WO2010103974A1

WO2010103974A1 - Image display device

Info

Publication number: WO2010103974A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/053437
Authority: WO
Inventors: 榊原眞浩
Original assignee: ブラザー工業株式会社
Priority date: 2009-03-12
Filing date: 2010-03-03
Publication date: 2010-09-16
Also published as: JP2010211149A

Abstract

When the scanning position of a scanning unit is at the edge section of an effective display area in which an image is formed by scanning laser light outputted from a light source unit with the scanning unit, a drive signal for the edge section predetermined for the edge section is outputted by a drive control unit to control the light source unit to output laser light having a predetermined intensity, and the intensity of the laser light outputted from the light source unit in response to the drive signal for the edge section is detected by a light intensity detection unit.

Description

Image display device

The present invention relates to an image display device. More specifically, a drive control unit that generates a drive signal based on image information, a light source unit that emits laser light having an intensity corresponding to the drive signal output from the drive control unit, and a laser beam emitted from the light source unit And an image display device that displays an image by laser light scanned by the scanning unit.

Conventionally, image display devices such as a retinal scanning image display device and a screen scanning image display device are known. The retinal scanning image display device displays an image by scanning and projecting laser light generated based on image information onto at least one retina of a user. Further, the screen scanning type image display device displays an image by scanning a laser beam generated based on image information on a screen.

This image display device has a light source unit that emits laser light having an intensity corresponding to a drive signal, and a scanning unit that scans the laser light emitted from the light source unit in a two-dimensional direction.

The light source unit that emits laser light may not be able to maintain normal brightness of the displayed image because the output characteristics of the laser light change due to changes in ambient temperature.

Therefore, the present inventor emits intensity detection laser light from the light source unit when the scanning position is outside the image forming range (effective display range) of the scanning range by the optical scanning unit, and the intensity detection laser An image display apparatus has been proposed in which the light source unit is adjusted in accordance with the intensity of light to keep the luminance of the image normal (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-233562 A

However, in the image display device described in Patent Document 1, the intensity detection laser beam is used to prevent the intensity detection laser beam from being projected onto the screen or the user's retina as light outside the effective display area. A shielding member for shielding the emission of the light is provided. Therefore, the material cost is high. In addition, the installation of the shielding member may be difficult to adjust, and the manufacturing cost may increase.

The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image display apparatus that can maintain the brightness of an image normally without providing a shielding member.

To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, an image display apparatus includes a light source unit, a scanning unit, a light intensity detection unit, and a drive control unit. The light source unit emits laser light having an intensity corresponding to a drive signal. The scanning unit scans the laser beam emitted from the light source unit in a two-dimensional direction. The light intensity detection unit detects the intensity of laser light emitted from the light source unit. The drive control unit generates the drive signal according to image information, and corrects the drive signal based on the intensity of the laser light detected by the light intensity detection unit. Further, the drive control unit is configured in advance for an edge of the effective display region where the laser beam is scanned by the scanning unit to form an image when the scanning unit has a scanning position at the edge. A predetermined edge driving signal is output, and laser light having a predetermined intensity is emitted from the light source unit. Further, the light intensity detection unit detects the intensity of the laser light emitted from the light source unit by the edge drive signal.

As described above, the image display device emits the intensity detection laser beam when the scanning position of the scanning unit is at the edge of the effective display area where the image is formed. Thereby, the intensity of the laser beam emitted from the light source unit is adjusted by detecting the intensity of the laser beam for intensity detection while allowing the user to recognize the intensity detection laser beam as the design of the edge of the display image. . As a result, the brightness of the image can be kept normal.

In the image display device, the light source unit may include a plurality of light sources that respectively emit laser beams corresponding to the three primary colors. In this case, the drive control unit inputs the edge drive signal to the plurality of light sources when the scanning position of the scanning unit is at the edge of the effective display area, and outputs laser light with a predetermined intensity to the plurality of light sources. The light is emitted from a plurality of light sources.

By configuring the image display device in this way, it is possible to adjust the intensity of each light source while allowing the user to recognize laser light of a predetermined intensity as the design of the edge of the display image.

In the image display device, the drive control unit may simultaneously output the edge driving signal to the plurality of light sources to simultaneously emit the laser light having the predetermined intensity from the plurality of light sources.

By configuring the image display device in this way, the light intensity detection unit can simultaneously detect the intensity detection laser light emitted from the light source, and the drive control unit can quickly adjust the drive signal. Can be done.

In the image display device, the drive control unit outputs the edge drive signal at a timing that does not overlap between the plurality of light sources, and emits the laser beam having the predetermined intensity at a timing that does not overlap between the light sources. You may make it make it.

By configuring the image display device in this way, it is possible to reduce the power consumption necessary to form the edge image. Further, the brightness of the edge portion is reduced, the edge portion can be made to be visually recognized by the user softer, and it is possible to suppress the obstruction of the visibility of the original image by the edge portion.

The image display device may include an image processing unit that reduces the original image to be displayed and generates the image information using a peripheral edge of the original image as an image having a predetermined luminance.

By configuring the image display device in this way, it is possible to provide an edge even when there is no margin in the scanning range of the scanning unit.

In the image display device, the drive control unit may intermittently output the edge drive signal in units of one or more image frames.

The image display device may further include a luminance determination unit that determines whether or not the average luminance of the original image included in the image information is within a specified range. In this case, the drive control unit outputs the edge drive signal in the image frame of the original image in which the average luminance is determined to be within the specified range by the luminance determination unit.

By configuring the image display device in this way, for example, it is possible to prevent the luminance of the edge portion from being too high with respect to the original image and making it difficult to visually recognize the original image.

In the image display device, edge luminance changing means for changing the predetermined intensity of the laser light emitted from the light source unit by changing the signal level of the edge drive signal may be provided.

By configuring the image display device in this manner, for example, even when the brightness of the edge is high and it is difficult for some users to visually recognize the original image, the brightness of the edge is changed by the user's selection. And can be easily recognized.

In the image display device, edge width changing means for changing the edge width of the edge that emits the laser beam having the predetermined intensity may be provided.

By configuring the image display device in this way, for example, even when the width of the edge is large and it is difficult for some users to visually recognize the original image, the width of the edge is changed by the user's selection. This makes it easy to visually recognize the original image.

According to the present invention, the intensity detection laser beam is emitted when the scanning position of the scanning unit is at the edge of the effective display area where the image is formed. This allows the user to recognize the intensity detection laser beam as the design of the edge of the display image, while adjusting the intensity of the laser beam emitted from the light source unit by detecting the intensity of the intensity detection laser beam. The image brightness can be kept normal.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the display image of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the specific structure of the image display apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of the scanning part of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display image of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display image of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display image of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display image of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display image of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the display image of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the drive signal of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the drive signal of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the drive signal of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the drive signal of the image display apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the flow of the automatic addition mode of the image display apparatus shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, a retinal scanning image display device will be described as an example. The retinal scanning image display apparatus scans a laser beam corresponding to a drive signal based on image information with a scanning unit, projects an image on at least one retina of a user, and displays the image. However, the present invention is not limited to the retinal scanning image display device. For example, the present invention can be applied to other image display devices that display an image by scanning laser light, such as a screen scanning image display device. The image is projected and displayed on the screen by scanning the laser beam with the intensity corresponding to the drive signal based on the image information on the screen scanning type image display device.

[1. Outline of image display apparatus]
First, an outline of the image display apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image display device 1 of the present embodiment includes a drive control unit 10, a light source unit 20, a scanning unit 30, a lens 95b that is an eyepiece, and an operation unit 40. It works as follows.

First, the drive control unit 10 generates a drive signal according to the image information F. This image information F is information input from the outside and includes image data in a predetermined format (for example, bitmap data Bit Map Data), component video signal (Component Video Signal), and the like. Further, drive signals are generated and output corresponding to the three primary colors (R, G, B) in units of pixels of the image information F.

The drive signal for each pixel output from the drive control unit 10 is sequentially input to the light source unit 20, and the light source unit 20 sequentially emits laser light having an intensity corresponding to the input drive signal.

Laser light sequentially emitted from the light source unit 20 in units of pixels is scanned by the scanning unit 30 in a two-dimensional direction (XY direction). The laser beam thus scanned enters the pupil 101a of the user's eye 101 through the lens 95b. At this time, the exit pupil position is set at the position of the pupil 101 a, and thereby an image is projected onto the retina 101 b of the user's eye 101.

In the light source unit 20, the output characteristics of the laser light change due to changes in ambient temperature and the like. Therefore, even when a drive signal having the same signal level is input from the drive control unit 10, the intensity of the laser light output from the light source unit 20 changes.

Therefore, the image display device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a light intensity detection unit 20 a that detects the intensity of the laser light emitted from the light source unit 20. The drive controller 10 corrects the drive signal based on the intensity of the laser beam detected by the light intensity detector 20a.

Specifically, the drive control unit 10 inputs an intensity detection drive signal for emitting intensity detection laser light to the light source unit 20 and causes the light source unit 20 to emit intensity detection laser light. The light source unit 20 is provided with a light intensity detection unit 20a for detecting the intensity of the intensity detection laser beam. Information indicating the intensity of the intensity detection laser beam is output from the light intensity detection unit 20 a to the drive control unit 10. The drive control unit 10 determines the output characteristic of the light source unit 20 based on the information input from the light intensity detection unit 20a, and adjusts the drive signal according to the output characteristic.

For example, when the maximum value of the intensity of the laser beam emitted from the light source unit 20 is set, an intensity detection drive signal is output from the drive control unit 10 in order to emit the laser beam having the maximum intensity from the light source unit 20. Suppose that it outputs. At this time, if the intensity of the laser beam detected by the light intensity detection unit 20a is 95% of the maximum value, the drive control unit 10 determines that correction to increase the level of the drive signal is necessary, and Make adjustments. Thereby, the brightness | luminance of the image which the image display apparatus 1 displays can be maintained normally.

Since the intensity detection laser beam emitted from the light source unit 20 in accordance with the intensity detection drive signal is used for internal calibration, the background processing is performed without emitting it to the outside using a shielding member. You can also. However, the material cost of a shielding member, the attachment man-hour, etc. start.

Therefore, in the image display device 1 according to the present embodiment, the intensity detection laser beam is emitted to the effective display area where the image is displayed.

Particularly, as shown in FIG. 2, a region having a constant luminance is formed at the edge D2 of the display image in the effective display region E by the intensity detection laser beam. By forming the edge D2 having a constant luminance in this way, the user can easily distinguish between the effective display area E and the other areas, and the display image can be easily viewed. On the other hand, even if the intensity detection laser beam is emitted from the effective display area E, the user recognizes it as the edge D2 having a constant luminance, so there is no sense of incongruity and no discomfort.

In this way, in order to form a region having a constant luminance at the edge D2 of the display image, the image display device 1 sets the intensity detection laser light to a constant intensity, and uses the intensity detection laser light as the edge image formation laser. Light is emitted from the light source unit 20 as light. That is, when the scanning position of the scanning unit 30 is at the edge of the effective display area where an image is formed by scanning the laser beam by the scanning unit 30, the drive control unit 10 is predetermined for the edge. A drive signal (hereinafter also referred to as “edge drive signal”) is output. Thereby, the intensity detection laser beam is emitted from the light source unit 20 as the edge image forming laser beam.

In the image display device 1, the intensity of the intensity detection laser light emitted from the light source unit 20 is detected by the edge drive signal by the light intensity detection unit 20 a, and the drive signal is adjusted by the drive control unit 10. I have to.

Further, the image display device 1 is provided with an operation unit 40. The user can change the brightness and width of the edge D2 by operating the operation unit 40. That is, when the drive control unit 10 receives an instruction to change the luminance of the edge D2 from the operation unit 40, the drive control unit 10 generates an edge drive signal so that the luminance according to the instruction is obtained as an edge luminance change unit. Output. Similarly, when the drive control unit 10 receives an instruction to change the width of the edge D2 from the operation unit 40, the drive control unit 10 generates and outputs an edge drive signal so that the width corresponds to the instruction.

Note that the image displayed in the effective display area E is formed by the original image D1 and the edge D2 arranged on the periphery thereof. The drive control unit 10 includes image processing means 10a. The image processing means 10a reduces the original image D1 according to the image information F, generates image information in which the periphery of the original image is an image having a predetermined luminance (edge D2), and is driven according to the image information. Output a signal.

Thus, the image display device 1 emits the intensity detection laser beam when the scanning position of the scanning unit 30 is at the edge D2 of the effective display area where the image is formed. As a result, while making the user recognize the intensity detection laser beam as the edge design of the display image, the intensity of the intensity detection laser beam is detected and the laser beam emitted from the light source unit 20 is adjusted to obtain an image. The brightness is kept normal.

[2. Specific Configuration and Operation of Image Display Device 1]
Hereinafter, the image display device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described more specifically with reference to FIGS.

[2.1. Specific configuration including electrical configuration and optical configuration of image display apparatus 1]
As shown in FIG. 3, the image display apparatus 1 includes a drive control unit 10, a light source unit 20, a scanning unit 30, an operation unit 40, an optical fiber cable 50, and a half mirror 31. .

The drive control unit 10 includes a control unit 11 that generates and outputs an image signal S corresponding to the image information F, and a drive signal supply circuit 18 that generates a signal that is an element for combining images.

In addition to functioning as the above-described image processing means, edge brightness changing means, and edge width changing means, the control unit 11 executes predetermined processing to be described later according to a control program stored therein, and also displays an image display. It functions as a control means for controlling the entire apparatus 1 and a brightness determination means described later.

The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 12, a flash memory (Flash Memory) 13, which is a nonvolatile memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 14, a VRAM (Video Random Access Memory) 15, and an input interface ( I / F) 16. These are respectively connected to a bus for data communication, and various information is transmitted / received via the bus for data communication.

The CPU 12 executes a control program stored in the flash memory 13 to operate each unit constituting the image display device 1 as a control unit or the like, thereby executing various functions provided in the image display device 1. It is. In addition, the CPU 12 converts the image information F or the like input via the input I / F 16 into a predetermined image format and stores it in the flash memory 13. Further, the CPU 12 acquires information input from the operation unit 40 and performs processing according to the information.

The CPU 12 generates image information by adding the edge D2 to the original image D1 corresponding to the image information F, and outputs the image information to the drive signal supply circuit 18 as an image signal S.

The drive signal supply circuit 18 generates each signal, which is an element for forming an image, on a pixel basis based on the image signal S. That is, the drive signal supply circuit 18 generates and outputs an R (red) drive signal 60r, a G (green) drive signal 60g, and a B (blue) drive signal 60b. The drive signal supply circuit 18 outputs a horizontal drive signal 61 used by the horizontal scanning unit 80 and a vertical drive signal 62 used by the vertical scanning unit 90, respectively.

The light source unit 20 is provided with an R laser driver 66, a G laser driver 67, and a B laser driver 68 for driving the R laser 63, the G laser 64, and the B laser 65, respectively. The R laser driver 66, the G laser driver 67, and the B laser driver 68 are provided with

drive signals

60r, 60g, R drive signal 60r, G drive signal 60g, and B drive signal 60b output from the drive signal supply circuit 18 in units of pixels, respectively. Based on 60b, laser light (also referred to as “light beam”) whose intensity is modulated is emitted. Each

laser

63, 64, 65 can be configured as, for example, a semiconductor laser or a solid-state laser with a harmonic generation mechanism. When using a semiconductor laser, the drive current can be directly modulated to modulate the intensity of the laser beam. On the other hand, when a solid-state laser is used, each laser needs to have an external modulator to modulate the intensity of the laser light.

Further, the light source unit 20 is provided with an R light intensity detection unit 51, a G light intensity detection unit 52, and a B light intensity detection unit 53. The R light intensity detector 51 detects the intensity of the laser light emitted from the R laser 63. The G light intensity detection unit 52 detects the intensity of the laser light emitted from the G laser 64. The B light intensity detection unit 53 detects the intensity of the laser light emitted from the B laser 65. The

light intensity detectors

51, 52, and 53 can detect the intensity of laser light emitted from the

lasers

63, 64, and 65, respectively. Each

light intensity detector

51, 52, 53 outputs a detection signal having an amplitude level corresponding to the detected intensity of the laser light to the drive controller 10. Note that lasers incorporating the

light intensity detectors

51, 52, and 53 can be applied to the

lasers

63, 64, and 65, respectively.

Furthermore, the light source unit 20 is provided with collimating

optical systems

71, 72, 73,

dichroic mirrors

74, 75, 76, and a combination optical system 77. The collimating

optical systems

71, 72, and 73 are provided so as to collimate the laser light emitted from the

lasers

63, 64, and 65 into parallel light. The dichroic mirrors 74, 75, and 76 combine the laser beams collimated by the collimating

optical systems

71, 72, and 73. The coupling optical system 77 guides the combined laser light to the optical fiber cable 50.

Therefore, the laser beams emitted from the

lasers

63, 64, and 65 are collimated by the collimating

optical systems

71, 72, and 73 and then enter the dichroic mirrors 74, 75, and 76, respectively. Thereafter, each of the laser beams is selectively reflected and transmitted with respect to the wavelength by these

dichroic mirrors

74, 75, and 76. The three primary color laser beams incident on these three

dichroic mirrors

74, 75, and 76 are reflected or transmitted in a wavelength selective manner, reach the coupling optical system 77, and are collected and output to the optical fiber cable 50. The

The scanning unit 30 located between the light source unit 20 and the user's eye 101 includes a collimating optical system 79, a horizontal scanning unit 80, a vertical scanning unit 90, a first relay optical system 85, and a second relay. An optical system 95 is provided. The collimating optical system 79 collimates the laser light generated by the light source unit 20 and emitted through the optical fiber cable 50. The horizontal scanning unit 80 reciprocally scans the laser beam collimated by the collimating optical system 79 in the horizontal direction for image display. The vertical scanning unit 90 scans the laser beam scanned in the horizontal direction by the horizontal scanning unit 80 in the vertical direction. The first relay optical system 85 is provided between the horizontal scanning unit 80 and the vertical scanning unit 90. The second relay optical system 95 emits laser light scanned in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to the pupil 101a.

The horizontal scanning unit 80 and the vertical scanning unit 90 scan in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to scan the laser beam incident from the optical fiber cable 50 in a state in which the laser beam can be projected on the user's retina 101b as an image. It is an optical system. The horizontal scanning unit 80 includes a deflection element 81 and a horizontal scanning drive circuit 82. The deflection element 81 is a resonance type deflection element having a deflection surface for scanning the laser beam in the horizontal direction. The horizontal scanning drive circuit 82 generates a drive signal based on the horizontal drive signal 61 that resonates the deflection element 81 and swings the deflection surface of the deflection element 81.

On the other hand, the vertical scanning unit 90 includes a deflection element 91 and a vertical scanning drive circuit 92. The deflection element 91 is a non-resonant type deflection element having a deflection surface for scanning the laser beam in the vertical direction. The vertical scanning drive circuit 92 generates a drive signal for swinging the deflection surface of the deflection element 91 in a non-resonant state based on the vertical drive signal 62. The vertical scanning unit 90 vertically scans laser light for forming an image from the first horizontal scanning line toward the last horizontal scanning line for each frame of the image to be displayed. Here, the “horizontal scanning line” means one scanning in the horizontal direction by the horizontal scanning unit 80.

Note that the

deflection elements

81 and 91 are galvanometer mirrors here. However, the

deflection elements

81 and 91 can be driven by any driving method such as piezoelectric driving, electromagnetic driving, and electrostatic driving as long as the deflection surface (reflection surface) can be swung or rotated so as to scan the laser beam. It may be a thing. In this embodiment, a resonance type deflection element is used for the horizontal scanning unit 80 and a non-resonance type deflection element is used for the vertical scanning unit 90. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be a type of deflection element.

Further, the first relay optical system 85 that relays the laser light between the horizontal scanning unit 80 and the vertical scanning unit 90 converts the laser light scanned in the horizontal direction by the deflection surface of the deflection element 81 into the deflection surface of the deflection element 91. To converge. Then, the laser light is scanned in the vertical direction by the deflection surface of the deflection element 91, and the front of the eye 101 is passed through the second relay optical system 95 in which two

lenses

95a and 95b having positive refractive power are arranged in series. It is reflected by the half mirror 31 positioned at. The laser light reflected by the half mirror 31 enters the user's pupil 101a, and an image corresponding to the image signal S is projected onto the retina 101b. As a result, the user recognizes the laser light incident on the pupil 101a as an image. Further, the half mirror 31 transmits the external light 200 so as to enter the user's pupil 101a. Thereby, the user can visually recognize an image obtained by superimposing an image based on laser light on an external scene based on external light.

In the second relay optical system 95, the respective laser beams are made substantially parallel to each other and converted into convergent laser beams by the lens 95a. The laser beams are converted into substantially parallel laser beams by the lens 95b, and the center lines of these laser beams are converted so as to converge on the user's pupil 101a.

FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the maximum scanning range G and the standard scanning range Z by the

deflection elements

81 and 91 of the horizontal scanning unit 80 and the vertical scanning unit 90. The maximum scanning range G is a range formed by the horizontal maximum scanning range Xa and the vertical scanning maximum range Ya shown in FIG. The standard scanning range Z is a range formed by the horizontal scanning standard range X1 and the vertical scanning standard range Y1 shown in FIG. Here, the “maximum scanning range” means the maximum range in which the deflection element 81 of the horizontal scanning unit 80 and the deflection element 91 of the vertical scanning unit 90 can scan the laser beam. The “standard scanning range Z” is a scanning range determined by default in the image display device 1.

The horizontal scanning drive circuit 82 amplifies the horizontal drive signal 61 output from the drive signal supply circuit 18 and applies it to the deflection element 81 to drive the deflection surface of the deflection element 81. The vertical scanning drive circuit 92 amplifies the vertical drive signal 62 output from the drive signal supply circuit 18 and applies it to the deflection element 91 to drive the deflection surface of the deflection element 91. Then, the intensity was modulated in accordance with the image signal S from the light source unit 20 at the timing when the scanning positions of the deflection element 81 and the deflection element 91 are within the standard scanning range Z in the maximum scanning range G of the deflection element 81 and the deflection element 91. Laser light is emitted. As a result, the laser beam is scanned in the standard scanning range Z by the deflection element 81 and the deflection element 91, and the laser beam for one frame is scanned in the standard scanning range Z. This scanning is repeated for each frame image. 4 virtually shows the locus γ of the laser light scanned by the deflection element 81 and the deflection element 91 when it is assumed that the laser light is always emitted from the light source unit 20. However, the number of scans in the horizontal scanning direction X by the deflecting element 81 is about several hundred to one thousand per frame, and FIG. 4 simply shows the locus γ of the laser beam.

[2.2. Laser light intensity adjustment process]
Next, laser light intensity adjustment processing in the image display apparatus 1 will be described.

As described above, the laser beam for intensity detection is emitted when the scanning position of the scanning unit 30 is at the edge D2 of the standard display area D where the laser beam is scanned in the standard scanning range Z to form an image. Therefore, since the user recognizes the intensity detection laser beam as the design of the edge of the display image, the laser beam can be adjusted without causing the user to feel uncomfortable or uncomfortable.

The edge D2 can be switched in the range of the effective display area between the standard mode and the extended mode by operating the operation unit 40. As shown in FIG. 5A, the standard mode is a mode provided at the periphery of the original image D1 within a predetermined standard display area D. The extended mode is a mode in which the original image D1 is arranged in the standard display area D as shown in FIG. 5B and is provided outside the standard display area D that is the periphery of the original image D1. In the standard mode, the standard display area D is an effective display area, and in the extended mode, a display area formed by the standard display area D and the edge D2 is an effective display area.

When the standard mode selection instruction is input from the operation unit 40, the control unit 11 reduces the original image D1 according to the image information F, and displays an image (edge D2) having a predetermined luminance at the periphery of the original image D1. The provided image information is generated and output as an image signal S. The image signal S here is a component video signal, but other image signals may be used.

In this way, by operating in the standard mode and providing the edge D2 within a prescribed resolution (for example, 800 × 600 pixels), for example, even when there is no margin in the scanning range of the scanning unit 30, The edge D2 can be provided.

On the other hand, when an instruction to select an expansion mode is input from the operation unit 40, the control unit 11 does not reduce the original image D1 corresponding to the image information F, and an image (edge) having a predetermined luminance is formed around the original image D1. The image information provided with the part D2) is generated and output as the image signal S.

In this way, by operating in the extended mode and providing the edge D2 outside the specified resolution (for example, 800 × 600 pixels), for example, when the scanning range in the scanning unit 30 has a margin, the original image D1 Can be displayed without losing resolution. Further, since the edge D2 is an image having a predetermined luminance and each pixel position is not required to be highly accurate, a range in which an image cannot be formed with high accuracy can be used. For example, when a deflecting element that resonates and swings like the deflecting element 81 is used in the horizontal scanning unit 80, the edge D2 may be formed at a scanning position that cannot be used for displaying the original image D1. It becomes possible.

Also, the luminance of the edge D2 is set so as to be the maximum value for each color of R, G, and B. That is, the drive control unit 10 outputs the R drive signal, the G drive signal, and the B drive signal so that the laser light of each color of R, G, and B has the maximum specified intensity from the light source unit 20. Therefore, the user recognizes the edge D2 as a white frame.

On the other hand, each of the

light intensity detectors

51, 52, 53 detects the intensity of the laser light emitted from the

lasers

63, 64, 65 so as to have the maximum specified intensity as the intensity detecting laser light. The drive control unit 10 adjusts the drive signal based on detection signals output from the light

intensity detection units

51, 52, and 53, respectively. Laser light is emitted from the

lasers

63, 64, and 65 so as to have the maximum specified intensity. Therefore, it becomes easier to detect variations in output characteristics that change depending on temperature or the like, compared to low-intensity laser light, and it is possible to adjust the drive signal quickly and easily. For example, a laser beam with 50% of the maximum specified intensity may be output from the

lasers

63, 64, 65 as the intensity detecting laser beam.

Further, in the above description, a frame surrounding the entire periphery (four sides) of the original image D1 is formed as the edge D2, but the shape of the edge D2 is not limited to this. That is, various types of edge portions D2 can be selected by operating the operation unit 40.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, it is possible to form an edge D2 in which regions of predetermined luminance are provided only at the four corners of the original image D1. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, it is also possible to form an edge portion D2 in which regions of predetermined luminance are provided in addition to the four corners of the original image D1.

These edge D2 patterns are stored in the flash memory 13 as image data. Based on the selection input from the user to the operation unit 40, the control unit 11 reads the image data of the selected edge D2 from the flash memory 13, generates image information combined with the original image D1, and generates an image signal. Output as S.

Further, in the image display device 1 according to the present embodiment, the width W of the edge D2 can be changed by an operation on the operation unit 40 as shown in FIG. 7A. Based on the selection input from the user to the operation unit 40, the control unit 11 adjusts the width W of the edge D2 read from the flash memory 13 to the selected width, and combines the original image D1 with the image information. And output as an image signal S. The image data of the edge D2 having a different width W may be stored in the flash memory 13, and the image data of the edge D2 having the selected width W may be read from the flash memory 13. With this configuration, for example, even when the width of the edge D2 is large and it is difficult for some users to visually recognize the original image D1, the original image D1 can be changed by changing the width W of the edge D2 by the user's selection. Can be easily seen.

Further, in the image display device 1 according to the present embodiment, the brightness of the edge D2 can be changed by an operation on the operation unit 40 as shown in FIG. 7B. Based on the selection input from the user to the operation unit 40, the control unit 11 adjusts the luminance of the edge D2 read from the flash memory 13, generates image information combined with the original image D1, and generates the image signal S. Output as. Therefore, even if the brightness of the edge D2 is high and it is difficult for the user to visually recognize the original image D1, the brightness of the edge D2 can be changed by the user's selection to make it easy to visually recognize. Note that the control unit 11 may dynamically change the luminance of the edge D2 according to the state of the original image D1. For example, when the average luminance value of the original image D1 is lower than a predetermined value, the original image D1 can be easily visually recognized by reducing the luminance of the edge portion W1.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the drive control unit 10 outputs the outputs of the R drive signal 60r, the G drive signal 60g, and the B drive signal 60b as edge drive signals to the

lasers

63, 64, and 65 simultaneously. By simultaneously emitting laser beams having a predetermined intensity from the

lasers

63, 64, and 65, the edge D2 is white and has a predetermined luminance. With this configuration, the

light intensity detectors

51, 52, 53 can simultaneously detect the intensity detection laser beams emitted from the

lasers

63, 64, 65, and therefore the drive signal adjustment process in the drive controller 10. Can be performed quickly. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the state of each drive signal when the horizontal scanning position is at the AA line position in FIG. 5A.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the drive control unit 10 transmits the outputs of the R drive signal 60r, the G drive signal 60g, and the B drive signal 60b as edge drive signals to the

lasers

63, 64, and 65 at timings that do not overlap each other. Output.

Lasers

63, 64, and 65 emit laser beams having a predetermined intensity so as not to overlap at different timings, thereby forming edge D2. Since the laser beams for intensity detection are emitted from the

lasers

63, 64, and 65 at different timings as described above, it is possible to reduce power consumption necessary for forming an image of the edge portion D2. Further, as shown in FIG. 9,

drive signals

60r, 60g, and 60b are sequentially output as edge drive signals. Therefore, the brightness of the edge portion D2 is reduced, and the edge portion D2 can be made to be visually recognized by the user more softly, and the visual recognition of the original image D1 can be suppressed from being inhibited by the edge portion D2.

Also, the edge drive signal output from the drive control unit 10 can be intermittently performed in units of one or more image frames as shown in FIG. 10A. With this configuration, power consumption necessary for forming the image of the edge D2 can be reduced, and the brightness of the edge D2 can be reduced so that the user can visually recognize the edge D2 more softly. It is possible to suppress the viewing of the original image D1 from being obstructed by the edge D2.

Also, as shown in FIG. 10B, the power consumption can be further reduced by reducing the number of appearances of the image frame displaying the edge D2. Further, the edge D2 can be further visually recognized by the user, and the visual recognition of the original image D1 can be suppressed from being inhibited by the edge D2.

Further, in the image display device 1 according to the present embodiment, the automatic addition mode in which the edge portion D2 is dynamically added can be operated by an operation by the user to the operation unit 40. In the automatic addition mode, the CPU 12 functions as a luminance determination unit that determines whether or not the average luminance in units of image frames of the original image D1 included in the image information F is within a specified range in the control unit 11. The CPU 12 outputs an edge drive signal from the drive control unit 10 in the image frame of the original image D1 that has been determined that the average luminance is within the specified range as the luminance determination means.

Hereinafter, the automatic addition mode will be specifically described with reference to FIG.

In this automatic addition mode, first, the control unit 11 calculates an average luminance value of an image of an image frame to be displayed next to the user among the original images D1 included in the image information F (step S10).

Next, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the average luminance value calculated in step S1 is within a specified range (step S11). In this process, if it is determined that the average luminance value is within the specified range (step S11: YES), the control unit 11 compresses the size of the original image D1 to reduce the resolution (step S12), and the process is performed in step S13. Migrate to

In the process of step S13, the control unit 11 reads the image data of the edge D2 from the flash memory 13, and generates image information in which the image of the edge D2 serving as a white frame is added to the original image D1 whose size is compressed. The image signal S is output to the drive signal supply circuit 18 (step S14).

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S12 that the average luminance value is not within the specified range (step S11: NO), the control unit 11 ends the process.

The control unit 11 executes the automatic addition mode by repeatedly performing the above processing.

Thus, by executing the automatic addition mode, for example, when the original image D1 has a predetermined luminance or higher, an image with the edge D2 added can be displayed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the luminance of the edge D2 from being too high with respect to the original image D1 and making it difficult to visually recognize the original image D1.

In addition, although the said process may be performed per image frame, even if it is a case where the edge D2 is added by performing in multiple image frame units, a user can visually recognize the edge D2 more naturally. Can be made.

In step S12, the size of the original image D1 is compressed. However, as shown in FIG. 5B, the size of the original image D1 is not particularly compressed, and the control unit 11 has an edge outside the standard display area D. You may make it perform the process which provides D2. In this way, although the display area is larger than the standard display area D, the image size of the original image D1 does not have to be reduced depending on whether or not the edge portion D2 is formed, and the original image D1 is easily visible. Become.

Also, the control unit 11 may dynamically change the width W of the edge D2 according to the state of the original image D1. For example, when the average luminance value of the original image D1 is lower than a predetermined range (a range that includes the specified range and is wider than the specified range), the width W of the edge W1 is narrowed so that the original image D1 is visually recognized. It can be made easier.

As described above, some of the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention can be implemented in other forms that have been modified or improved.

For example, the

light intensity detectors

51, 52, 53 (20a) are adjacent to or built in the

lasers

63, 64, 65, but the positions of the

light intensity detectors

51, 52, 53 (20a) are positioned at the

lasers

63, 64. , 65 need only be at a position where the intensity of the laser beam output can be detected. For example, the

light intensity detectors

51, 52, and 53 (20a) may be arranged at positions where the laser beam scanned by the scanner 30 is incident.

Further, the image processing is performed after the image information F is stored in the flash memory 13, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any processing may be performed as long as the drive signal can be generated according to the image information.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image display apparatus 10 Drive control part 11 Control part (Image processing means, edge brightness | luminance change means, edge width change means, brightness | luminance determination means)
20 Light source unit 30 Scan unit

Claims

A light source unit that emits laser light having an intensity according to the drive signal, a scanning unit that scans the laser light emitted from the light source unit in a two-dimensional direction,
A light intensity detection unit for detecting the intensity of the laser light emitted from the light source unit;
A drive control unit that generates the drive signal according to image information and corrects the drive signal based on the intensity of the laser light detected by the light intensity detection unit;
The drive control unit is determined in advance for an edge of the effective display area where the laser beam is scanned by the scanning unit to form an image when the scanning unit has a scanning position at the edge. The edge drive signal is output to emit laser light of a predetermined intensity from the light source unit,
The light intensity detection unit is an image display device that detects the intensity of laser light emitted from the light source unit based on the edge drive signal.
The light source unit includes a plurality of light sources that respectively emit laser beams corresponding to the three primary colors,
The drive control unit inputs the edge drive signal to the plurality of light sources when the scanning position of the scanning unit is at the edge of the effective display area, and outputs laser light of a predetermined intensity to the plurality of light sources. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein each of the image display devices emits light from the light source.
3. The image according to claim 2, wherein the drive control unit simultaneously outputs the edge drive signal to the plurality of light sources, and causes the plurality of light sources to emit the laser light having the predetermined intensity simultaneously. Display device.
The drive control unit outputs the edge drive signal at a timing that does not overlap between the plurality of light sources, and emits the laser beam having the predetermined intensity at a timing that does not overlap between the light sources. The image display device according to claim 2.
5. The image processing unit according to claim 1, further comprising an image processing unit that reduces the original image to be displayed and generates the image information by using a peripheral edge of the original image as an image having a predetermined luminance. Image display device.
6. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the drive control unit intermittently outputs the edge drive signal in units of one or more image frames.
Luminance determination means for determining whether or not the average luminance of the image frame unit of the original image included in the image information is within a specified range,
The drive control unit outputs the edge drive signal in an image frame of an original image in which the average luminance is determined to be within a specified range by the luminance determination unit. The image display device according to claim 1.
The edge luminance changing means is provided for changing the predetermined intensity of the laser beam emitted from the light source unit by changing the signal level of the edge driving signal. The image display device according to item.
9. The image display device according to claim 1, further comprising edge width changing means for changing an edge width of the edge that emits the laser beam having the predetermined intensity.