Image projecting system

• US 6,538,705 B1
• Filed: 10/26/2000
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hanger Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Ioka, Ken, Komiya, Yasuhiro, Higurashi, Masaki, Oura, Koutatsu, Nagasaki, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Désir, Jeaz W.
• Application Number:
  US09/698,510
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.928, H04/N.931, 348/745, 348/806, 348/807, 348/813, 348/744, 348/756, 348/751, 348/761, 348/781, 348/750, 348/746, 348/747, 348/190, 315/11.5, 315/368.11, 315/368.12, 353/34, 353/30, 353/28, 353/122, 349/5, 349/6, 349/8
• US Class Current: 348/745
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/02 by tracing or scanning a light beam on a screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/00 Diagnosis, testing or measuring for television systems or their details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/045 Self-contained testing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/745 Control circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/7466 Control circuits therefor
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3147 Multi-projection systems displays in general H04N9/12; video walls G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3194 including sensor feedback

Abstract

In a system according to the invention, fine image data 2 created and output by a personal computer 1 is input to an image processing/dividing section 4. The image processing/dividing section 4 determines, on the basis of parameters stored in a projector arrangement storage 5, which portion of the fine image data 2 is output to which projector, thereby performing a predetermined processing. Digital signals from the image processing/dividing section 4 are input to a plurality of D/A converters 6, respectively, where the signals are converted to analog signals. Images in the form of the analog signals are projected onto a screen 8 from projectors 7a-7d. Thus, the image projected on the screen 8 is constituted of accurately positioned images, and hence is a very fine image.

Claims

1. An image projecting system, wherein the same images projected from a plurality of projectors are overlaid on a screen to generate one image of high luminance, comprising:

parameter storage means for storing parameters necessary for projecting accurate images from the projectors, said parameters including a first parameter which corrects distortion caused by positional relationships between the plurality of projectors and the screen, and a second parameter which records the positional relationships of the images projected by the plurality of projectors;

image processing means for correcting the distortion of the image from each of the projectors based on the parameters stored in said parameter storage means, and for adjusting the images so that the images are overlaid upon one another correctly; and

image outputting means for outputting image signals corrected in said image processing means to the plurality of projectors.

2. The image projecting system according to claim 1, further comprising:

projection image generating means for generating a projection image;

photographing means positioned in the vicinity of a viewpoint of an observer for photographing said projection image projected by the projectors; and

parameter calculating means for calculating the first and/or the second parameter by using the projection image photographed by said photographing means,

wherein said parameter storage means records at least one of the first and the second parameter calculated by said parameter calculating means.

3. The image projecting system according to claim 2, further comprising:

distortion correcting means for correcting distortion of the projection image generated by the image photographing means, said projection image being photographed between said image photographing means and said parameter calculating means,

wherein said parameter calculating means calculates the first and/or the second parameter by using the projection image whose distortion is corrected by said distortion correcting means.

4. The image projecting system according to claim 2, wherein:

said image photographing means successively photographs the projection image projected on the screen,

said projection image processing means slightly deforms the projection image based on the parameters calculated by said calculating means so that the distortion is reduced, the distortion being caused by the positional relationships among the images projected by said plurality of projectors and the positional relationships between the projectors and the screen, and

said parameters stored in said parameter storage means are parameters sequentially rewritten by the first and the second parameters which are slightly changed.

5. The image projecting system according to claim 2, wherein:

said photographing means photographs an image projected by one of the plurality of projectors for projecting reference images in turn, and

said parameter calculating means calculates the first parameter of each projector based on image data obtained by said photographing means and corresponding to each of the projectors.

6. The image projecting system according to claim 2, wherein:

said photographing means photographs the images projected by the plurality of projectors for projecting the reference images, colors of said reference images vary depending on the projectors, and

said parameter calculating means calculates the first parameter of each projector judging from colors of the image data obtained by said photographing means.

7. The image projecting system according to claim 2, wherein:

when said photographing means photographs an entire image projected by the plurality of projectors, said parameter calculating means calculates a rough estimate value of the second parameter based on the image data of the entire image obtained by said photographing means, and

when said photographing image means photographs, in an enlarged scale, overlapping parts of said entire image projected by the projectors, said parameter calculating means calculates an accurate value of the second parameter based on the enlarged overlapping parts photographed by said photographing means.

8. The image projecting system according to claim 1, wherein said screen is a transmission type screen.

9. The image projecting system according to claim 1, further comprising:

image storage means for storing the image corrected by said image processing means,

wherein said image outputting means outputs the image read from said image storage means.

10. The image projecting system according to claim 9, wherein said image processing means is provided in accordance with every image outputting means of the projectors.

11. An image projecting system, wherein exactly the same images projected from a plurality of projectors, each of which projects an image of an M gradation, are overlaid on a screen to generate one multi-gradient image of an M or greater gradation, comprising:

parameter storage means for storing parameters necessary for projecting accurate images from the projectors, said parameters including a first parameter which corrects distortion caused by positional relationships between the plurality of projectors and the screen, and a second parameter which records the positional relationships of the images projected by the plurality of projectors;

image processing means for correcting the distortion of the image from each of the projectors based on the parameters stored in said parameter storage means, and for adjusting the images so that the images are overlaid over one another correctly; and

image outputting means for changing a gradation of the image projected by each of the plurality of projectors by controlling image signals corrected in said image processing means and outputting the image signals to the plurality of projectors.

12. The image projecting system according to claim 11, further comprising:

projection image generating means for generating a projection image;

photographing means positioned in the vicinity of a viewpoint of an observer for photographing said projection image projected by the projectors; and

parameter calculating means for calculating the first and/or the second parameter by using the projection image photographed by said photographing means,

wherein said parameter storage means records at least one of the first and the second parameter calculated by said parameter calculating means.

13. The image projecting system according to claim 12, further comprising:

distortion correcting means for correcting distortion of the projection image generated by the image photographing means, said projection image being photographed between said image photographing means and said parameter calculating means,

wherein said parameter calculating means calculates the first and/or the second parameter by using the projection image whose distortion is corrected by said distortion correcting means.

14. The image projecting system according to claim 12, wherein:

said image photographing means successively photographs the projection image projected on the screen,

said projection image processing means slightly deforms the projection image based on the parameters calculated by said calculating means so that the distortion is reduced, the distortion being caused by the positional relationships among the images projected by said plurality of projectors and the positional relationships between the projectors and the screen, and

said parameters stored in said parameter storage means are parameters sequentially rewritten by the first and the second parameters which are slightly changed.

15. The image projecting system according to claim 12, wherein:

said photographing means photographs an image projected by one of the plurality of projectors for projecting reference images in turn, and

said parameter calculating means calculates the first parameter of each projector based on image data obtained by said photographing means and corresponding to each of the projectors.

16. The image projecting system according to claim 12, wherein:

said photographing means photographs the images projected by the plurality of projectors for projecting the reference images, colors of said reference images vary depending on the projectors, and

said parameter calculating means calculates the first parameter of each projector judging from colors of the image data obtained by said photographing means.

17. The image projecting system according to claim 12, wherein:

when said photographing means photographs an entire image projected by the plurality of projectors, said parameter calculating means calculates a rough estimate value of the second parameter based on the image data of the entire image obtained by said photographing means, and

when said photographing image means photographs, in an enlarged scale, overlapping parts of said entire image projected by the projectors, said parameter calculating means calculates an accurate value of the second parameter based on the enlarged overlapping parts photographed by said photographing means.

18. The image projecting system according to claim 11, wherein said screen is a transmission type screen.

19. The image projecting system according to claim 11, further comprising:

image storage means for storing the image corrected by said image processing means,

wherein said image outputting means outputs the image read from said image storage means.

20. The image projecting system according to claim 19, wherein said image processing means is provided in accordance with every image outputting means of the projectors.