JP7309352B2 - Electronic equipment and its control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic device that controls a projection device and a control method thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art There is a technique of displaying one image (composite image) by combining a plurality of images (projected images) projected by a plurality of projection devices. By using such technology, a high-resolution composite image can be displayed. As an example, consider the case of using two projectors, each of which has a resolution of 1920×1080 (the number of pixels in the horizontal direction×the number of pixels in the vertical direction). In this case, a composite image with a maximum resolution of 3840×1080 or 1920×2160 can be displayed.

Here, the characteristics of the light source, panel, optical system, etc. may vary among a plurality of projection apparatuses (occurrence of individual differences) due to manufacturing errors, deterioration (change over time) of the projection apparatuses, and the like. In the above technology, when there are individual differences among a plurality of projection apparatuses, luminance unevenness or the like due to individual differences occurs in the synthesized image.

In Patent Document 1, brightness information (light source brightness) of a plurality of projection devices is acquired, target value information (light source brightness target value) is generated based on the brightness information, and light source brightness is generated based on the target value information. Controlling the brightness to a target value is described. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200000 discloses that the black level of a projection device having a high black level is controlled by controlling the state of an iris of a projection device having a high black level (luminance of black of a projected image) among a plurality of projection devices. It is described to match the black level of other projection devices.

JP 2009-69597 A JP 2005-258214 A

However, even if the brightness of the light source is controlled as described in Patent Document 1, only the projection brightness (the brightness of the projected image) corresponding to a specific gradation value is matched between the plurality of projection devices, and other projection devices cannot match. The projection luminance corresponding to the gradation value does not match. For this reason, it is not possible to highly accurately reduce luminance unevenness of a synthesized image (luminance unevenness caused by individual differences among a plurality of projection apparatuses). Even if the state of the iris is controlled so that the black levels match between a plurality of projectors using the technique described in Patent Document 2, or if the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are combined, the same problem occurs. occurs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique that enables display of a composite image in which luminance unevenness caused by individual differences is highly accurately reduced when there are individual differences among a plurality of projection apparatuses.

A first aspect of the present invention is
Acquisition means for acquiring projection information relating to brightness and contrast ratio of projected images for each of a plurality of projection devices;
determining a light source control value for controlling the luminance of the light source of the projection device and an iris control value for controlling the state of the iris of the projection device for each of the plurality of projection devices based on the projection information of each projection device; means and
For each of the plurality of projection devices, control is performed such that the brightness of the light source is controlled by the light source control value determined by the determining means, and the state of the iris is controlled by the iris control value determined by the determining means. a control means for
has
The projection information is
first information indicating a correspondence relationship between the light source control value and the luminance of the projected image;
second information indicating a correspondence relationship between the iris control value, the brightness of the projected image, and the contrast ratio of the projected image;
including
An electronic device characterized by:

A second aspect of the present invention is
obtaining projection information regarding the brightness and contrast ratio of the projected image for each of a plurality of projection devices;
determining, for each of the plurality of projection devices, a light source control value for controlling the brightness of the light source of the projection device and an iris control value for controlling the state of the iris of the projection device, based on the projection information of each projection device; and,
controlling each of the plurality of projection devices so that the luminance of the light source is controlled by the determined light source control value and the state of the iris is controlled by the determined iris control value;
has
The projection information is
first information indicating a correspondence relationship between the light source control value and the luminance of the projected image;
second information indicating a correspondence relationship between the iris control value, the brightness of the projected image, and the contrast ratio of the projected image;
including
A control method for an electronic device characterized by:

A third aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as each means of the electronic device described above.

According to the present invention, when there are individual differences among a plurality of projection apparatuses, it is possible to display a composite image in which luminance unevenness caused by individual differences is reduced with high accuracy.

A diagram showing a configuration example of a projection system according to this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a projection device according to this embodiment; Flowchart showing a processing flow example according to the present embodiment A diagram showing an example of basic characteristics according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of projection information according to the present embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of brightness and contrast ratio of a projected image according to the present embodiment;

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a projection system according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1 , the projection system according to this embodiment has two projection devices 100 and 200 (projectors) and a hub 500 . The projection device 100 projects an image 1001 (projection image), and the projection device 200 projects an image 2001 (projection image). As a result, one image (composite image) obtained by combining the projection images 1001 and 2001 is displayed on a projection surface (screen) (not shown). The composite image has an overlapping region 3001 where part of the projected image 1001 and part of the projected image 2001 overlap. Furthermore, by connecting the projection devices 100 and 200 to each other via the hub 500, the projection devices 100 and 200 can communicate with each other. Note that communication between the projection device 100 and the projection device 200 is not limited to communication via the hub 500 . For example, wireless communication using a wireless LAN router may be performed as communication between the projection device 100 and the projection device 200 . The projection device 100 may be directly connected to the projection device 200 without any other device, and direct communication may be performed between the projection device 100 and the projection device 200 without any other device. Note that the number of projection apparatuses included in the projection system may be more than two.

FIG. 2A is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the projection device 100. As shown in FIG. The projection device 100 includes a CPU 110, a RAM 111, a ROM 112, an operation unit 113, a communication unit 114, a luminance sensor 115, an image input unit 120, an image processing unit 140, a light modulation panel control unit 150, and light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B. have The projection device 100 further includes a light source controller 130 , an iris controller 131 , a light source 160 , an iris 161 , a color separator 162 , a color combiner 180 , a projection optical system 183 and a projection optical system controller 184 . The CPU 110 , RAM 111 , ROM 112 , operation section 113 , communication section 114 , luminance sensor 115 and image input section 120 are connected to the bus 199 . The light source controller 130 , iris controller 131 , image processor 140 , light modulation panel controller 150 and projection optical system controller 184 are also connected to the bus 199 . Data (signals) can be transmitted and received via the bus 199 between a plurality of blocks (operation blocks) connected to the bus 199 .

The CPU 110 controls each block of the projection device 100 . The ROM 112 stores a program (control program) describing the processing procedure of the CPU 110 . The RAM 111 is used as a work memory, and temporarily stores programs and data. CPU 110 temporarily stores image data (still image data or moving image data) acquired by image input unit 120 or communication unit 114, and according to a program stored in ROM 112, generates an image (still image or moving image data) based on the image data. videos) can also be played.

An operation unit 113 is a receiving unit capable of receiving an instruction from a user, and transmits an instruction signal according to the received instruction to the CPU 110 . For example, the operation unit 113 has switches, dials, and the like. The operating unit 113 may be a signal receiving unit (such as an infrared receiving unit) that receives a signal from a remote controller and transmits an instruction signal to the CPU 110 according to the received signal. Upon receiving an instruction signal transmitted from the operation unit 113, the CPU 110 controls each block of the projection device 100 according to the instruction signal.

The communication unit 114 communicates with an external device, acquires image data from the external device, and receives a control signal from the external device. Communication unit 114 transmits the received control signal to CPU 110 . Upon receiving the control signal transmitted from the communication unit 114, the CPU 110 controls each block of the projection device 100 according to the control signal. A communication method of the communication unit 114 is not particularly limited. For example, communication by the communication unit 114 is communication using wireless LAN, wired LAN, USB, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or the like. If the terminal of the image input unit 120 is an HDMI (registered trademark) terminal, communication by the communication unit 114 may be CEC communication via the HDMI terminal of the image input unit 120 . The external device is not particularly limited as long as it can communicate with the projection device 100 (communication unit 114). For example, the external device is a personal computer, camera, mobile phone, smart phone, hard disk recorder, game machine, remote controller, or the like.

A luminance sensor 115 detects the luminance of the projection image 1001 (luminance on a projection plane (not shown)). In this embodiment, the luminance sensor 115 is built in the projection device 100 and detects the central luminance of the projection image 1001 . Note that the configuration of the luminance sensor 115 is not particularly limited as long as the luminance of the projection image 1001 can be detected. For example, an RGB sensor, a camera, or the like can be used as the luminance sensor 115 . The luminance sensor may be a detection device separate from the projection device 100 (such as an RGB sensor or a camera detachable from the projection device 100), and the communication unit 114 acquires the detection value from the detection device. good too.

The image input unit 120 acquires image data from an external device. The external device is not particularly limited as long as image data can be acquired from the external device. For example, the external device is a personal computer, camera, mobile phone, smart phone, hard disk recorder, game machine, or the like. The external device may be a storage medium (storage device) such as a USB flash memory or an SD card. The image input section 120 outputs the acquired image data to the image processing section 140 . The image input unit 120 stores acquired image data in the RAM based on instructions from the CPU 110 .
111 for recording.

The light source control unit 130 controls on/off and luminance (light amount) of the light source 160, and includes, for example, a microprocessor for control. The luminance of the light source 160 is controlled by controlling the voltage or current supplied to the light source with a signal (control value) from the light source control section 130 . Note that the light source control unit 130 does not need to be a dedicated microprocessor, and for example, the CPU 110 may perform the same processing as the light source control unit 130 according to a program stored in the ROM 112 .

A light source 160 emits light for projecting an image onto a projection plane (not shown). For example, light source 160 is a halogen lamp, xenon lamp, high pressure mercury lamp, laser, LED, phosphor, or the like. A combination of multiple types of light sources may be used as the light source 111 .

The correspondence relationship (light source control characteristics) among the light source control value, the brightness of the projected image, and the contrast ratio of the projected image is generally the correspondence relationship shown in FIG. The light source control value is a control value for controlling the brightness of the light source, and the greater the light source control value, the higher the brightness of the light source. In FIG. 4A, the horizontal axis indicates the light source control value, the left vertical axis indicates the white luminance (white luminance) of the projected image, and the right vertical axis indicates the contrast ratio. The solid line represents the correspondence relationship (brightness characteristic) between the light source control value and the white luminance, and the dashed line represents the correspondence relationship (contrast ratio characteristic) between the light source control value and the contrast ratio. As shown in FIG. 4A, the white luminance decreases due to the decrease in the light source control value (luminance of the light source). On the other hand, the contrast ratio is constant regardless of the light source control value. In FIG. 4A, the white luminance decreases linearly as the light source control value decreases, but the white luminance may decrease non-linearly as the light source control value decreases.

In this embodiment, a table as shown in FIG. 4B is stored in the ROM 112 as basic (reference) light source control characteristic information. The table of FIG. 4B can be generated using the white luminance and contrast ratio obtained while changing the light source control value at predetermined intervals. The table of FIG. 4(B) shows the three elements of light source control value, white luminance, and contrast ratio. In the table of FIG. 4(B), when the light source control value is 100%, that is, when the luminance of the light source is the upper limit luminance, the white luminance and the contrast are adjusted so that the white luminance is 100% and the contrast ratio is 1. Ratio values are normalized.

The iris control unit 131 controls the state (open/closed state) of the iris 161, and is composed of, for example, a microprocessor for control. The state of the iris 161 is controlled by driving the motor with a signal (control value) from the iris control section 131 . Note that the iris control unit 131 does not need to be a dedicated microprocessor, and for example, the CPU 110 may execute the same processing as the iris control unit 131 according to a program stored in the ROM 112 .

The iris 161 is a diaphragm that controls the amount of light emitted from the light source 111 and incident on the color separator 162 . Specifically, the iris controller 131 controls the state of the iris 161 to control the amount of light incident on the color separator 162 .

The correspondence between the iris control value, the brightness of the projected image, and the contrast ratio of the projected image (iris control characteristic) generally becomes the correspondence shown in FIG. 4(C). The iris control value is a control value for controlling the state of the iris, and the iris is gradually opened as the iris control value increases. In FIG. 4C, the horizontal axis indicates the iris control value, the left vertical axis indicates the white luminance of the projected image, and the right vertical axis indicates the contrast ratio. A solid line represents the correspondence between the iris control value and the white luminance (luminance characteristics), and a dashed line represents the correspondence between the iris control value and the contrast ratio (contrast ratio characteristics). As shown in FIG. 4C, the decrease in the iris control value (the iris approaches a closed state (completely closed state)) causes the white luminance to decrease non-linearly. On the other hand, decreasing the iris control value increases the contrast ratio non-linearly. Note that the iris control characteristic is not limited to the characteristic shown in FIG. 4(C).

In this embodiment, a table as shown in FIG. 4D is stored in the ROM 112 as basic (reference) iris control characteristic information. The table of FIG. 4D can be generated using the white luminance and contrast ratio obtained while changing the iris control value at predetermined intervals. The table of FIG. 4(D) shows the three elements of iris control value, white luminance, and contrast ratio. In the table of FIG. 4D, when the iris control value is 100%, that is, when the iris is in an open state (completely open state; open state), the white luminance is 100% and the contrast ratio is 1. The white luminance and contrast ratio values are normalized so that

The image processing unit 140 performs image processing on the image data acquired by the image input unit 120 or the communication unit 114, and transmits the processed image data to the light modulation panel control unit 150. It consists of a microprocessor, etc. The image processing performed by the image processing unit 140 includes, for example, processing for changing the number of frames, processing for changing the number of pixels (resolution conversion processing), processing for changing the shape of an image (keystone correction processing, etc.), and the like. Color correction processing, OSD superimposition processing, blend processing, and the like may be performed. The image processing unit 140 may perform image processing based on control information output from the CPU 110 to each block. Note that the image processing unit 140 does not need to be a dedicated microprocessor. A detailed configuration of the image processing unit 140 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The light modulation panel control section 150 controls the light modulation rate (light modulation rate distribution) of the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B based on the image data output from the image processing section 140. FIG. For example, the light modulation panel control section 150 controls the light modulation rate of the light modulation panels 170R, 170G and 170B by controlling the voltage applied to the light modulation panels 170R, 170G and 170B.

Each of the light modulation panels 170 R, 170 G, and 170 B is a light modulation panel that modulates light with a light modulation rate (light modulation rate distribution) based on image data output from the image processing section 140 . By modulating light with a light modulation rate based on the image data output from the image processing unit 140, images based on the image data are displayed on the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B. Each of the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B is, for example, a transmissive panel that transmits light with a transmittance (transmittance distribution) based on image data output from the image processing section 140, such as a liquid crystal panel. Each of the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B has a plurality of light modulation elements (such as liquid crystal elements), and the light modulation rate of each light modulation element is controlled based on the image data output from the image processing section 140. .

The light modulation panel 170R is a light modulation panel corresponding to red, and modulates the red light obtained by the color separator 162. FIG. The light modulation panel 170G is a light modulation panel corresponding to green, and modulates the green light obtained by the color separator 162. FIG. The light modulation panel 170B is a light modulation panel corresponding to blue, and modulates the blue light obtained by the color separator 162. FIG.

The color separator 162 separates the light emitted from the light source 160 and passed through the iris 161 into red light, green light, and blue light. For example, the color separator 162 is a dichroic mirror, prism, or the like. Note that when a combination of a light source emitting red light, a light source emitting green light, and a light source emitting blue light is used as the light source 160, the color separating section 162 is not necessary.

The color synthesis unit 180 combines red light modulated (transmitted) by the light modulation panel 170R, green light modulated (transmitted) by the light modulation panel 170G, and blue light modulated (transmitted) by the light modulation panel 170B. Synthesize. For example, the color synthesizing unit 180 is a dichroic mirror, prism, or the like. The light synthesized by the color synthesizing unit 180 is sent to the projection optical system 183 .

The projection optical system control unit 184 controls the projection optical system 183, and includes, for example, a microprocessor for control. Note that the projection optical system control unit 184 does not need to be a dedicated microprocessor, and for example, the CPU 110 may execute the same processing as the projection optical system control unit 184 according to a program stored in the ROM 112 .

A projection optical system 183 projects the light from the color synthesizing section 180 onto a projection plane. For example, the projection optical system 183 has a plurality of lenses, an actuator for driving the lenses, and the like. By driving the lens with an actuator, the projection image 1001 (the image displayed on the projection surface by projecting light) can be enlarged, reduced, focused, and the like. If the light modulation rate (light modulation rate distribution) of the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B is controlled based on the image data output from the image processing section 140, the image data output from the image processing section 140 is used. An image is obtained as a projection image 1001 .

FIG. 2B is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the image processing unit 140. As shown in FIG. The image processing section 140 has a resolution conversion section 141 , a color correction section 142 , an OSD superimposition section 143 , a blend processing section 144 , a transformation processing section 145 and a frame memory 146 .

The resolution conversion unit 141 converts the resolution (the number of pixels; image size) of the image data (input image) input to the image processing unit 140 into the resolution specified by the CPU 110, and converts the converted image data to the color correction unit. 142. In this embodiment, the resolution converter 141 converts the resolution of the input image so as to match the resolution of the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B (the upper limit of the resolution of the image that can be displayed on the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B). do. As an example, consider a case where the resolution of the input image (the number of pixels in the horizontal direction×the number of pixels in the vertical direction) is 1280×720 and the resolution of the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B is 1920×1080. In this case, the horizontal size (number of pixels in the horizontal direction) and the vertical size (number of pixels in the vertical direction) of the input image are each enlarged by 1.5 times to convert the resolution of the input image to 1920×1080. be done. In this way, when the aspect ratio of the input image (the ratio of the number of pixels in the horizontal direction to the number of pixels in the vertical direction) is the same as that of the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B, the input image can be simply enlarged or reduced. . However, the aspect ratio of the input image may differ from the aspect ratio of the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, 170B, such as when the resolution of the input image is 1024×768. In this case, the input image is enlarged or reduced while maintaining the aspect ratio of the input image so that one of the horizontal size and vertical size of the input image fits the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B. The enlarged or reduced image is displayed in the central portion of the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, 170B, and the black image is displayed in the remaining portions of the light modulation panels 170R, 170G, 170B.

The color correction unit 142 performs color correction processing such as color matrix conversion, chroma processing, gamma processing, and color space conversion on the image data output from the resolution conversion unit 141, and converts the image data after the color correction processing into an OSD superimposition unit. 143. In this embodiment, color correction processing is performed so that the color of the projected image 1001 becomes the color specified by the CPU 110 .

The OSD superimposing unit 143 generates data of a graphic image (OSD (On Screen Display) image; setting menu, pattern for adjusting the projection position of the superimposed area 3001, etc.) specified by the CPU 110 . Then, the OSD superimposing unit 143 synthesizes the generated data with the image data output from the color correcting unit 142 (overlays the generated graphic image on the image output from the color correcting unit 142), and produces an image after synthesis. The data is output to the blend processing unit 144 .

The blend processing unit 144 performs image processing (blending processing; light reduction processing) for reducing the brightness of the portion of the projected image 1001 corresponding to the superimposed region 3001 on the image data output from the OSD superimposing unit 143 . The blend processing unit 144 then outputs the blended image data to the deformation processing unit 145 . In this embodiment, the CPU 110 designates the width and position of the superimposed area 3001 , and the blend processing unit 144 performs blend processing based on these designated by the CPU 110 . A method for obtaining the width and position of the superimposed region 3001 is not particularly limited. For example, the width and position of the superimposed region 3001 may be acquired by the user using the operation unit 113 to input the width and position of the superimposed region 3001 . Blend processing is processing for matching the brightness of the superimposed region 3001 (the sum of the brightness of the projected image 1001 and the brightness of the projected image 2001) to the brightness of the portion of the projected image 1001 other than the superimposed region 3001. FIG.

The transformation processing unit 145 applies transformation processing for changing the shape of the image to a shape (arbitrary shape) specified by the CPU 110 to the image data output from the blend processing unit 144, and the image data after the transformation processing is framed. Write to memory 146 . The frame memory 146 is, for example, a memory capable of storing image data for one frame. After completing the writing to the frame memory 146 , the deformation processing section 145 reads out the image data from the frame memory 146 and outputs it to the light modulation panel control section 150 . In the transformation process, for example, based on a predetermined transformation formula and the positional relationship of a plurality of pixels (partial pixels of the image) before and after transformation, the positional relationship of each pixel of the entire image before and after transformation is calculated. The image is transformed based on the determined positional relationship.

Projection device 200 has the same configuration as projection device 100 (FIGS. 2A and 2B). In each block of the projection device 200, processing is performed by reading “projection device 100” as “projection device 200” and “projection image 1001” as “projection image 2001”.

In the projection devices 100 and 200, master mode or slave mode is set as an operation mode when displaying a composite image of the projection images 1001 and 2001. FIG. The operation mode may be set according to a user designation obtained via the operation unit 113 or may be set according to an instruction from an external device connected via the communication unit 114 . In this embodiment, the projection device 100 operates in the master mode, and the projection device 200 operates in the slave mode.

FIG. 3A is a flowchart showing a processing flow example of processing (master mode processing) executed by the projection apparatus 100 in master mode.

In step S<b>300 , the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 updates and acquires projection information (information on light source control characteristics and iris control characteristics) regarding the brightness and contrast ratio of the projection image 1001 . Then, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 stores the acquired projection information in the RAM 111 of the projection device 100 . The update method will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3(C). In this embodiment, when the light source control value is 100% and the iris control value is 100%, the white luminance of the projection device 100 is 2000 lx and the contrast ratio of the projection device 100 is 1000:1. Assume that the table in FIG. 5A is obtained as information on the light source control characteristics of the projection device 100 and the table in FIG. 5B is obtained as information on the iris control characteristics of the projection device 100 . The tables in FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B) have structures similar to those in FIGS. 4(B) and 4(D). However, the white luminance and the contrast ratio are shown as non-normalized values. The table in FIG. 5(A) shows the values when the iris control value is 100%.
The table of B) shows values when the light source control value is 100%.

Note that the projection information does not have to be updated each time the master mode process is performed. For example, the projection information may be updated periodically. When updating the projection information periodically, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 stores the updated projection information in the ROM 112 . Then, in step S<b>300 , the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 reads the projection information of the projection device 100 from the ROM 112 and stores it in the RAM 111 . By updating the projection information of the projection device 100, it is possible to obtain projection information that reflects changes in characteristics (changes over time) due to deterioration of the projection device 100, and to improve the accuracy of processing using the projection information of the projection device 100. can be done.

In step S<b>301 , the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 requests projection information from all projection devices operating in the slave mode via the communication unit 114 of the projection device 100 . In this embodiment, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 requests projection information of the projection device 200 from the projection device 200 .

In step S<b>302 , the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 receives projection information transmitted from each projection device (projection device 200 in this embodiment) operating in the slave mode, and stores the received projection information in the RAM 111 of the projection device 100 . Store. In this embodiment, when the light source control value is 100% and the iris control value is 100%, the white luminance of the projection device 200 is 1900 lx and the contrast ratio of the projection device 200 is 1500:1. Assume that the table of FIG. 5C is obtained as information on the light source control characteristics of the projection device 200 and the table of FIG. 5D is obtained as information on the iris control characteristics of the projection device 200 . The tables in FIGS. 5(C) and 5(D) have structures similar to those in FIGS. 4(B) and 4(D). However, the white luminance and the contrast ratio are shown as non-normalized values. The table in FIG. 5(C) shows the values when the iris control value is 100%, and the table in FIG. 5(D) shows the values when the light source control value is 100%.

In step S303, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 determines whether projection information has been received from all the projection devices operating in the slave mode. For example, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 stores the number of projection devices in the projection system (the number of other projection devices connected to the projection device 100 plus one (projection device 100)) in the RAM 111. Check if it matches the number of projection information provided. If there is a match, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 determines that the projection information has been received from all the projection devices operating in the slave mode. projector) exists. If it is determined that the projection information has been received from all the projection apparatuses operating in the slave mode, the process proceeds to step S304, and if it is determined that there is a projection apparatus that has not received the projection information, the process proceeds to step S302. is returned.

In step S304, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 adjusts the light source of each projection device based on the projection information of each projection device so that the brightness and contrast ratio of the projected images are equal among all the projection devices of the projection system. Determine the control value and the iris control value.

A method for determining the light source control value and the iris control value will be specifically described. In this embodiment, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 first determines the iris control value. As shown in FIGS. 4(C) and 4(D), lowering the iris control value increases the contrast ratio. Therefore, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 determines the iris control value of each projection device so as to correspond to the maximum values of the contrast ratios corresponding to the plurality of projection devices when the iris control value is 100%. . In this embodiment, when the iris control value is 100%, the contrast ratio of the projection device 100 is 1000:1 and the contrast ratio of the projection device 200 is 1500:1. Therefore, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 determines 100% as the iris control value of the projection device 200, and sets the iris control value of the projection device 100 to 60% (Fig. 5B) corresponding to the contrast ratio of 1500. ).

Next, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 determines light source control values. White luminance has an upper limit. Therefore, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 determines the minimum white luminance values corresponding to the plurality of projection devices when the iris state is controlled by the determined iris control value and the light source control value is 100%. Determine the light source control values for each projection device accordingly. In this embodiment, the white luminance of the projection device 100 corresponding to the light source control value of 100% and the iris control value of 60% is 1800 lx (FIG. 5B). The white luminance of the projection device 200 corresponding to the light source control value of 100% and the iris control value of 100% is 1900 lx (FIGS. 5(C) and 5(D)). Therefore, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 determines 100% as the light source control value for the projection device 100 and determines the light source control value corresponding to the white luminance of 1800 lx as the light source control value for the projection device 200 . Specifically, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 performs linear interpolation using the information in FIG. A light source control value of 94.74% for the device 200 is calculated.

The method for determining the light source control value and the iris control value is not particularly limited as long as the brightness and contrast ratio of the projected images are the same among all the projection devices of the projection system. For example, the iris control value for each projection device may be determined to correspond to the maximum contrast ratio for iris control values lower than 100% (maximum of the plurality of contrast ratios corresponding to each of the plurality of projection devices). . Similarly, even if the light source control value of each projection device is determined so as to correspond to the minimum white luminance of the light source control value lower than 100% (minimum values of the plurality of white luminance values respectively corresponding to the plurality of projection devices). good. If the difference in brightness and contrast ratio of the projected images among the plurality of projection devices is not conspicuous, the brightness and contrast ratios of the projected images may not be completely equal among the plurality of projection devices.

Further, the projection information is not particularly limited as long as it is information relating to the brightness and contrast ratio of the projected image. For example, the intervals between multiple control values (light source control values and iris control values) in the table may be smaller or larger than 20%, and may or may not be even. Interpolation for obtaining values not shown in the table may be spline interpolation or the like. By performing spline interpolation, it is possible to calculate the control value with higher accuracy than when performing linear interpolation. When the white luminance and contrast ratio change non-linearly due to changes in the control value, the control value can be determined with higher accuracy as the control value interval is smaller. In the projection information and the above processing, instead of white luminance, luminance of other predetermined color such as black or gray may be used. The intensity of each of multiple colors may be used. The iris control value corresponding to the light source control characteristic information may be lower than 100% (or may be another predetermined value different from 100%). The light source control value corresponding to the iris control characteristic information may also be lower than 100% (or may be another predetermined value different from 100%). Information on light source control characteristics and iris control characteristics may be functions instead of tables.

In steps S305 and S306, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 controls the brightness of the light source with the light source control value determined in step S304 and controls the iris state with the iris control value determined in step S304 for each projection device. control as follows. Specifically, in step S305, the CPU 110 of the projection apparatus 100 transmits and sets the light source control value of 100% determined in step S304 to the light source control unit 130, and sets the iris control value of 60% determined in step S304. It is transmitted to the iris control unit 131 and set. In step S<b>306 , the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 transmits the light source control value and iris control value determined in step S<b>304 to all projection devices operating in slave mode via the communication unit 114 of the projection device 100 . In this embodiment, the CPU 110 of the projection device 100 transmits the light source control value of 94.74% and the iris control value of 100% of the projection device 200 to the projection device 200 .

FIG. 3B is a flowchart showing a processing flow example of processing (slave mode processing) executed by the projection device 200 in slave mode.

In step S320, the CPU 110 of the projection device 200 receives a request for projection information (request of step S301 in FIG. 3A) from the projection device 100 operating in the master mode via the communication unit 114 of the projection device 200. or not. The process of step S320 is repeated until it is determined that the request has been received, and when it is determined that the request has been received, the process proceeds to step S321.

In step S<b>321 , the CPU 110 of the projection device 200 updates and acquires projection information (information on light source control characteristics and iris control characteristics) regarding the luminance and contrast ratio of the projected image 2001 . Then, the CPU 110 of the projection device 200 stores the acquired projection information in the RAM 111 of the projection device 200 . The update method will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 3(C). As described above, in this embodiment, when the light source control value is 100% and the iris control value is 100%, the white luminance of the projection device 200 is 1900 lx and the contrast ratio of the projection device 200 is 1500:1. 5C is obtained as information on the light source control characteristics of the projection device 200, and a table in FIG. 5D is obtained as information on the iris control characteristics of the projection device 200. FIG.

Note that it is not necessary to update the projection information each time the slave mode process is performed, and for example, the projection information may be updated periodically. When updating the projection information periodically, the CPU 110 of the projection device 200 stores the updated projection information in the ROM 112 . Then, in step S<b>321 , the CPU 110 of the projection device 200 reads the projection information of the projection device 200 from the ROM 112 and stores it in the RAM 111 . By updating the projection information of the projection device 200, it is possible to obtain projection information that reflects changes in characteristics (changes over time) due to deterioration of the projection device 200, and to improve the accuracy of processing using the projection information of the projection device 200. can be done.

In step S<b>322 , the CPU 110 of the projection device 200 transmits the projection information acquired in step S<b>321 (stored in the RAM 111 ) to the projection device 100 operating in the master mode via the communication unit 114 of the projection device 200 .

In step S<b>323 , the CPU 110 of the projection device 200 receives the light source control value and the iris control value (the control value of step S<b>306 in FIG. 3A ) from the projection device 100 operating in the master mode via the communication unit 114 of the projection device 200 . ) is received. The process of step S323 is repeated until it is determined that the light source control value and the iris control value have been received, and when it is determined that the light source control value and the iris control value have been received, the process proceeds to step S324. In this embodiment, a light source control value of 94.74% and an iris control value of 100% are received, and the process proceeds to step S324.

In step S324, the CPU 110 of the projection device 200 transmits and sets the light source control value of 94.74% received in step S323 to the light source control unit 130, and sets the iris control value of 100% received in step S323 to the iris control unit 130. 131 for setting.

FIG. 3C is a flow chart showing an example of the processing flow of the update processing (processing for updating projection information) performed in step S300 of FIG. 3A and step S321 of FIG. 3B. In the case of the update process in step S300 of FIG. 3A, each block in the following description is the block of the projection apparatus 100. In the case of the update process of step S321 in FIG. The blocks are blocks of the projection device 200 .

In step S340, CPU 110 displays an all-white pattern (an image that is entirely white) as a projection image. Specifically, CPU 110 instructs OSD superimposition section 143 of image processing section 140 to generate an all-white pattern, and instructs light modulation panel 170R, 170G, and 170B to display the generated all-white pattern on light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B. The controller 150 is instructed. As a result, an all-white pattern is projected onto the projection plane, and the luminance sensor 115 detects the luminance (white luminance) of the all-white pattern projected onto the projection plane.

In step S<b>341 , CPU 110 acquires from luminance sensor 115 the luminance (white luminance) of the all-white pattern projected onto the projection surface.

In step S342, CPU 110 displays an all-black pattern (an image that is entirely black) as a projection image. Specifically, CPU 110 instructs OSD superimposition section 143 of image processing section 140 to generate an all-black pattern, and instructs light modulation panel 170R, 170G, and 170B to display the generated all-black pattern on light modulation panels 170R, 170G, and 170B. The controller 150 is instructed. As a result, an all-black pattern is projected onto the projection plane, and the luminance sensor 115 detects the luminance (black luminance) of the all-black pattern projected onto the projection plane.

In step S<b>343 , CPU 110 obtains from luminance sensor 115 the luminance (black luminance) of the all-black pattern projected onto the projection plane.

In step S344, CPU 110 calculates the ratio between the white luminance Lw obtained in step S341 and the black luminance Lb obtained in step S343 as the contrast ratio corresponding to the current iris control value and light source control value. Specifically, Lw/Lb:1 is calculated as the contrast ratio.

In step S345, the CPU 110 generates projection information ( light source control characteristics and iris control characteristics). In the present embodiment, the CPU 110 applies the white luminance obtained in step S341 and the contrast ratio calculated in step S344 to basic characteristic information to obtain updated projection information.

When a white luminance of 2000 lx and a contrast ratio of 1000:1 are obtained with a light source control value of 100% and an iris control value of 100%, the updated projection information shown in FIG. Tables (A) and 5(B) are obtained. For example, in the table of FIG. 4D, an iris control value of 60% is associated with a white luminance of 90% and a contrast ratio of 1.5. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, the white luminance corresponding to the iris control value of 60% is calculated as 2000 lx×90%=1800 lx, and the contrast ratio corresponding to the iris control value of 60% is 1000×1.5. =1500(:1) is calculated. Similar calculations are performed for other light source control values and other iris control values to obtain the tables shown in FIGS. 5(A) and 5(B). When a white luminance of 1900 lx and a contrast ratio of 1500:1 are obtained with a light source control value of 100% and an iris control value of 100%, the updated projection information shown in FIG. Tables (C) and 5(D) are obtained.

Note that the projection information update method is not limited to the above method. For example, white luminance detection, black luminance detection, and contrast ratio calculation may be performed for each combination of the light source control value and the iris control value while changing the light source control value and the iris control value. Then, updated projection information may be generated using each combination of white luminance and contrast ratio. Detection of white luminance, detection of black luminance, and calculation of contrast ratio may be performed by an external device. Then, the user may input the white luminance and the contrast ratio using the operation unit 113 , or the white luminance and the contrast ratio may be obtained from an external device via the communication unit 114 . Even if one image having a white area (white area) and a black area (black area) is displayed, and the luminance of the white area (white luminance) and the luminance of the black area (black luminance) are detected from the image, good.

A specific example of the effect of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 6A to 6C show examples of brightness of projection images 1001 and 2001 (projection images of projection devices 100 and 200). For the sake of simplicity, 15 brightness levels from 0 to 15 are shown as the brightness of the projection images 1001 and 2001 . A brightness level of 0 corresponds to 0% brightness and a brightness level of 15 corresponds to 100% brightness.

FIG. 6(A) shows a state before executing the processing of this embodiment (the processing of FIGS. 3(A) to 3(C)). In FIG. 6A, the brightness of the projected image 1001 is relatively higher than the brightness of the projected image 2001, and the contrast ratio of the projected image 1001 is lower than the contrast ratio of the projected image 2001. In FIG.

FIG. 6(B) shows the results of the prior art that controls only the brightness of the light source so that the white brightness of a plurality of projected images matches. In FIG. 6B, luminance level 15 of projection image 1001 matches luminance level 15 of projection image 2001 . However, the contrast ratio of projection image 1001 remains lower than that of projection image 2001, and luminance levels other than luminance level 15 are different between projection images 1001 and 2001. FIG. For this reason, image quality deterioration such as a luminance step at the boundary portion between the projected image 1001 and the projected image 2001 is visually recognized.

FIG. 6(C) shows the state after executing the processing of this embodiment (the processing of FIGS. 3(A) to 3(C)). In FIG. 6C, unlike FIG. 6B, the contrast ratio of the projection image 1001 is matched with the contrast ratio of the projection image 2001 by controlling the iris of the projection device 100. FIG. Furthermore, by controlling the luminance of the light source, the luminance level 15 of the projection image 1001 is matched with the luminance level 15 of the projection image 2001 . As a result, all luminance levels from 0 to 15 can be matched between the projected image 1001 and the projected image 2001. FIG. As a result, it is possible to sufficiently reduce (eliminate) image quality deterioration such as a luminance step at the boundary portion between the projected image 1001 and the projected image 2001 .

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the light source and iris of each projection device are controlled so that the brightness and contrast ratio of the projected images are the same among the plurality of projection devices. As a result, when there are individual differences among a plurality of projection apparatuses, it is possible to display a composite image in which luminance unevenness caused by individual differences is reduced with high accuracy.

In this embodiment, an example has been described in which one of a plurality of projection apparatuses performs master mode processing and the rest perform slave mode processing. good. For example, an information processing device (personal computer, etc.) different from the plurality of projection devices performs the master mode processing (specifically, the processing of steps S301 to S304 and S306 in FIG. 3A), and all the projection devices may perform slave mode processing.

Note that each block in the present embodiment (FIGS. 2A and 2B) may or may not be individual hardware. Functionality of two or more blocks may be implemented by common hardware. Each of multiple functions of one block may be implemented by separate hardware. Two or more functions of one block may be implemented by common hardware. Also, each block may or may not be implemented by hardware. For example, a device may have a processor and a memory in which a control program is stored. At least some of the functions of the blocks of the device may be implemented by the processor reading out and executing the control program from the memory.

It should be noted that the present embodiment (including the modifications described above) is merely an example, and a configuration obtained by appropriately modifying or changing the configuration of the present embodiment within the scope of the gist of the present invention can also be applied to the present invention. include.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in the computer of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program. It can also be realized by processing to It can also be implemented by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

100: Projector 110: CPU

Claims (12)

Acquisition means for acquiring projection information relating to brightness and contrast ratio of projected images for each of a plurality of projection devices;
determining a light source control value for controlling the luminance of the light source of the projection device and an iris control value for controlling the state of the iris of the projection device for each of the plurality of projection devices based on the projection information of each projection device; means and
For each of the plurality of projection devices, control is performed such that the brightness of the light source is controlled by the light source control value determined by the determining means, and the state of the iris is controlled by the iris control value determined by the determining means. a control means for
has
The projection information is
first information indicating a correspondence relationship between the light source control value and the luminance of the projected image;
second information indicating a correspondence relationship between the iris control value, the brightness of the projected image, and the contrast ratio of the projected image;
including
An electronic device characterized by: the first information indicates a correspondence relationship when the iris control value is a first predetermined value;
2. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein said second information indicates a correspondence relationship when said light source control value is a second predetermined value. the first predetermined value is an iris control value corresponding to the open state of the iris;
3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein said second predetermined value is a light source control value corresponding to the upper limit brightness of said light source. The determining means is
determining an iris control value for each projection device so as to correspond to a maximum value of a plurality of contrast ratios respectively corresponding to the plurality of projection devices when the iris control value is the first predetermined value;
a plurality of minimum brightness values of the projection images respectively corresponding to the plurality of projection devices when the state of the iris is controlled by the determined iris control value and the light source control value is the second predetermined value; 4. An electronic device according to claim 2 or 3 , characterized in that it determines the light source control values for each projection device in a corresponding manner. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the brightness of the projected image is brightness of a predetermined color. 6. The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein said predetermined color is white. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the contrast ratio is a ratio of white luminance to black luminance. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the projection information is updated by detecting luminance of white and luminance of black of the projection image. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the electronic device is one of the plurality of projection devices. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the electronic device is an information processing device different from the plurality of projection devices. obtaining projection information regarding the brightness and contrast ratio of the projected image for each of a plurality of projection devices;
determining, for each of the plurality of projection devices, a light source control value for controlling the brightness of the light source of the projection device and an iris control value for controlling the state of the iris of the projection device, based on the projection information of each projection device; and,
controlling each of the plurality of projection devices so that the luminance of the light source is controlled by the determined light source control value and the state of the iris is controlled by the determined iris control value;
has
The projection information is
first information indicating a correspondence relationship between the light source control value and the luminance of the projected image;
second information indicating a correspondence relationship between the iris control value, the brightness of the projected image, and the contrast ratio of the projected image;
including
A control method for an electronic device, characterized by: A program for causing a computer to function as each means of the electronic device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 .

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