JP2012217070A - Projector and projection method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a projector capable of projecting an image suitable for observation.SOLUTION: A projector 100 comprises: a projection unit 190 that projects an image on a projection object; a determination unit 160 that determines whether a viewing distance as a distance from the image projected on the projection object to an observation position of the image is suitable for an image size relating to the size of the image projected on the projection object; and a control unit 150 that performs control for changing the size or type of the image when it is determined by the determination unit 160 that the viewing distance is not suitable for the image size.

Description

  The present invention relates to a projector and a projection method.

  In the case of a television, since it is used in a relatively small room and the size of the image is fixed, an optimal observation position for viewing 3D video or the like need not be considered much. On the other hand, in the case of a projector, since it is used in a room of various sizes and the size of an image is also variable, it is necessary to sufficiently consider an optimal observation position. Specifically, in order to optimally observe a 3D image, it is necessary to observe at a position three times the length of the displayed image in the vertical direction. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-140442, an image display device that detects the head position of an observer and drives the seat surface up and down according to the head position in order to correspond to the sitting height and height of the observer of the image. Is described.

JP 2000-140442 A

  However, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-140442, it is necessary to prepare a seating surface that can be driven up and down for each observer, and since the adjustment range of the observation position is narrow, an unspecified number of observers have various sizes. It is not possible to appropriately cope with the usage status of the projector that observes the image in the room.

  Some embodiments according to the present invention provide a projector and a projection method capable of projecting an image suitable for observation by solving the above-described problems.

  The projector according to one aspect of the present invention includes a projection unit that projects an image on a projection target, and a viewing distance that is a distance from the image projected on the projection target to the observation position of the image. A determination unit that determines whether or not the image size related to the size of the image projected on the object is suitable, and the image that is determined by the determination unit that the viewing distance does not conform to the image size. And a control unit that performs control to change the size or type of.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a projection method in which a projector has a projection distance projected from the image projected onto the projection target to the viewing position of the image. It is determined whether or not the image size relating to the size of the image is suitable, and if it is determined that the viewing distance is not suitable for the image size, control is performed to change the size or type of the image, and the control is performed. The image is projected onto the projection object in a state where the projection is performed.

  According to the present invention, when it is determined that the viewing distance does not match the image size, the projector can project an image suitable for observation by changing the size or type of the image.

  In addition, as the control for changing the size, the control unit may perform control for reducing the image when the determination unit determines that the viewing distance is shorter than the image size. According to this, the projector can project an image having a size suitable for observation by reducing and projecting the image when the viewing distance is shorter than the image size.

  The projection unit projects a 3D image as the image, the determination unit determines whether or not a condition that the viewing distance is short with respect to the image size is satisfied, and the control unit As a control for changing the above, a control for projecting a 2D video instead of the 3D video may be performed. According to this, when the viewing distance is short with respect to the image size, the projector can project a type of image suitable for observation by projecting the 2D video instead of the 3D video.

  The projector may include a viewing distance determination unit that determines the viewing distance based on a focus value in the projection unit or an imaging signal value obtained by imaging. According to this, the projector can perform control according to the latest viewing distance.

  In addition to the focus value or the imaging signal value, the viewing distance determination unit is configured to determine the viewing distance based on a relative position of a remote controller or a relative position of 3D glasses with respect to the projector, or a lens shift value related to the projection unit. May be determined. According to this, the projector can determine the viewing distance more accurately.

  An image size determination unit that determines the image size based on a focus value and a zoom value related to the projection unit, an aspect ratio of the image, or an imaging signal value obtained by imaging may be included. According to this, the projector can perform control according to the latest image size.

  The determination unit may determine whether the viewing distance is suitable for the image size based on an attribute value related to an age of an observer of the image. According to this, the projector can project an image suitable for the age of the observer.

It is a figure which shows the projection condition in a 1st Example. It is a functional block diagram of the projector in a 1st Example. FIG. 2 is a hardware block diagram of the projector in the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the projection procedure in a 1st Example. It is a figure which shows the projection condition after adjustment in a 1st Example. It is a functional block diagram of the projector in a 2nd Example. It is a flowchart which shows the projection procedure in a 2nd Example. It is a functional block diagram of the projector in a 3rd Example.

  Embodiments in which the present invention is applied to a projector will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the Example shown below does not limit the content of the invention described in the claim at all. In addition, all the configurations shown in the following embodiments are not necessarily essential as means for solving the invention described in the claims.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a projection situation in the first embodiment. The projector 100 has a function of projecting 3D video and 2D video on the screen (projection object) 10 as the image 20. The projector 100 may project a moving image or a still image as the image 20. Here, it is assumed that the projector 100 projects a 3D video (moving image) as the image 20.

  An adult observer 50 puts on 3D glasses 40, an elementary school observer 52 puts on 3D glasses 42, and operates the projector 100 by using a remote controller (remote controller) 30 to project the image 20 for observation. The persons 50 and 52 observe the image 20 projected on the screen 10.

  According to the “3DC Safety Guidelines” established by the 3D Consortium, when a 3D image is observed, the viewing distance L1 is 3 with respect to the vertical length (height) H1 of the image 20 projected on the screen 10. A position that is approximately double is defined as the optimum and safe observation position. The projector 100 has a function of adjusting the size of the image 20 to a size suitable for 3D video observation when the viewing distance does not match the image size (H1). Next, functional blocks of the projector 100 having such functions will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the projector 100 according to the first embodiment. The projector 100 includes a signal input unit 110 to which an image signal or the like is input from an image supply device such as a DVD player (not shown), a storage unit 120, an image size determination unit 130 that determines an image size, and a viewing distance that determines a viewing distance. The distance determination unit 140, the control unit 150, the determination unit 160, a reception unit 170 that receives a signal from the remote controller 30, and a projection unit 190 are configured. The storage unit 120 stores image data 122 and the like. The projection unit 190 includes an image generation unit 191, a lens unit 192, a lens driving unit 194 that drives the lens unit 192, and a position detection unit 196 that detects the position of the lens unit 192. Note that the projector 100 may include an audio generation unit, an audio output unit, and the like.

  The projector 100 may function as each of these units using the following hardware. FIG. 3 is a hardware block diagram of the projector 100 according to the first embodiment. For example, the signal input unit 110 is an HDMI terminal 910, 911, a selector 912, a reception circuit 914, etc., and the storage unit 120 is a RAM 920, a flash ROM 922, etc., an image size determination unit 130, a viewing distance determination unit 140, a control unit 150, a determination The unit 160 is a CPU 930, the receiving unit 170 is a receiving unit 950, and the projection unit 190 is an image processing circuit 940, a lamp driving circuit 990, a lamp 991, an illumination optical system 992, a liquid crystal driving circuit 993, a liquid crystal light valve 994, and a lens. 995 etc. may be sufficient. Note that the lens 995 is actually composed of a plurality of lenses such as a zoom lens, a focus lens, and a projection lens.

  The lens driving unit 194 for performing focus adjustment and angle of view (zoom) adjustment includes a motor 972, a motor driving circuit 970 that drives the motor 972, a speed reduction mechanism 974 that adjusts the rotation speed of the motor 972, and rotation of the motor 972. The position detection unit 196 for the purpose may be a conversion mechanism 976 that converts the motion into a linear motion, and the position detection unit 196 for this purpose is connected to the speed reduction mechanism 974, and a lens 995 (focus lens or zoom lens) via the speed reduction mechanism 974. The encoder 978 or the like for acquiring the position information may be used. The lens driving unit 194 for performing the lens shift may be a motor driving circuit 980, a motor 982, a speed reduction mechanism 984, a conversion mechanism 986, and the like, and the position detection unit 196 for the purpose is the conversion mechanism 986. Or a linear sensor 988 that acquires position information of the lens 995 (projection lens) via the conversion mechanism 986.

  Next, a procedure for projecting the image 20 by the projector 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a projection procedure in the first embodiment. The observers 50 and 52 use the remote controller 30 to instruct to adjust the size of the image 20. The lens driving unit 194 drives the lens unit 192 in accordance with the instruction from the receiving unit 170. The position detection unit 196 transmits the zoom position of the lens unit 192 according to the driving to the image size determination unit 130 as a zoom value.

  In addition, the observers 50 and 52 use the remote controller 30 to instruct to adjust the focus of the image 20. The lens driving unit 194 drives the lens unit 192 in accordance with the instruction from the receiving unit 170. The position detection unit 196 transmits the focus position of the lens unit 192 according to the driving to the image size determination unit 130 and the viewing distance determination unit 140 as a focus value.

  The image size determination unit 130 determines the image size (H1) based on the focus value, the zoom value, and the image signal indicating the aspect ratio of the image 20 from the signal input unit 110, and the viewing distance determination unit 140 sets the focus value. Based on this, the viewing distance (L1) is determined (step S1). At this time, it is assumed that the viewers 50 and 52 are observing the image 20 at a position close to the projector 100. Note that the image size determination unit 130 may determine the image size (H1) according to the designation when the aspect ratio of the image 20 is designated by the viewers 50 and 52.

  The determination unit 160 determines whether the image size determined by the image size determination unit 130 is compatible with the viewing distance determined by the viewing distance determination unit 140 (step S2). For example, when H1 is 1.50 m in a situation where a 3D image is observed, 4.50 m is the optimum viewing distance. If 10% is allowed as an error, the determination unit 160 determines that the viewing distance (L1) is compatible with the image size if the viewing distance (L1) is 4.05 m to 4.95 m.

  If the viewing distance does not match the image size, the control unit 150 controls the projection unit 190 to change the size of the image 20 (step S3). For example, in the above example, when the viewing distance is less than 4.05 m, the control unit 150 controls the projection unit 190 to reduce the size of the image 20 while maintaining the aspect ratio. Specifically, for example, when the viewing distance is 3.90 m, the control unit 150 performs control so that H1 is 1.30 m if the optimum value is set, and the size of the image 20 is within an allowable range. If the change is reduced, control is performed so that H1 is 1.43 m. In the above example, when the viewing distance exceeds 4.95 m, the control unit 150 may control the projection unit 190 so as to enlarge the size of the image 20 while maintaining the aspect ratio.

  The projection unit 190 generates an image 20 based on the image data 122 input from the signal input unit 110 and stored in the storage unit 120 by the control unit 150, and projects the image 20 on the screen 10 (step S4). The lens driving unit 194 can adjust the size of the image 20 by adjusting the zoom state of the lens unit 192 in accordance with the control in step S3.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a projection state after adjustment in the first embodiment. For example, when the size of the image 21 is reduced, the projection unit 190 reduces the size of the image 21 so that the height H2 of the image 21 matches the viewing distance L1, as shown in FIG. 21 can be projected.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the projector 100 changes the size of the image 20 when it is determined that the viewing distance does not match the image size when observing the 3D video. The image 21 suitable for video observation can be projected. Thereby, the observers 50 and 52 can observe the image 21 in a safe and comfortable state.

(Second embodiment)
When the viewing distance does not match the image size, the projector 100 changes the size of the image 20 in the first embodiment, but the projector may change the type of the image 20 to project.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the projector 101 in the second embodiment. The projector 101 has the same configuration as the projector 100, but the control unit 151 controls the projection unit 190 to change the 3D video to the 2D video when the viewing distance does not match the image size. It is different from 100. In this embodiment, it is assumed that an image signal for 3D video is input to the signal input unit 110.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a projection procedure in the second embodiment. The image size determining unit 130 determines the image size based on the focus value, the zoom value, and the image signal indicating the aspect ratio of the image 20 from the signal input unit 110, and the viewing distance determining unit 140 is based on the focus value. The distance is determined (step S11). The determination unit 160 determines whether or not the image size determined by the image size determination unit 130 is compatible with the viewing distance determined by the viewing distance determination unit 140 (step S12).

  If the viewing distance does not match the image size, the control unit 151 controls the projection unit 190 to change the 3D video to the 2D video (step S13). Note that a general method can be adopted as a method of changing from 3D video to 2D video. The projection unit 190 projects a 3D video image or a 2D video image 20 (step S14).

  As described above, according to this embodiment as well, the projector 101 has the same operational effects as those of the first embodiment. In particular, according to the present embodiment, the projector 101 can project the image 20 that is safe and comfortable for the viewers 50 and 52 without changing the size of the image 20.

(Third embodiment)
In the embodiment described above, the projectors 100 and 101 determine the image size and the viewing distance based on the focus value or the like, but the projector is based on the imaging signal value generated by imaging the image 20 projected on the screen 10. The image size and viewing distance may be determined.

  FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of the projector 102 in the third embodiment. The projector 102 has the same configuration as the projector 100, but includes an imaging unit 180 that captures the image 20 projected on the screen 10, and the control unit 152 stores the imaging signal value from the imaging unit 180 as imaging data 124. 121, and the projector 100 is different from the projector 100 in that the image size determination unit 131 determines the image size based on the imaging data 124, and the viewing distance determination unit 141 determines the viewing distance based on the imaging data 124. Note that the imaging unit 180 may be mounted on the projector 101 using, for example, a CMOS sensor.

  For example, the image size determination unit 131 can determine that the image size has decreased if the size of the image 20 included in the captured image decreases due to the change in the zoom state. In addition, for example, the viewing distance determination unit 141 can determine that the viewing distance has increased if the size of the image 20 included in the captured image is reduced without changing the zoom state, and the viewer 50 can view the captured image. , 52 is included, it can be determined that the actual viewing distance is shorter than the viewing distance L1 (the distance between the projectors 100 to 102 and the images 20 and 21 projected on the screen 10).

  As described above, also according to the present embodiment, the projector 102 has the same function and effect as the above-described embodiment.

(Other examples)
In addition, application of this invention is not limited to the Example mentioned above, A deformation | transformation is possible. For example, you may combine the structure of the Example mentioned above. For example, the lens driving unit 194 may execute autofocus based on the imaging data 124, and the viewing distance determination units 140 and 141 may determine the viewing distance based on a focus value by autofocus.

  For example, when the reception unit 170 is provided in front of and behind the projectors 100 to 102, the viewing distance determination units 140 and 141 correspond to the reception position of the signal from the remote controller 30 (relative position of the remote control 30). A viewing distance L2 (see FIG. 1) that is the distance from the image 20 to the remote controller 30 may be determined. Similarly, the viewing distance determination units 140 and 141 correspond to the viewing distance L3 (see FIG. 1), which is the distance from the image 20 to the 3D glasses 42, according to the relative position of the 3D glasses 42 (for example, front, back, left, and right). ) May be determined.

  Further, the viewing distance determination units 140 and 141 may determine the viewing distance that is the distance from the image 20 to the viewers 50 and 52 according to the lens shift value related to the projection unit 190 (for example, the lens shift to the left). If it is determined that the viewers 50 and 52 are positioned on the left with respect to the projector 100, and if the lens is shifted to the right, the viewers 50 and 52 are positioned on the right with respect to the projector 100. Etc.).

  Specifically, for example, if the relative positions of the observers 50 and 52 are the left and right of the projector 100, the viewing distance determination units 140 and 141 determine the value obtained by adding 0.5 m to the viewing distance L1 as the viewing distance. If the relative positions of the viewers 50 and 52 are in front of the projector 100, a value obtained by subtracting 1 m from the viewing distance L1 is determined as the viewing distance, and if the relative positions of the viewers 50 and 52 are behind the projector 100, A value obtained by adding 1 m to the viewing distance L1 may be determined as the viewing distance.

  According to these, the projectors 100 to 102 can determine the viewing distance more accurately. Even when the reception unit 170 is provided at one location of the projectors 100 to 102, for example, the remote controller 30 and the 3D glasses 40 and 42 emit infrared light having different light emission patterns in the front, rear, left, and right. Thus, the viewing distance determination units 140 and 141 can determine the relative position.

  Further, the determination unit 160 may determine whether the viewing distance is suitable for the image size based on the attribute values related to the age of the viewers 50 and 52. For example, since the observer 52 is an elementary school student, the width of the eyes is narrower than that of the observer 50, and the stereoscopic effect of the image 20 is larger than that of the observer 50. Specifically, for example, when the reception unit 170 receives a signal from the 3D glasses 42 for children, or when user data indicating that the age of the observer 52 is the child's age is stored, the determination is made. The unit 160 may transmit the image 20 to the control unit 152 so that the size of the image 20 is smaller than usual. According to this, the projectors 100 to 102 can project the images 20 and 21 having a size suitable for the age of the viewers 50 and 52.

  Further, the image size determination units 130 and 131 may determine the image size according to the image size input by the viewers 50 and 52, and the viewing distance determination units 140 and 141 are determined by the viewers 50 and 52. The viewing distance may be determined according to the input viewing distance. In the above-described embodiment, the viewing distance is the distance from the center position of the images 20 and 21, but is not limited to the center position of the images 20 and 21, for example, the center position of the optical axis of the projection light Etc.

  Further, the determination unit 160 sets the allowable value when determining whether the viewing distance is compatible with the image size as 10% vertically, but the allowable value is not limited to 10% vertically. For example, the determination unit 160 may determine the number of observers 50 and 52 based on the number of 3D glasses 40 and 42 (for example, the number of types of identification signals included in infrared signals from the 3D glasses 40 and 42) and captured images. The allowable value may be increased as the number of people increases. Further, the viewing distance serving as a reference for the determination is not limited to three times the height of the image 20. For example, the viewing distance intended by the producer of the 3D video signal may be applied.

  Further, the value from which the image size is determined is not limited to the aspect ratio indicated by the image signal and the aspect ratio specified by the user. For example, when a part of the images 20 and 21 is a 2D caption when projecting a 3D video, the image size determination units 130 and 131 may determine the image size excluding the caption part.

  Further, the projectors 100 to 102 may adjust the sizes of the images 20 and 21 when projecting 2D video. For example, if the range in which the viewers 50 and 52 can recognize characters and the like in the horizontal direction is 100 degrees, the image size (here, the length in the horizontal direction) exceeds 100 degrees with respect to the observation position. In this case, the control units 150 to 152 may reduce the size of the image by controlling the projection unit 190 so that the image size becomes 100 degrees or less.

  In the above-described embodiment, the control units 150 to 152 perform control to change the size or type of the image 20 by controlling the projection unit 190, but the control target is not limited to the projection unit 190. . For example, when the projectors 100 to 102 include an update unit, the control units 150 to 152 control the update unit to update the setting value indicating the size of the image 20 based on the user settings. The size of the image 20 may be changed, or the type of the image 20 may be changed by updating the set value of the type of the image 20. Similarly, the control units 150 to 152 may control the image generation unit 191. Note that the change of the type of the image 20 is not limited to the change from 3D video to 2D video, and may be, for example, change from a 3D video with a strong stereoscopic effect to a 3D video with a low stereoscopic effect.

  Further, the computers included in the projectors 100 to 102 may function as the control units 150 to 152 by reading a program stored in the information storage medium. As such an information storage medium, for example, a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, ROM, RAM, HDD, or the like can be applied.

  Note that the projection target is not limited to the screen 10 and may be, for example, a wall, a whiteboard, a blackboard, or the like. Further, the projectors 100 to 102 are not limited to liquid crystal projectors (transmission type, reflection type such as LCOS), and may be, for example, a projector using a digital micromirror device. The projection unit 190 may employ a self-light emitting element including a solid light source such as an organic EL element, a silicon light emitting element, a laser diode, and an LED instead of the lamp. Further, the functions of the projectors 100 to 102 may be distributed to a plurality of devices (for example, a PC and a projector).

  10 screen (projection object), 20, 21 image, 30 remote control, 40, 42 3D glasses, 50, 52 observer, 100-102 projector, 110 signal input unit, 120, 121 storage unit, 122 image data, 124 imaging Data, 130, 131 Image size determination unit, 140, 141 Viewing distance determination unit, 150 to 152 control unit, 160 determination unit, 170 reception unit, 180 imaging unit, 190 projection unit, 191 image generation unit, 192 lens unit, 194 Lens drive unit, 196 position detection unit, 910, 911 HDMI terminal, 912 selector, 914 reception circuit, 920 RAM, 922 flash ROM, 930 CPU, 940 image processing circuit, 950 reception unit, 970, 980 motor drive circuit, 972, 982 motor 974,984 reduction mechanism, 976,986 conversion mechanism, 978 encoder, 988 linear sensor, 990 a lamp driving circuit, 991 lamp, 992 an illumination optical system, 993 a liquid crystal driving circuit, 994 a liquid crystal light valve, 995 lenses

Claims (8)

A projection unit that projects an image onto a projection target;
A determination unit that determines whether a viewing distance that is a distance from an image projected on the projection target to an observation position of the image is compatible with an image size related to a size of the image projected on the projection target. When,
When the determination unit determines that the viewing distance does not match the image size, a control unit that performs control to change the size or type of the image;
Including projector. The projector according to claim 1.
The control unit performs control to reduce the image when the determination unit determines that the viewing distance is shorter than the image size, as control for changing the size.
projector. The projector according to claim 1.
The projection unit projects a 3D image as the image,
The determination unit determines whether or not a condition that the viewing distance is short with respect to the image size is satisfied,
The control unit performs control to project a 2D video instead of the 3D video as the control to change the type.
projector. The projector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A viewing distance determination unit that determines the viewing distance based on a focus value in the projection unit or an imaging signal value by imaging;
projector. The projector according to claim 4,
The viewing distance determination unit determines the viewing distance based on the focus value or the imaging signal value, and the relative position of the remote controller with respect to the projector, the relative position of the 3D glasses, or the lens shift value with respect to the projection unit. To
projector. In the projector of any one of Claims 1-5,
An image size determination unit that determines the image size based on a focus value and a zoom value related to the projection unit, an aspect ratio of the image, or an imaging signal value obtained by imaging;
projector. In the projector of any one of Claims 1-6,
The determination unit determines whether the viewing distance is suitable for the image size based on an attribute value related to an age of an observer of the image.
projector. The projector
Determining whether the viewing distance, which is the distance from the image projected on the projection object to the observation position of the image, is compatible with the image size related to the size of the image projected on the projection object;
If it is determined that the viewing distance does not match the image size, control to change the size or type of the image,
Projecting the image onto the projection object in a state in which the control is performed;
Projection method.