminance range of the illuminance detected in (1) is the same. And when it is the same illumination intensity range, a flow is complete | finished as a thing with no change in illumination intensity. On the other hand, when the illuminance ranges are different, it is determined that the illuminance has changed, the process proceeds to step S203, and the above-described mode selection process (see FIG. 9) is executed again. Then, an image quality adjustment mode corresponding to the new illuminance range is selected, and then the flow ends. When the mode selection process is performed in step S203, the detection in step S301 may be omitted because the illuminance has been detected in step S201.

  As described above, according to the projector 1 of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the effects of the first embodiment.

  According to the projector 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to specify a method for selecting one of a plurality of extracted image quality adjustment modes. Therefore, the image quality adjustment mode can be selected by a method according to the user's preference. Is possible. Here, when the first selection method is designated, a desired image quality adjustment mode is selected from the menu from a plurality of image quality adjustment modes, and therefore an undesired image quality adjustment mode is selected. Disappears. In addition, when the second selection method is designated, the most recently used image quality adjustment mode is selected from among a plurality of image quality adjustment modes. It is possible to make a selection. In addition, when the third selection method is designated, the image quality adjustment mode that is frequently used is selected from among a plurality of image quality adjustment modes. Can be performed.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 20 when executing steps S302 to S307 of the mode selection process (see FIG. 9) to select the image quality adjustment mode corresponds to the mode determination unit. Further, the control unit 20, the OSD processing unit 32, and the input operation unit 22 for displaying the selection method designation menu Gp (see FIG. 10) and allowing the user to designate a desired selection method correspond to the selection method setting unit. To do.

(Third embodiment)
Hereinafter, the projector according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view illustrating the projector according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the projector according to the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the projector 1 of the present embodiment includes two illuminance sensors 23 and 24 as light detection units. Among these, the illuminance sensor 23 detects brightness (illuminance) in a direction other than the front (projection direction) of the projector 1. In this embodiment, the illuminance sensor 23 is the same as the illuminance sensor 23 of the first and second embodiments. The illuminance above the projector 1 is detected by being arranged on the upper surface 2t of the housing 2. On the other hand, the illuminance sensor 24 detects brightness (illuminance) in front of the projector 1 (projection direction), and is disposed on the front surface 2 f of the housing 2. The two illuminance sensors 23 and 24 detect illuminance based on an instruction from the control unit 20 and output the detection result to the control unit 20. The hardware configuration other than the above is the same as in the first and second embodiments.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the correspondence table Ta stored in the storage unit 21 of the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 15, the correspondence table Ta of the present embodiment includes an illuminance range of illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 23 (“illuminance range 1”) and an illuminance range of illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 24 (“illuminance” The image quality adjustment mode is selected based on both of the range 2 "). In this correspondence table Ta, the detection results (illuminance) of the two illuminance sensors 23 and 24 are each divided into four illuminance ranges, and are divided into 16 blocks (events) in total. Each block is compatible with one or more of the six image quality adjustment modes: "Dynamic", "Presentation", "Living Room", "Theater", "sRGB", and "Photo". It is attached. Specifically, each block is a block associated with only “theater”, a block associated with only “dynamic”, and a block associated with two image quality adjustment modes of “living” and “photo”. , “Presentation” and “sRGB” correspond to one of the blocks associated with the two image quality adjustment modes.

  In this embodiment, when “Auto” is selected in the mode setting menu Gc (see FIG. 7), the control unit 20 executes the mode selection process shown in FIG. Thereafter, by repeating the flow shown in FIG. 6 every predetermined time, the image quality adjustment mode is switched according to the change in illuminance.

  Here, in this embodiment, when the illuminance is detected in step S301 (see FIG. 9), the illuminance is detected by both of the two illuminance sensors 23 and 24. However, the illuminance sensor 24 detects the illuminance in the projection direction and is directly affected by the brightness of the projected light (image). Therefore, when the illuminance sensor 24 detects the illuminance, Thus, the projection of the image from the image projection unit 10 is stopped (strictly, a black image is projected), and the illuminance is detected during that time. In step S302, an image quality adjustment mode is selected from the correspondence table Ta based on the illuminance range detected by both the illuminance sensors 23 and 24.

On the other hand, when a change in illuminance is detected in step S202 (see FIG. 6), a determination is made based only on the detection result of the illuminance sensor 23 (illuminance in a direction other than the projection direction). Therefore, in step S201, it is not necessary to detect the illuminance in the projection direction, and the history information Th updated in step S309 (see FIG. 9) need not include the illuminance range of the illuminance in the projection direction.
Other steps are the same as in the second embodiment.

  As described above, according to the projector 1 of the present embodiment, the brightness in the direction of the projection plane and the brightness in the direction other than the projection plane are detected by the two illuminance sensors 23 and 24, and the brightness of both is detected. Since the image quality adjustment mode is selected based on this, it is possible to view the image with an image quality more suitable for the surrounding situation.

  In the present embodiment, the illuminance sensor 23 that detects the brightness in a direction other than the projection direction of the projector 1 corresponds to the first light detection unit, and the illuminance sensor 24 that detects the brightness in the projection direction is the first illuminance sensor 24. This corresponds to the second light detection unit.

(Fourth embodiment)
Hereinafter, a projector according to a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the projector according to the present embodiment.

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the projector 1 according to the present embodiment includes an illuminance sensor 23 as a light detection unit that detects brightness (illuminance) in a direction other than the projection direction (for example, upward), and the front of the projector 1 (projection). And an image sensor 25 capable of imaging (direction). The image sensor 25 includes an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor (not shown). The image sensor 25 detects the color of the projection surface S based on the imaging result, and the detection result is controlled by 20 is output. The image sensor 25 also functions as an illuminance sensor (light detection unit), and can detect the brightness (illuminance) in front of the projector 1.
The hardware configuration other than the above is the same as that of the third embodiment.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the mode setting menu Gc of this embodiment, and FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the correspondence table Ta stored in the storage unit 21 of this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 17, in this embodiment, the six image quality adjustment modes (“dynamic”, “presentation”, “sRGB”, “living”, “photo”, “theater” shown in the second and third embodiments are used. ")" And seven image quality adjustment modes including "blackboard" that is natural tones when projected onto a blackboard, and "auto" can be selected.

  As illustrated in FIG. 18, the correspondence table Ta of the present embodiment includes an illuminance range (“illuminance range 1”) detected by the illuminance sensor 23 and an illuminance range (“illuminance” detected by the image sensor 25). The image quality adjustment mode is selected based on the range 2 ”) and the color of the projection surface S imaged by the image sensor 25. The illuminance detected by the illuminance sensor 23 and the image sensor 25 is divided into four illuminance ranges, and the color of the projection plane S is divided into white or black. That is, the block is divided into 32 blocks (events) in total, and each block is associated with one or a plurality of image quality adjustment modes among the seven image quality adjustment modes.

  In the present embodiment, when “Auto” is selected in the mode setting menu Gc (see FIG. 17), the control unit 20 executes the mode selection process shown in FIG. 9 to set the image quality adjustment mode, and Thereafter, by repeating the flow shown in FIG. 6 every predetermined time, the image quality adjustment mode is switched according to the change in illuminance.

  Here, in this embodiment, when detecting the illuminance in step S301 (see FIG. 9), the illuminance is detected by both the illuminance sensor 23 and the image sensor 25, and the color of the projection plane S is changed by the image sensor 25. Determine. However, the image sensor 25 detects the illuminance and color in the projection direction and is directly affected by the brightness of the projected light (image). Therefore, the image sensor 25 detects the illuminance and the projection plane S. When determining the color, the projection of the image from the image projection unit 10 is stopped instantaneously (strictly, the state in which a black image is projected), and the illuminance and color are detected during that time. In step S302, the image quality adjustment mode is selected from the correspondence table Ta based on the illuminance range detected by both the illuminance sensor 23 and the image sensor 25 and the color of the projection surface S.

On the other hand, when a change in illuminance is detected in step S202 (see FIG. 6), a determination is made based only on the detection result of the illuminance sensor 23 (illuminance in a direction other than the projection direction). For this reason, in step S201, it is not necessary to detect the illuminance in the projection direction, and the history information Th updated in step S309 (see FIG. 9) need not include the illuminance range of the illuminance in the projection direction. In the present embodiment, since “blackboard” is included in the image quality adjustment mode, as shown in FIG. 19, the history information Th of the present embodiment includes the frequency of use of “blackboard”. In the present embodiment, since the image quality adjustment mode used last may be selected from a plurality of candidates including “blackboard” in step S306 (see FIG. 9), the history information Th is selected. Contains information that is referenced when doing so.
Other steps are the same as in the second embodiment.

  As described above, according to the projector 1 of the present embodiment, since the image quality adjustment mode is selected based on the color of the projection surface S in addition to the ambient brightness, an appropriate value corresponding to the color of the projection surface S is selected. It is possible to view images with high image quality.

  In the present embodiment, the illuminance sensor 23 that detects the brightness in a direction other than the projection direction corresponds to a first light detection unit. The image sensor 25 that detects the brightness in the projection direction corresponds to a second light detection unit and also corresponds to a color detection unit.

  In the present embodiment, the image sensor 25 is configured to detect both the brightness in the projection direction and the color of the projection plane S. However, the image sensor 25 detects only the color of the projection plane S. May be. That is, the image quality adjustment mode may be selected based on the ambient brightness detected by the illuminance sensor 23 and the color of the projection plane S detected by the image sensor 25.

(Modification)
In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.

  In the above-described embodiment, the three-plate projector using the three liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B as the light modulation device has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to form an image with one liquid crystal light valve that includes sub-pixels that can transmit R light, G light, and B light in each pixel.

  In the above-described embodiment, the transmissive liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B are used as the light modulator, but a reflective light modulator such as a reflective liquid crystal light valve can also be used. Also, a micromirror array device that modulates the light emitted from the light source 11 by controlling the emission direction of the incident light for each micromirror as a pixel can be used.

  In the above embodiment, the light source 11 is constituted by the discharge-type light source lamp 11a. However, a solid light source such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode) light source or other light sources may be used.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Projector, 2 ... Housing | casing, 10 ... Image projection part, 11 ... Light source, 11a ... Light source lamp, 11b ... Reflector, 12R, 12G, 12B ... Liquid crystal light valve, 13 ... Projection lens, 14 ... Light valve drive part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Control part, 21 ... Memory | storage part, 22 ... Input operation part, 23, 24 ... Illuminance sensor, 25 ... Image sensor, 30 ... Image information input part, 30a ... Connection terminal, 31 ... Scaler, 32 ... OSD process part, 33 ... Image quality adjusting unit, 100 ... Image output device, Gi ... Input image, Gc ... Mode setting menu, Gf ... Mode selection menu, Gp ... Selection method designation menu, S ... Projection plane, Ta ... Correspondence table, Th ... History information .

Claims (8)

An image information input unit for inputting image information;
A light detector for detecting ambient brightness;
A mode determination unit for selecting an image quality adjustment mode for adjusting the image quality based on the detection result of the light detection unit;
An image quality adjustment unit that performs image quality adjustment on the image information based on the image quality adjustment mode selected by the mode determination unit;
An image projection unit that projects an image based on the image information subjected to the image quality adjustment;
A projector characterized by comprising: The projector according to claim 1,
The light detection unit includes a first light detection unit that detects brightness in a direction other than the direction in which the image is projected, and a second light detection unit that detects brightness in a direction in which the image is projected. With
The mode determination unit selects the image quality adjustment mode based on detection results of the first and second light detection units. The projector according to claim 1 or 2,
A color detection unit for detecting a color of a projection surface on which the image is projected;
The projector, wherein the mode determination unit selects the image quality adjustment mode based on a detection result of the light detection unit and a detection result of the color detection unit. The projector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The mode determination unit extracts a plurality of image quality adjustment modes based on a detection result of the light detection unit, and then selects a desired image quality adjustment mode from the extracted image quality adjustment modes. Projector. The projector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The mode determination unit extracts a plurality of image quality adjustment modes based on a detection result of the light detection unit, and then selects a frequently used image quality adjustment mode from the extracted image quality adjustment modes. Projector. The projector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The mode determining unit extracts a plurality of image quality adjustment modes based on a detection result of the light detection unit, and then selects a last used image quality adjustment mode from among the extracted image quality adjustment modes. A projector characterized by that. The projector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
When a plurality of image quality adjustment modes are extracted by the mode determination unit, a selection method setting unit that sets a method for selecting one of the image quality adjustment modes is further provided.
The mode determination unit, after extracting the plurality of image quality adjustment modes as candidates, selects the image quality adjustment mode according to the method set by the selection method setting unit. A method of controlling a projector that projects an image based on input image information,
A light detection step for detecting ambient brightness;
A mode determination step for selecting an image quality adjustment mode for adjusting the image quality based on the detection result in the light detection step;
An image quality adjustment step of performing image quality adjustment on the image information based on the image quality adjustment mode selected in the mode determination step;
A projector control method comprising:

Images