Image display apparatus and control method for the same

• US 7,673,994 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2006
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Takeda, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps; Georgia Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Owens; Danell L
• Application Number:
  US11/459,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20070046903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 3591961-2263, 359/298, 353/31, 353/74, 353/77, 345/102, 352/243
• US Class Current: 353/77
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/10 Projectors with built-in or built-on screen
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/14 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/28 Reflectors in projection beam in illumination beam G03B21/2066
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3129 scanning a light beam on the display screen scanning a light beam on a screen in displays other than projection devices G09G3/02; scanning systems in general G02B26/10; projectors using laser light sources in general H04N9/3161

Abstract

An image display apparatus that displays an image through scanning by a plurality of beam lights, includes: a light source section that supplies the beam lights; and a scanning section that subjects to scanning the beam lights coming from the light source section. In the image display apparatus, the light source section is driven for a tone representation using the beam lights each having a light amount that is assigned a weight depending on how many bits are allocated in a range from minimum to maximum, and allocates at least two of the beam lights to at least one higher-order bit in the range.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus that displays an image through scanning by a plurality of beam lights, comprising:

a light source section that supplies the beam lights; and

a scanning section that subjects to scanning the beam lights coming from the light source section, wherein;

the light source section is driven for a tone representation using the beam lights each having a light amount that is assigned a weight depending on how many bits are allocated in a range from minimum to maximum, and allocates at least two of the beam lights to at least one higher-order bit in the range; and

the at least two of the beam lights are allocated a same number of bits.

2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light source section supplies the beam lights each having the light amount that is each adjusted to be substantially proportionate to a power of 2.

3. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light source section is driven to allocate two or more of the number of bits to a part of the beam lights.

4. The image display apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

compared with a case of allocating the number of bits sequentially from minimum to maximum, the light source section allocates the number of bits by leveling an output difference among the beam lights.

5. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light source section is driven to change an illumination length of time for a part of the beam lights in accordance with two or more of a pulse width.

6. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a light source drive section that drives the light source section, wherein

the light source drive section is provided with a first drive section that supplies the beam lights allocated a lower-order bit in the range from minimum to maximum, and a second drive section that supplies the beam lights allocated a higher-order bit in the range from minimum to maximum.

7. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light source section includes a plurality of beam light emission sections for emission of the beam lights located in a plurality of parts of the light source section, and

any of the beam light emission sections is disposed in at least one of the plurality of parts of the light source section when the beam light coming therefrom is large in light amount.

8. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the light source section includes a plurality of beam light emission sections for emission of the beam lights, and

any of the beam light emission sections is disposed, when the beam light coming therefrom is small in light amount, between any of the beam light emission sections that emit the beam lights large in light amount.

9. A control method for an image display apparatus that displays an image through scanning by a beam light, comprising:

supplying plurally the beam light; and

scanning a to-be-exposed area by the beam lights in a first direction, and in a second direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction, wherein;

in the supplying, a tone representation is made using the beam lights each having a light amount that is assigned a weight depending on how many bits are allocated in a range from minimum to maximum, and at least two of the beam lights are allocated to at least one higher-order bit in the range; and

the at least two of the beam lights are allocated a same number of bits.