PROJECTION IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND MULTI-PROJECTION SYSTEM

• US 20070058140A1
• Filed: 09/12/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Shuichi, Ogawa, Daisuke
• Granted Patent: US 7,686,457 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 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026

Abstract

A projection image display apparatus is disclosed which enable users to observe an image in an overlap area well. The apparatus comprises a first projector which projects a first image onto a projection surface, a projection area detector which acquires a projection area onto which a second projector projects a second image in a certain area of the projection surface. Further, the apparatus comprises a projection area controller which controls a projection area onto which the firs projector projects the first image, based on an input signal from the projection area detector.

Claims

1. A projection image display apparatus comprising:

a first projector which projects a first image onto a projection surface;

a projection area detector which acquires a projection area onto which a second projector projects a second image in a certain area of the projection surface; and

a projection area controller which controls a projection area onto which the first projector projects the first image, based on an input signal from the projection area detector.

2. The projection image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an area in which the first image projected by the first projector and the second image projected by the second projector are overlapped with each other is acquired by the projection area detector.

3. The projection image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an area onto which the second image is projected by the second projector is acquired by the projection area detector.

4. The projection image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when an area that the first image projected by the first projector and the second image projected by the second projector are overlapped with each other is referred to as an overlap area, the projection area controller controls the projection area of the first projector so that the first image is not projected onto the overlap area.

5. The projection image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when an area that the first image projected by the first projector and the second image projected by the second projector are overlapped with each other is referred to as an overlap area, the projection area controller causes the first projector to project a substantially single color image onto the overlap area.

6. The projection image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when an area that the first image projected by the first projector and the second image projected by the second projector are overlapped with each other is referred to as an overlap area, the projection area controller controls the projection area of the first projector so that the first image is projected onto only a part of the overlap area.

7. A multi-projection system comprising:

first and second projectors which respectively project a first image and a second image on a projection surface;

a projection area detector which acquires at least one of first and second projection areas onto which the first and second images are respectively projected by the first and second projectors; and

a projection area controller which controls at least one of the first and second projection areas, based on the detection result by the projection area detector.

8. The multi-projection system according to claim 7, wherein the projection area controller controls the first projection area, based on information on an overlap area in which the first and second projection areas onto which the first and second images are respectively projected by the first and second projectors are overlapped with each other, the information being acquired by the projection area detector.

9. The multi-projection system according to claim 7, wherein at least one of the first and second projectors is movable.