PROJECTOR AND PROJECTION CORRECTION METHOD THEREOF

• US 20190033700A1
• Filed: 07/31/2018
• Published: 01/31/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
• Original Assignee: Coretronic Corporation
• Inventors: Lin, Ming-Tsun, Tsao, Hao-Chang, Hung, Wei-Lun
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/028 with means for compensating for changes in temperature or for controlling the temperature; thermal stabilisation
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/08 adapted to co-operate with a remote control mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/09 adapted for automatic focusing or varying magnification
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/36 using image sharpness techniques , e.g. image processing techniques for generating autofocus signals image data processing per se G06T; in cameras having a solid state image sensor H04N23/67
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/53 Means for automatic focusing, e.g. to compensate thermal effects

Abstract

A projection correction method adapted to a projector. The projection correction method includes: sensing a temperature of a body of the projector, so as to obtain a first temperature value, where a focusing gear of the projector is located at a first gear position; determining whether the temperature of the body of the projector is changed, and when the temperature of the body of the projector is changed from the first temperature value to a second temperature value, the focusing gear is rotated by a predetermined distance to rotate the focusing gear to a second gear position; and determining whether a storage device stores a target gear position corresponding to the second temperature value, so as to rotate the focusing gear to the target gear position. Moreover, a projector using the aforementioned projection correction method is also provided.

Claims

1. A projection correction method, adapted to a projector, the projection correction method comprising:

sensing a temperature of a body of the projector to obtain a first temperature value, wherein a focusing gear of the projector is located at a first gear position;

determining whether the temperature of the body of the projector is changed, and when the temperature of the body of the projector is changed from the first temperature value to a second temperature value, rotating the focusing gear by a predetermined distance to rotate the focusing gear to a second gear position; and

determining whether a storage device stores a target gear position corresponding to the second temperature value, so as to rotate the focusing gear to the target gear position.

2. The projection correction method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether the storage device stores the target gear position corresponding to the second temperature value, so as to rotate the focusing gear to the target gear position comprises:

if the storage device stores the target gear position corresponding to the second temperature value, rotating the focusing gear to the target gear position; and

if the storage device does not store the target gear position corresponding to the second temperature value, recording the second gear position to serve as the target gear position.

3. The projection correction method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the storage device comprises a plurality of storage positions, the plurality of storage positions are configured to store a plurality of target gear position data of the focusing gear corresponding to each unit temperature from an initial temperature value to a final temperature value, wherein the plurality of storage positions are rewritable.

4. The projection correction method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first adjusting signal by an input device, and rotating the focusing gear to a third gear position according to the first adjusting signal; and

recording the third gear position to serve as the target gear position.

5. The projection correction method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

executing a turn-on operation of the projector, and projecting a reference image;

receiving a second adjusting signal by an input device, and rotating the focusing gear according to the second adjusting signal, so as to perform a focus adjusting operation on the reference image;

after the focus adjusting operation is completed, recording a first reference temperature and a first reference position of the focusing gear;

after a predetermined time, receiving a third adjusting signal by the input device, and rotating the focusing gear according to the third adjusting signal, so as to perform the focus adjusting operation on the reference image;

after the focus adjusting operation is completed, recording a second reference temperature and a second reference position of the focusing gear; and

creating a characteristic curve according to the first reference temperature, the first reference position, the second reference temperature and the second reference position, and determining the predetermined distance according to the characteristic curve.

6. The projection correction method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

rotating the focusing gear towards a first rotation direction by a predetermined time, so as to rotate the focusing gear from a third reference position to a fourth reference position, and recording a first rotation amount;

rotating the focusing gear towards a second rotation direction by the predetermined time, so as to rotate the focusing gear from a fifth reference position to a sixth reference position, and recording a second rotation amount, wherein the first rotation direction is opposite to the second rotation direction; and

calculating a rotation amount difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount, and determining a reverse gain according to the first rotation amount, the second rotation amount and the rotation amount difference.

7. The projection correction method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first rotation amount that the focusing gear is rotated towards the first rotation direction by the predetermined time is equal to a third rotation amount that the focusing gear is rotated towards the second rotation direction by the predetermined time multiplied by the reverse gain.

8. The projection correction method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of rotating the focusing gear by the predetermined distance to rotate the focusing gear to the second gear position comprises:

rotating a first gear by a motor, and engaging the first gear to the focusing gear, so as to rotate the focusing gear by the predetermined distance;

engaging the focusing gear to a second gear to synchronously rotate the second gear, and outputting a direct current voltage signal by a variable resistor integrated to the second gear; and

determining a voltage value of the direct current voltage signal to obtain position data of the second gear position of the focusing gear.

9. A projector, comprising:

a focusing gear, located at a first gear position;

a temperature sensor, configured to sense a temperature of a body of the projector to obtain a first temperature value;

a processing device, coupled to the temperature sensor and controlling the focusing gear, wherein the processing device is configured to determine whether the temperature of the body of the projector is changed by the temperature sensor, and rotate the focusing gear by a predetermined distance when the temperature of the body of the projector is increased from the first temperature value to a second temperature value, so as to rotate the focusing gear to a second gear position; and

a storage device, coupled to the processing device, wherein the processing device determines whether the storage device stores a target gear position corresponding to the second temperature value to rotate the focusing gear to the target gear position.

10. The projector as claimed in claim 9, wherein if the storage device stores the target gear position corresponding to the second temperature value, the processing device rotates the focusing gear to the target gear position, and if the storage device does not store the target gear position corresponding to the second temperature value, the processing device records the second gear position to serve as the target gear position.

11. The projector as claimed in claim 9, wherein the storage device comprises a plurality of storage positions, the plurality of storage positions are configured to store a plurality of target gear position data of the focusing gear corresponding to each unit temperature from an initial temperature value to a final temperature value, wherein the plurality of storage positions are rewritable.

12. The projector as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

an input device, configured to receive a first adjusting signal,

wherein the processing device rotates the focusing gear to a third gear position according to the first adjusting signal, and the processing device records the third gear position to serve as the target gear position.

13. The projector as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processing device further executes a first pre-correction procedure, and the first pre-correction procedure comprises:

executing a turn-on operation of the projector, and projecting a reference image;

receiving a second adjusting signal by an input device, and rotating the focusing gear according to the second adjusting signal, so as to perform a focus adjusting operation on the reference image;

after the focus adjusting operation is completed, recording a first reference temperature and a first reference position of the focusing gear;

after a predetermined time, receiving a third adjusting signal by the input device, and rotating the focusing gear according to the third adjusting signal, so as to perform the focus adjusting operation on the reference image;

after the focus adjusting operation is completed, recording a second reference temperature and a second reference position of the focusing gear; and

creating a characteristic curve according to the first reference temperature, the first reference position, the second reference temperature and the second reference position, and determining the predetermined distance according to the characteristic curve.

14. The projector as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processing device further executes a second pre-correction procedure, and the second pre-correction procedure comprises:

rotating the focusing gear towards a first rotation direction by a predetermined time, so as to rotate the focusing gear from a third reference position to a fourth reference position, and recording a first rotation amount;

rotating the focusing gear towards a second rotation direction by the predetermined time, so as to rotate the focusing gear from a fifth reference position to a sixth reference position, and recording a second rotation amount, wherein the first rotation direction is opposite to the second rotation direction; and

calculating a rotation amount difference between the first rotation amount and the second rotation amount, and determining a reverse gain according to the first rotation amount, the second rotation amount and the rotation amount difference.

15. The projector as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first rotation amount that the focusing gear is rotated towards the first rotation direction by the predetermined time is equal to a third rotation amount that the focusing gear is rotated towards the second rotation direction by the predetermined time multiplied by the reverse gain.

16. The projector as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

a first gear, engaged to the focusing gear;

a second gear, engaged to the focusing gear, and integrated a variable resistor; and

a motor, configured to rotate the first gear, so as to rotate the focusing gear by the predetermined distance, and synchronously rotate the second gear, such that the variable resistor outputs a direct current voltage signal,

wherein the processing device determines a voltage value of the direct current voltage signal to obtain position data of the second gear position of the focusing gear.