Display apparatus and image information generating method adapted to display apparatus

• US 20060033890A1
• Filed: 08/08/2005
• Published: 02/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,396,135 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/94
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/26 Projecting separately subsidiary matter simultaneously with main image
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/12 Picture reproducers H04N9/11 takes precedence

Abstract

Aspects of the invention can provide a display apparatus that displays one image plane using plural projection type image display devices. The plural projection type image display devices that together form the display apparatus can be disposed in such a manner that at most one projection type image display device among the plural projection type image display devices forms a projection region of an original shape of projection on a screen.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of projection type image display devices that display one image plane;

the plural projection type image display devices that together form the display apparatus being disposed in such a manner that at most one projection type image display device among the plural projection type image display devices forms a projection region of an original shape of projection on a screen.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1,

the original shape of projection of each projection type image display device being a rectangular shape;

and

the plural projection type image display devices being disposed in such a manner that at most one projection type image display device forms a projection region of a rectangular shape.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 1,

the plural projection type image display devices being disposed in such a manner that a ratio between a maximum value and a minimum value of maximum luminance on the screen of each pixel of a projected image from each projection type image display device is a specific value or larger.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 3,

the ratio between the maximum value and the minimum value of the maximum luminance of each pixel being such that a maximum value of luminance is nearly twice or larger a minimum value of luminance.

5. The display apparatus according to claim 1,

the plural projection type image display devices being disposed in such a manner that a ratio between a maximum value and a minimum value of a projection area on the screen by pixels of each projection type image display device is a specific value or larger.

6. The display apparatus according to claim 5,

a ratio between the maximum value and the minimum value of the projection area on the screen of the pixels of each projection type image display device being such that the maximum value of the projection area is nearly twice or larger the minimum value of the projection area.

7. A display apparatus that displays one image plane on a screen using at least first and second projection type image display devices:

let P1 be a pixel of the first projection type image display device corresponding to a position at a particular screen coordinate Ps included in a superimposed region in which projection regions formed on the screen by the first and second projection type image display devices are superimposed, and let P2 be a pixel of the second projection type image display device corresponding to the position at the screen coordinate Ps; and

each projection type image display device being disposed with respect to the screen in such a manner that a differential vector on the screen, Δ

P1=(P1′

−

P1), between the pixel P1 of the first projection type image display device and at least one pixel P1′

adjacent to the pixel P1 is different from a differential vector on the screen, Δ

P2=(P2′

−

P2), between the pixel P2 of the second projection type image display device and a pixel P2′

adjacent to the pixel P2.

8. An image information generating method adapted to a display apparatus for generating image information given to respective projection type image display devices that together form the display apparatus that displays one image plane using plural projection type image display devices, the method comprising:

generating plural sub-regions by dividing a screen;

acquiring resolution of each projection type image display for each one of the sub-regions obtained by dividing the screen; and

allocating a pixel value to a pixel of each projection type image display device corresponding to a sub-region of interest, first from a projection type image display device judged as having lowest resolution for the sub-region of interest.

9. The image information generating method according to claim 8,

when the pixel value is allocated, a given pixel value that is equal to or smaller than a pixel value of a pixel having a minimum pixel value among desired pixel values that should be displayed on the screen by pixels within the sub-region of interest is first given to each pixel corresponding to the sub-region of interest of the projection type image display device judged as having the lowest resolution for the sub-region of interest, and a difference between the pixel value given from the projection type image display device judged as having the lowest resolution and the desired pixel value is given to each pixel corresponding to the sub-region of interest of another projection type image display device.

10. The image information generating method according to claim 8,

the pixel value being a luminance value.

11. An image information generating method adapted to a display apparatus for generating image information given to respective projection type image display devices that together form a display apparatus that displays one image plane using plural projection type display devices, the method comprising:

creating in advance a table from which an area that can be projected on a screen by a pixel and a pixel value that can be outputted from the pixel are acquired for each pixel of the respective projection type image display devices at each coordinate on the screen; and

acquiring the pixel value of each pixel of each projection type image display device on a basis of image information to be displayed with reference to the table.

12. The image information generating method adapted to the display apparatus according to claim 11, when the pixel value of each pixel of each projection type image display apparatus is acquired on the basis of the image information to be displayed with reference to the table, in a case where the pixel value of a given projection type image display device obtained from the table is insufficient for a desired pixel value, a sufficiently large pixel value for the desired pixel value is given to another projection type image display device provided with a pixel found from the table to be present close to the pixel and have a larger pixel value.

13. The image information generating method adapted to the display apparatus according to claim 12, the pixel value given to the projection type image display device provided with the pixel having the larger pixel value being a difference between the pixel value given from the projection type image display device that fails to acquire the pixel value that should be displayed and the desired pixel value.