PROJECTOR AND PROJECTOR SYSTEM

• US 20100128228A1
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: MATSUO, Shuji, KASUGA, Hirofumi, NUNOKAWA, Masahiko, ISHIKAWA, Takeshi, MIDORIKAWA, Hiroshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,439,508 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/34
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/30 adapted to collapse or fold, e.g. for portability
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view

Abstract

A projector that projects an image on a screen, includes: plural image generating units that generate an image lights representing the image; a main body housing that houses the plural image generating units; and plural projection optical units that are provided in the main body housing to respectively correspond to the plural image generating units and project the image lights generated by the image generating units on the screen.

Claims

1. A projector that projects an image on a screen, comprising:

plural image generating units that generate an image lights representing the image;

a main body housing that houses the plural image generating units; and

plural projection optical units that are provided in the main body housing to respectively correspond to the plural image generating units and project the image lights generated by the image generating units on the screen.

2. The projector according to claim 1, wherein

each of the plural image generating units generates the image light representing a partial image corresponding to a part of a display area in an image projected on the screen, and

each of the plural projection optical units projects the image light generated by the image generating unit on the display area corresponding to the partial image on the screen.

3. The projector according to claim 1, wherein

the main body housing has plural planes that form an outer surface, and

the plural projection optical units are provided on a same plane in the main body housing.

4. The projector according to claim 1, wherein the plural image generating units and the plural projection optical units line up substantially in a straight line.

5. The projector according to claim 1, wherein an optical axis of image light projected from the projection optical unit located at an end of the line of the plural projection optical units inclines in a direction opposite to a direction in which the other projection optical units adjacent to the projection optical unit are located.

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

a light source and

a light distributing unit that distributes the light from the light source to the respective plural image generating units.

7. The projector according to claim 1, wherein

an extending and retracting unit that extends and retracts the main body housing in a direction in which the plural projection optical units are connected.

8. The projector according to claim 7, wherein the extending and retracting unit includes a holding unit that holds a state in which the main body housing is extended or retracted.

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

an extension and retraction detecting unit that detects an extension/retraction distance of the extended or retracted main body housing; and

an image adjusting unit that adjusts, according to the extension/retraction distance detected by the extension and retraction detecting unit, an image projected on the screen.

10. The projector according to claim 9, wherein the image adjusting unit includes an expansion and reduction adjusting unit that expands and reduces, according to the extension/retraction distance detected by the extension and retraction detecting unit, an image projected on the screen.

11. The projector according to claim 9, wherein the image adjusting unit includes an optical-axis adjusting unit that moves, according to the extension/retraction distance detected by the extension and retraction detecting unit, optical axes of image lights projected from the plural projection optical units.

12. The projector according to claim 9, wherein the image adjusting unit includes an autofocus unit that moves, according to the extension/retraction distance detected by the extension and retraction detecting unit, focuses of projection lights projected from the plural projection optical units.

13. The projector according to claim 9, wherein the image adjusting unit includes a keystone-distortion correction unit that corrects, according to the extension/retraction distance detected by the extension and retraction detecting unit, a keystone distortion of an image projected on the screen.

14. The projector according to claim 7, wherein

each of the plural image generating units generates the image light representing a partial image corresponding to a part of a display area in an image projected on the screen, and

each of the plural projection optical units projects the image light generated by the image generating unit on the display area corresponding to the partial image on the screen.

15. A projector that projects an image on a screen, comprising:

plural image generating units that generate an image lights representing the image;

a main body housing that houses the plural image generating units;

plural projection optical units in the main body housing to respectively correspond to the plural image generating units; and

an imaging sensor that is provided between the projection optical unit.