Control apparatus, control method for same, projection device, and projection system

• US 10,642,142 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2019
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Inagaki, Kensuke, Mori, Makiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Sultan
• Application Number:
  US16/288,446
• Publication Number:
  US 20190278164A1
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/145 Housing details, e.g. position adjustments thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/16 Cooling; Preventing overheating
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/18 Fire preventing or extinguishing
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/26 Projecting separately subsidiary matter simultaneously with main image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3144 Cooling systems cooling of liquid crystal cells in general G02F1/133382; cooling of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3185 Geometric adjustment, e.g. keystone or convergence optical or mechanical adjustment of convergence H04N9/317; using scanning means H04N3/22; optical or mechanical adjustments of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3194 including sensor feedback

Abstract

A control apparatus that controls a projection area of each of projection devices is provided. The control apparatus notifies relating to control of the projection areas, in a case where a temperature variation of at least one projection device, among the projection devices, is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

Claims

1. A control apparatus that controls a projection area of each of projection devices, comprising:

a controller configured to;

control the projection area of each of the projection devices;

determine whether a temperature variation of each of the projection devices is greater than or equal to a threshold value based on an elapsed time period from when a light source of each of the projection devices starts up; and

perform notification relating to control of the projection areas, in a case where the temperature variation of at least one projection device, among the projection devices, is greater than or equal to the threshold value,

wherein the controller performs the notification by causing a message to be displayed on a display device.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller notifies, to a user, information relating to a time at which the temperature variation of a projection device whose temperature variation is determined to be greater than or equal to the threshold value will be less than the threshold value.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller notifies, to the user, information relating to the time, based on an output value of a temperature sensor provided in the projection device whose temperature variation is determined to be greater than or equal to the threshold value.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller notifies, to the user, information relating to the time, based on an elapsed time period from when a light source of the projection device whose temperature variation is determined to be greater than or equal to the threshold value starts up.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to perform alignment processing for controlling the projection area of each of the projection devices, such that the projection area of each of the projection devices is located in a predetermined area.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive user input of a second time for starting performance of the alignment processing, the second time is greater than or equal to a first time at which the temperature variation of a projection device whose temperature variation is determined to be greater than or equal to the threshold value will be less than the threshold value, wherein

the controller starts performance of the alignment processing at the second time received by the receiving unit.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein the controller notifies information indicating that performance of the alignment processing is not appropriate to a projection device whose temperature variation is determined to be greater than or equal to the threshold value, among the plurality of projection devices.

8. The control apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the controller is further configured to perform an adjustment processing for projection areas such that the each of projection areas of the projection devices overlaps with another projection area on a projection surface.

9. The control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the controller is further configured to display an image for instructing whether or not the controller performs the alignment processing, in a case where a temperature variation of at least one projection device, among projection devices, is greater than or equal to the threshold value, and

the controller performs the alignment processing in a where an instruction for performing the adjustment processing is inputted.

10. A projection device for projecting an image onto a projection area, comprising:

a controller

configured to;

control a shape or a position of the projection area;

determine whether a temperature variation of the projection device is less than a threshold value based on an elapsed time period from when a light source of each of the projection devices starts up; and

perform predetermined notification relating to control of the projection area, in a case where the controller determines that the temperature variation of the projection device is not less than the threshold value,

wherein the controller performs the predetermined notification by sending a message to a control apparatus of the projection device.

11. A projection system comprising a plurality of projection devices and a control apparatus configured to control a projection area of each of projection devices,

wherein the control apparatus includes a controller configured to

control the projection area of each of the projection devices;

determine whether a temperature variation of each of the projection devices is greater than or equal to a threshold value based on an elapsed time period from when a light source of each of the projection devices starts up; and

perform notification relating to control of the projection areas, in a case where a temperature variation of at least one projection device, among the projection devices, is greater than or equal to a threshold value,

wherein the controller performs the notification by causing a message to be displayed on a display device.

12. A control method for a control apparatus that controls a projection area of each of projection devices, the method comprising:

controlling the projection area of each of the projection devices;

determining whether a temperature variation of each of the projection devices is greater than or equal to a threshold value based on an elapsed time period from when a light source of each of the projection devices starts up; and

performing notification relating to control of the projection areas, in a case where a temperature variation of at least one projection device, among the projection devices, is greater than or equal to the threshold value,

wherein the performing comprises causing a message to be displayed on a display device.

13. A control method for a projection device that projects an image onto a projection area, the method comprising:

controlling a shape or a position of the projection area;

determining whether a temperature variation of the projection device is less than a threshold value based on an elapsed time period from when a light source of each of the projection devices starts up; and

performing predetermined notification relating to control of the projection area in the controlling, in a case where it is determined in the determining that the temperature variation of the projection device is not less than the threshold value,

wherein the performing the predetermined notification comprises sending a message to a control apparatus of the projection device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program, wherein the program, when executed by at least one processor of a control apparatus that controls a projection area of each of projection devices, causes the at least one processor to function as:

a controller configured to

control the projection area of each of the projection devices;

determine whether a temperature variation of each of the projection devices is greater than or equal to a threshold value based on an elapsed time period from when a light source of each of the projection devices starts up; and

perform notification relating to control of the projection areas, in a case where a temperature variation of at least one projection device, among the projection devices, is greater than or equal to the threshold value,

wherein the controller performs the notification by causing a message to be displayed on a display device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program, wherein the program, when executed by at least one processor of a projection device for projecting an image onto a projection area, causes the at least one processor to function as:

a controller configured to

control a shape or a position of the projection area;

determine whether a temperature variation of the projection device is less than a threshold value based on an elapsed time period from when a light source of each of the projection devices starts up; and

perform predetermined notification relating to control of the projection area, in a case where the controller determines that the temperature variation of the projection device is not less than the threshold value,

wherein the controller performs the predetermined notification by sending a message to a control apparatus of the projection device.