JP4657060B2 - projector - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a projector that projects an image onto an external projection object such as a screen, and more particularly to a projector that automatically adjusts the size of an image projected onto the projection object.

  In the field of presentation or video projection, a projector that enlarges and projects an image based on image data onto an external screen or wall is used. Such a projector is configured to generate an image by transmitting or reflecting light with an image device such as a liquid crystal panel or DMD (Digital Micromirror Device), and project the generated image to display the image. .

When using a projection-type projector that projects an image onto an external projection object such as a screen or a wall, the size of the image projected on the projection object depends on the distance from the projector to the projection object and the projector image. Is determined by the projection angle for projecting. Unless the projection object and the projector are fixed together, such as in a theater, the distance from the projector to the projection object is usually variable. It is necessary to adjust the size of the image so that it is easy to do. In a normal case, the user manually changes the projection angle and adjusts the size of the image projected on the projection target. For example, when the distance from the projector to the projection object is short, the projection angle is widened, and when the distance from the projector to the projection object is long, the projection angle is narrowed to make the image size almost constant. it can. In addition, a projector that automatically adjusts the image size by measuring the distance from the projector to the projection object and setting the projection angle according to the measured distance has been developed. An example of such a projector is disclosed in Patent Document 1.
JP-A-5-323451

  By the way, when the projector is used in a room, the size of the image projected on the projection object is often adjusted according to the size of the room. For example, if the room is small, the distance from the viewer to the projection object will be short, so the image size may be small.If the room is large, the distance from the viewer to the projection object will be long, so the image size Is desirable to be large. However, conventional projectors such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1 only adjust the image size according to the distance from the projector to the projection object, and adjustment according to the size of the room is not possible. There is a problem that you can not.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a projector capable of adjusting the size of an image projected on an external projection object according to the size of the room. It is in.

  The projector according to the present invention is a projector for projecting an image onto an external projection object, a means for measuring the distance to the projection object, a means for measuring the width of the space in which it exists, and a measurement And a means for adjusting a size of an image projected onto the projection object according to the distance and the size of the space.

  In the present invention, a projector that projects an image onto an external projection object such as a screen measures the size of the space in which the projector exists, such as the size of the room in which the projector exists, and The size of the projected image is adjusted according to the size of the space.

  The projector according to the present invention is a projector that projects an image onto an external projection target, a projection optical system that projects the image to the outside by passing light of the image, and the projection optical system that projects the projection optical system. A projection angle control means for controlling the projection angle of the image; and a storage means for storing information relating to the projection angle corresponding to a combination of distances in a plurality of directions to an external obstacle including a distance to the projection object; A distance measuring means for measuring the distance in the plurality of directions, a means for reading out information relating to the projection angle corresponding to a combination of the distances in the plurality of directions measured by the distance measuring means from the storage means, and the means Means for causing the projection angle control means to control the projection angle of the image projected by the projection optical system so that the information read by the projector matches the projection angle. The features.

  In the present invention, a projector that projects an image onto an external projection object such as a screen measures a plurality of directions to an external obstacle including a distance to the projection, and measures the measured multiple directions. The projection angle at which the image is projected is controlled according to the combination of distances. The combination of the distances in a plurality of directions to the external obstacle corresponds to the size of the space where the projector surrounded by the obstacle exists, such as the size of the room where the projector exists. Moreover, the size of the image projected on the projection target is determined by the distance to the projection target and the projection angle. Therefore, by controlling the projection angle according to the combination of distances in a plurality of directions, the size of the image projected on the projection object can be adjusted according to the size of the room where the projector exists.

  In the projector according to the aspect of the invention, the distance measuring unit may include a plurality of distance sensors that measure a distance to an external obstacle, and each of the plurality of distance sensors may indicate a direction in which the distance is measured. The optical system is fixed in each of a plurality of directions including a direction in which the image is projected.

  In the present invention, a plurality of distance sensors in which measurement directions are fixed in a plurality of directions including a direction in which the projection optical system projects an image is used to measure a distance in a plurality of directions to an external obstacle.

  In the projector according to the aspect of the invention, the distance measuring unit may measure a distance sensor that measures a distance to an external obstacle, a direction in which the distance sensor measures the distance, and a direction in which the projection optical system projects the image. And a means for changing to each of a plurality of directions including.

  Further, in the present invention, the direction in which the distance sensor measures the distance to the external obstacle can be changed by a method such as rotating the distance sensor, and the projection optical system can be changed in a plurality of directions including the direction in which the image is projected. Measure the distance to external obstacles.

  In the projector according to the aspect of the invention, the projection optical system includes a zoom lens in which the projection angle changes when a position in the projection optical system changes, and the projection angle control unit includes the zoom lens of the zoom lens. It has means for detecting a position in the projection optical system, and means for moving the zoom lens in the projection optical system in order to change the position detected by the means.

  Further, in the present invention, the projection optical system that projects the image light to the outside is configured using a zoom lens that changes the projection angle of the image by changing the position, and the image is obtained by moving the zoom lens. Controls the projection angle.

  In the present invention, the projection angle at which the projector projects an image is controlled in accordance with the size of the space in which the projector exists, so that the size of the image projected on the projection object is adjusted according to the size of the space. The image size is small in a narrow room where the distance from the viewer to the projection object is short, and the image size is large in a large room where the distance from the viewer to the projection object is long. Thus, it is possible to project an image in a size that makes it easier for the viewer to view the image according to the size of the space.

  In the present invention, the projector optical system measures the distance to an external obstacle by using a plurality of distance sensors having measurement directions fixed in a plurality of directions including the direction in which the image is projected. The distance to the projection object and the size of the space where the projector exists, such as the size of the room, can be obtained.

  In the present invention, the distance sensor can change the direction in which the distance to the external obstacle is measured, and the distance to the external obstacle in a plurality of directions including the direction in which the projection optical system projects an image. By measuring, the distance from the projector to the projection object and the size of the space in which the projector exists can be obtained with a smaller number of distance sensors.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, by controlling the position of the zoom lens included in the projection optical system that projects the light of the image to the outside, the projection angle of the image is controlled, and the size of the image projected on the projection target is controlled. The present invention has an excellent effect that it can be easily adjusted.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings showing embodiments thereof.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a projector 1 according to the present invention. White arrows in the figure indicate light. The projector 1 includes an image device 13 such as a DMD or a liquid crystal panel that generates an image composed of reflected light or transmitted light, an illumination optical system 12 that illuminates the image device 13, and an image generated by the image device 13. And a projection optical system 2 that projects onto an external projection target such as a screen (not shown). The illumination optical system 12 includes a light source using a metal halide lamp, and further includes a mirror, a lens, a prism, a color filter, and the like for condensing light from the light source and illuminating the image device 13. It is configured using optical components. The projection optical system 2 is configured by using an optical component such as a prism or a plurality of lenses for enlarging and projecting an image composed of reflected light or transmitted light from the image device 13 to the outside. The projection optical system 2 can also change the position in the projection optical system 2, and can change one or a plurality of zoom lenses 21 that change the projection angle at which the projection optical system 2 projects an image by changing the position. It is in the middle of the optical path.

  The projector 1 also includes a calculation unit 11 that is a processor that performs calculation, and a ROM 17 that stores a control program is connected to the calculation unit 11. The calculation unit 11 performs a calculation for controlling the operation of the projector 1 according to the control program stored in the ROM 17. In addition, the projector 1 moves the zoom lens 21 using a lens position detection unit 14 that detects the position of the zoom lens 21 in the projection optical system 2 and a motor or the like, and moves the zoom lens 21 in the projection optical system 2. And a lens driving unit 15 for changing the position. The lens position detection unit 14 is connected to the calculation unit 11 and is configured to input the detected position of the zoom lens 21 to the calculation unit 11. The lens driving unit 15 is connected to the calculation unit 11 and is configured to be controlled by the calculation unit 11. The calculation unit 11 controls the position of the zoom lens 21 by operating the lens driving unit 15 so that the position of the zoom lens 21 detected by the lens position detection unit 14 becomes a desired position, so that the projection optical system 2 is controlled. A process for controlling the projection angle at which the image is projected is performed. In this way, the lens position detection unit 14 and the lens driving unit 15 function as a projection angle control unit according to the present invention.

  The image device 13 is connected to an image device drive unit 16 that performs processing for forming a necessary image on the image device 13, and the image device drive unit 16 is connected to the calculation unit 11. The arithmetic unit 11 is connected to a receiving unit 18 that receives image data transmitted from an external device such as a personal computer (PC) or a video reproduction device. The reception unit 18 inputs the received image data to the calculation unit 11, and the calculation unit 11 operates the image device driving unit 16 based on the image data input from the reception unit 18, and an image based on the image data is displayed as an image. Processing to be generated by the device 13 is performed.

  The projector 1 also includes a distance measuring unit (distance measuring means) 3 that measures distances in a plurality of directions to an external obstacle including the distance from the projector 1 to the projection target. The distance measurement unit 3 is connected to the calculation unit 11 and is configured to input the measured distance value to the calculation unit 11. The ROM 17 stores information corresponding to the projection angle at which the projection optical system 2 projects an image in association with information corresponding to the distance measured by the distance measuring unit 3. When the distance measurement unit 3 receives distance values in a plurality of directions, the calculation unit 11 reads information stored in the ROM 17 in association with information corresponding to the input distance, and the lens according to the read information. By controlling the operation of the drive unit 15, processing for adjusting the size of the image projected on the projection target is performed. In this way, the ROM 17 functions as a storage unit according to the present invention. Further, the operation unit 19 is connected to an operation unit 19 that receives a processing instruction such as designation of an image size by an operation from a user.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the projector 1 according to the present invention. The distance measuring unit 3 includes a distance sensor that measures the distance to an external obstacle using infrared rays, ultrasonic waves, lasers, or the like, and at least a part of the infrared sensor is provided on the outer surface of the projector 1. 2A shows an example in which the distance measuring unit 3 has a plurality of distance sensors, and FIG. 2B shows an example in which the distance measuring unit 3 has a single distance sensor.

  The distance measuring unit 3 having a plurality of distance sensors as shown in FIG. 2A fixes the measurement direction of one distance sensor in the front direction that is the same direction as the projection direction. By measuring the distance to the obstacle in the forward direction, the distance from the projector 1 to the projection object such as a screen can be obtained. The distance measuring unit 3 includes a distance sensor having a measurement direction fixed in a backward direction opposite to the projection direction, and further includes a distance sensor having a measurement direction fixed in the right direction and the left direction toward the front. Have. In FIG. 2A, the measurement direction of the distance sensor is indicated by an arrow. The distance measuring unit 3 measures the distance to the four-way obstacle, including the distance to the projection object, using the plurality of distance sensors whose measurement directions are fixed in the four directions. Obstacles other than the projectile are the walls of the building, partitions partitioning the room, or other objects. Based on the distance to these four obstacles, the size of the space enclosed by the obstacle including the projectile Can be requested. The size of this space is the size of the space in which the projector 1 exists, for example, the size of the room in which the projector 1 exists such as a conference room or a user's room.

  The distance measuring unit 3 having a single distance sensor as shown in FIG. 2B has means for rotating the measuring direction of the distance sensor using a motor or the like. The distance measuring unit 3 measures the distance to the projection object with a distance sensor with the measurement direction set to the front direction that is the same direction as the projection direction, and further measures around the rotation axis shown in FIG. Measure the distance to the outside obstacle multiple times while rotating the direction. The distance measuring unit 3 measures the distances to the obstacles in all directions, including the distance to the projection target, using the distance sensor whose measurement direction rotates in this way. In the case of this configuration, by using a smaller number of distance sensors than the example shown in FIG. 2A, the distance from the projector 1 to the projection object and the wideness of the space such as the size of the room in which the projector 1 is present. Sato can be requested.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the projection angle of the image and the size of the image projected on the projection target. The projection optical system 2 projects light of an image onto a projection object such as a screen at a predetermined projection angle, and the size of the range of light that strikes the projection object becomes the image size. As shown in the figure, the size of the image projected on the projection object depends on the distance from the projector 1 to the projection object, and the longer the distance to the projection object, the larger the image size. The size of the image projected onto the projection object further depends on the projection angle, and the larger the projection angle, the larger the image size. That is, the size of the image projected on the projection object can be changed by changing the projection angle at which the projection optical system 2 projects an image by changing the position of one or a plurality of zoom lenses 21.

  The projector 1 according to the present invention adjusts the size of the image according to the size of the room so that the larger the size of the room in which the projector 1 exists, the larger the size of the image projected on the projection target. Perform the process. In order to adjust the image size to a predetermined size corresponding to the size of the room, the ROM 17 stores information in which the projection angle of the image that can be controlled by the projector 1 is set to a predetermined value corresponding to the size of the room. ing. FIG. 4 is a conceptual characteristic diagram conceptually showing the relationship between the size of the room and the projection angle. The horizontal axis in the figure indicates the size of the room where the projector 1 exists, and the vertical axis indicates the projection angle at which the projection optical system 2 projects an image. As shown in FIG. 4, when the distance to the projection object is fixed, in order to increase the size of the image as the size of the room increases, the relationship between the room size and the projection angle The projection angle may be simply increased as the area increases. In addition, the larger the distance to the projection object, the smaller the projection angle for obtaining the same image size. Therefore, the size of the room for obtaining a predetermined image size corresponding to the size of the room. The characteristic curve indicating the relationship with the projection angle shifts in a direction in which the projection angle decreases as the distance to the projection object increases. As described above, when the distance to the projection target and the size of the room are obtained, a projection angle necessary for realizing a predetermined image size corresponding to the size of the room is uniquely determined. As shown in FIG. 4, the ROM 17 stores information indicating a projection angle corresponding to a combination of the distance to the projection target and the size of the room. In addition, the ROM 17 stores information indicating the relationship between the combination of distances in a plurality of directions to an external obstacle measured by the distance measuring unit 3 and the size of the room, and the projection angle at which the projection optical system 2 projects an image. Or the information which showed the relationship with the position in the projection optical system 2 of the some zoom lens 21 is memorize | stored.

  Next, processing executed by the projector 1 of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing for adjusting the size of an image projected by the projector 1 of the present invention onto an external projection object. The calculation unit 11 of the projector 1 executes the following processing according to the control program stored in the ROM 17.

  The calculation unit 11 of the projector 1 waits for reception of an instruction to start processing for setting the size of an image by the user operating the operation unit 19 (S1). Note that the arithmetic unit 11 may perform a process of accepting a process start instruction when the projector 1 is turned on. When the process start instruction is not received (S1: NO), the calculation unit 11 continues to wait for the process start instruction. When the processing start instruction is received (S1: YES), the calculation unit 11 causes the distance measurement unit 3 to indicate the distances in a plurality of directions to the external obstacle including the distance from the projector 1 to the projection target. Measurement is performed (S2). The distance measuring unit 3 inputs the measured distance values in a plurality of directions to the calculating unit 11, and the calculating unit 11 receives information from the ROM 17 according to the combination of the distances measured in the plurality of directions by the distance measuring unit 3. Read (S3). Based on the information read from the ROM 17 and indicating the relationship between the combination of distances in a plurality of directions and the size of the room, the calculation unit 11 determines the projector according to the combination of the distances in the plurality of directions measured by the distance measurement unit 3. The size of the room where 1 exists is obtained (S4). Next, the calculation unit 11 reads out from the ROM 17 based on the information indicating the projection angle corresponding to the combination of the distance to the projection object and the size of the room as shown in FIG. A projection angle corresponding to the combination of the distance and the obtained room size is determined (S5). Next, the calculation unit 11 reads the target from the ROM 17 to realize the determined projection angle based on the information indicating the relationship between the projection angle and the position of the zoom lens 21 in the projection optical system 2. The target position in the projection optical system 2 of the one or more zoom lenses 21 to be determined is determined (S6).

  Next, the calculation unit 11 causes the lens position detection unit 14 to detect the position of the one or more zoom lenses 21 in the projection optical system 2 (S7). The lens position detection unit 14 inputs the detected position of the zoom lens 21 to the calculation unit 11, and the calculation unit 11 determines the position of the zoom lens 21 detected by the lens position detection unit 14 within a predetermined error range. It is determined whether or not it matches the target position (S8). When the position of the zoom lens 21 does not coincide with the target position (S8: NO), the calculation unit 11 causes the lens driving unit 15 to bring the position of the zoom lens 21 within the projection optical system 2 closer to the target position. Then, one or more zoom lenses 21 are moved (S9), and the process returns to step S7. When the position of the zoom lens 21 matches the target position in step S8 (S8: YES), the calculation unit 11 ends the process of adjusting the image size.

  Through the above processing, the projection angle at which the projection optical system 2 projects an image is automatically set to a value corresponding to the distance to the projection object and the size of the room, and the projector 1 projects the projection object such as a screen. The size of the image is a size corresponding to the size of the room. The projector 1 has a function of manually adjusting the image size by operating the operation unit 19 when the image size automatically set by the projector 1 is inappropriate. May be.

  As described above in detail, in the present invention, the distance to the external obstacle including the distance from the projector 1 to the projection object such as the screen is measured in a plurality of directions, and the combinations of the measured distances in the plurality of directions are measured. The size of the image projected on the projection target is adjusted by obtaining the size of the room in which the projector 1 exists and controlling the projection angle at which the projection optical system 2 projects the image according to the size of the room. . Accordingly, the projector of the present invention has a small image size in a narrow room where the distance from the viewer to the projection target is short, and a large image size in a wide room where the distance from the viewer to the projection target is long. 1 makes it possible to project an image in a size that allows the viewer to easily view the image according to the size of the room.

  In the present embodiment, based on the information stored in the ROM 17, the room size is obtained from a combination of measured distances in a plurality of directions, and the projection angle is determined according to the distance to the subject and the room size. However, the process of determining the position of the zoom lens is not limited to this in the present invention. For example, the projector 1 may be configured to perform processing for calculating the size of the room using the distances in a plurality of directions measured by the distance measuring unit 3. The projector 1 stores information indicating the relationship between the combination of distances in a plurality of directions and the projection angle or the position of the zoom lens 21 in the ROM 17, and the projection angle or zoom lens 21 is determined from the combination of the distances in the plurality of directions. The form which performs the process which calculates | requires the position of directly may be sufficient.

  In the present embodiment, an example in which the size of an image is adjusted only in accordance with the size of the space in which the projector 1 exists is shown. The form which performs the process which adjusts the size of an image according to the distance to a body may be sufficient. For example, the projector 1 may be configured to adjust the projection angle of the image so that the larger the distance from the projector 1 to the projection target, the larger the size of the image projected on the projection target. .

  In the present embodiment, when measuring the distance to an external obstacle by the distance measuring unit 3, the distance to the obstacles in the front, rear and left and right directions is shown. The combination of distance directions measured by the distance measuring unit 3 by the projector 1 of the invention is not limited to this. For example, the projector 1 may be configured such that the distance measuring unit 3 measures only the distance to the front and rear obstacles and adjusts the image size. In this case, the processing performed by the calculation unit 11 is simplified. In addition to the distance to the obstacles in all directions, the projector 1 performs a process of adjusting the image size by measuring the distance to the obstacle in another direction such as an oblique direction or an upward direction by the distance measuring unit 3. Form may be sufficient. In this case, the size of the room can be obtained with high accuracy and the image size can be adjusted to suit the situation.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the mode in which the projection angle of the image is controlled by controlling the position of the zoom lens 21 in the projection optical system 2 is shown, but the projector 1 of the present invention is not limited to this. And the projection optical system 2 adjusts the projection angle at which the image is projected by other methods such as changing the optical path in the projection optical system 2 or changing the optical properties in the projection optical system 2. Also good.

It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the projector of this invention. It is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of the projector of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the relationship between the projection angle of an image, and the size of the image projected on the to-be-projected body. It is the conceptual characteristic figure which showed notionally the relationship between the width of a room, and a projection angle. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process which adjusts the size of the image which the projector of this invention projects on an external to-be-projected body.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Projector 11 Calculation part 14 Lens position detection part (Projection angle control means)
15 Lens drive unit (projection angle control means)
17 ROM (storage unit)
2 Projection optical system 21 Zoom lens 3 Distance measuring unit (distance measuring means)

Claims (5)

In a projector that projects an image onto an external projection object,
Means for measuring the distance to the projection object;
A means of measuring the size of the space in which it exists;
A projector comprising: means for adjusting a size of an image projected onto the projection target according to the measured distance and the size of the space. In a projector that projects an image onto an external projection object,
A projection optical system that passes the light of the image and projects the image to the outside;
Projection angle control means for controlling the projection angle of the image projected by the projection optical system;
Storage means for storing information related to the projection angle according to a combination of distances in a plurality of directions to an external obstacle including the distance to the projection object;
Distance measuring means for measuring the distance in the plurality of directions;
Means for reading out information relating to the projection angle according to a combination of distances in the plurality of directions measured by the distance measuring means from the storage means;
A projector for causing the projection angle control means to control a projection angle of the image projected by the projection optical system so that the information read by the means matches the projection angle. . The distance measuring means has a plurality of distance sensors for measuring the distance to an external obstacle,
The each of the plurality of distance sensors has a direction in which the distance is measured fixed to a plurality of directions including a direction in which the projection optical system projects the image. Projector. The distance measuring means includes
A distance sensor that measures the distance to an external obstacle,
The projector according to claim 2, further comprising: a unit that changes a direction in which the distance sensor measures the distance to each of a plurality of directions including a direction in which the projection optical system projects the image. The projection optical system has a zoom lens in which the projection angle is changed by changing a position in the projection optical system,
The projection angle control means includes
Means for detecting a position of the zoom lens in the projection optical system;
5. The projector according to claim 2, further comprising: a unit that moves the zoom lens in the projection optical system so as to change the position detected by the unit. 6.

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