PROJECTOR AND PROGRAM

• US 20090174866A1
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: OKADA, Kazutoshi
• Application Number:
  US12/349,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20090174866A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/52
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/20 Lamp housings
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/206 Control of light source other than position or intensity
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2086 Security or safety means in lamp houses

Abstract

A projector includes a projection light source, a light-off detector that detects that the projection light source is shut off, and a relighting controller that is triggered to carry out a relighting process for relighting the projection light source based on the detection performed by the light-off detector.

Claims

1. A projector comprising:

a projection light source;

a light-off detector that detects that the projection light source is shut off; and

a relighting controller that carries out a relighting process for relighting the projection light source based on the detection performed by the light-off detector.

2. The projector according to claim 1, further comprising:

a storage unit that stores a maximum process number N (N is an integer greater than or equal to two) up to which the relighting process can be carried out,

wherein the relighting controller counts the number of relighting processes carried out, carries out the relighting process N times at the maximum, and carries out error notification based on the (N+1)-th detection performed by the light-off detector.

3. The projector according to claim 2, further comprising:

a maximum process number setting unit that sets the maximum process number N,

wherein the storage unit rewrites the value of N based on the maximum process number N set by the maximum process number setting unit.

4. The projector according to claim 2, further comprising:

a process number learning unit that tabulates the number of the relighting processes that have been carried out, and dynamically changes the maximum process number N stored in the storage unit based on the tabulation result.

5. The projector according to claim 2,

wherein the storage unit further stores a maximum retry number M (M is an integer greater than or equal to two) up to which a retry action of lighting the projection light source is allowed to be carried out in the relighting process, and

the relighting controller counts the number of lighting retry actions that have been carried out during the execution of the relighting process, judges that the relighting process has failed when the projection light source does not light up even after the M lighting retry actions, and carries out the error notification.

6. The projector according to claim 5, further comprising:

a maximum retry number setting unit that sets the maximum retry number M,

wherein the storage unit rewrites the value of M in accordance with the setting in the maximum retry number setting unit.

7. The projector according to claim 5, further comprising:

a retry number learning unit that tabulates the number of lighting retry actions that have been carried out until the projection light source successfully lights up, and dynamically changes the maximum retry number M stored in the storage unit based on the tabulation result.

8. The projector according to claim 1, further comprising:

a temperature detector that detects a temperature of the projection light source,

wherein the relighting controller does not carry out the relighting process when the light-off detector detects that the projection light source is shut off after the temperature detector detects a temperature higher than or equal to a predetermined value.

9. A program embodied on a computer readable medium that causes a computer to serve as the portions of the projector according to claim 1.

10. A method of relighting a projection light source of a project, the method comprising:

detecting that the projection light source is shut off;

carrying out a relighting process for relighting the projection light source based on the detection performed.

11. The method of relating a projection light source of a projector according to claim 10, further comprising:

storing a maximum processed number N (N is an integer greater than or equal to two) up to which the relighting process can be carried out; and

counting the number of relighting processes carried out, carrying out the relighting process N times at the maximum, and carrying out error notification based on the (N+1)-th detection performed.

12. The method of relighting a projection light source of a projector according to claim 11, further comprising:

setting the maximum process number N, and rewriting the set value of N.

13. The method of relighting a projection light source of a projector according to claim 11, the method further comprising:

tabulating the number of the relighting processes that have been carried out, and dynamically changing the maximum process number N stored based on the tabulation result.

14. A method of relighting a projection light source of a projector according to claim 11, the method farther comprising:

storing a maximum retry number M (M is an integer greater than or equal to two) up to which a retry action of lighting the projection light source is allowed to be carried out; and

counting the number of lighting retry actions that have been carried out during the execution of the relighting process, judging that the relighting process is failed when the projection light source does not light up even after the M lighting retry actions, and carrying out the error notification.

15. The method of relighting a projection light source of a projector according to claim 14, further comprising:

setting the maximum retry number and method, and rewriting the value of M based on the set maximum retry number and method.

16. The method or relighting a projection light source of a projector according to claim 14, further comprising:

tabulating the number of lighting retry actions that have been carried out until the projection light source successfully lights up, and dynamically changing the maximum retry number M stored in a storage unit based on the tabulation result.

17. The method of relighting a projection light source of a projector according to claim 10, the method further comprising:

detecting a temperature of the projection light source, and under the condition that the projection light source is detected to be shut off and the temperature is detected to be higher than or equal to a predetermined value, not carrying out the relighting process.

18. A program embodied on a computer readable medium that causes a computer to perform the method of claim 10.

19. A system for relighting a projection light source of a projector, the system comprising:

means for detecting that the projection light source is shut off;

means for carrying out a relighting process for relighting the projection light source based on the detection performed.

20. A projector comprising:

a light source;

a detector that detects whether the light source is turned on or turned off; and

a controller that automatically turns the light source on using a relighting process when the detector detects that the light source is turned off.

21. The projector of claim 20 wherein the controller counts a number of times the relighting process is sequentially carried out and sends an error notice when the number exceeds a predetermined value.

22. The projector of claim 20 farther comprising:

a sensor that monitors a temperature of the projection light source, wherein the controller does not turn the light source on if the temperature exceeds a predetermined value.