Video image display apparatus and timing control method

• US 7,954,960 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation, Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation, Silicon Quest Kabushiki-Kaisha
• Inventors: Shirai, Akira, Endo, Taro, Sugimoto, Naoya, Ishii, Fusao
• Primary Examiner(s): Epps; Georgia Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, DON J
• Application Number:
  US12/315,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20090141188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 353/20, 353/30, 353/31, 353/33, 353/34, 353/37, 353 81- 85, 353/97, 348/739, 348/742, 348/743, 348/756, 348/760, 359/11, 359/490, 359/494, 359496-498, 359/502, 359/634, 359/640, 349/30, 347/232, 347/239, 347/240, 250/216, 250/226, 250/227.23, 250/550
• US Class Current: 353/84
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3105 for displaying all colours simultaneously, e.g. by using two or more electronic spatial light modulators simultaneous projection in colour photography G03B33/10; beam splitting or combining systems per se G02B27/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3114 by using a sequential colour filter producing one colour at a time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/312 Driving therefor driving of electronic spatial light modulators in displays other than projection devices G09G3/34, G09G3/36; control of liquid crystal elements G02F1/133; control of micromechanical modulators G02B26/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3155 for controlling the light source light source control per se H05B35/00 – H05B47/00; control of an illumination source for displays in general G09G3/3406
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3164 using multiple light sources

Abstract

A video image display apparatus for displaying a video image in accordance with a video image signal including: a light source for emitting an illumination light to a color wheel driven by a color wheel driving unit to rotate the color wheel for filtering and transmitting lights of different colors therefrom; a spatial light modulator (SLM) for receiving the lights of different colors projected from the color wheel; a master clock signal generation unit for generating a master clock signal constituting a reference for transferring data to the SLM; a frame start signal generation unit for generating, from the master clock signal, a frame start signal indicating the start of a frame; a wheel position detection unit for detecting an angular position of the wheel; a phase comparison unit for comparing a phase of the frame start signal with a wheel index signal generated from the wheel position detection unit indicating a position of the color wheel; and a motor control unit for receiving a phase comparison signal from the phase comparison unit for controlling a rotation speed of a motor for driving the color wheel to rotate at a controlled rotation speed.

Claims

1. A video image display apparatus for displaying a video image in accordance with a video image signal, comprising:

a light source for emitting an illumination light to a color wheel driven by a color wheel driving unit to rotate the color wheel for filtering and transmitting lights of different colors therefrom;

a spatial light modulator (SLM) for receiving said lights of different color projected from said color wheel;

a master clock signal generation unit for generating a master clock signal constituting a reference for transferring data to the SLM;

a frame start signal generation unit for generating, from the master clock signal, a frame start signal indicating the start of a frame;

a wheel position detection unit for detecting an angular position of the color wheel;

a phase comparison unit for comparing a phase of the frame start signal with a wheel index signal generated from the wheel position detection unit indicating a position of the color wheel; and

a motor control unit for receiving a phase comparison signal from said phase comparison unit for controlling a rotation speed of a motor for driving the color wheel to rotate at a controlled rotation speed.

2. The video image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a SLM controller for receiving a signal from the phase comparison unit and for stopping a transfer of a display data to said SLM if the signal received from the phase comparison unit indicating a difference in phases between the wheel index signal and frame start signal and larger than a predetermined discretionary value.

3. The video image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a frequency comparison unit for comparing between a number of times of inputting the frame start signals and a number of times of inputting frame synchronous signals of video image signals, and

a SLM controller for receiving a signal from said frequency comparison unit for indicating if the number of times of inputting the frame start signals is no smaller than the number of times of inputting the frame synchronous signals for transmitting a same data to said SLM as data transmitted in a previous frame.

4. The video image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a frequency comparison unit for comparing between a number of times of inputting the frame start signals and a number of times of inputting the frame synchronous signals of video image signals, and

a SLM controller for receiving a signal from said frequency comparison unit for indicating if the number of times of inputting the frame start signals is smaller than the number of times of inputting the frame synchronous signals by two or more for transmitting data inputted to said SLM controller immediately before the data transmission.

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

the color wheel driving unit controls the color wheel to rotate for filtering and transmitting said lights of different colors in a time sequential manner for projecting to the SLM.

6. A method for controlling a video image display apparatus comprising:

applying a master clock signal as a reference for generating a data transfer start signal indicating a start for transferring data to a spatial light modulator (SLM);

generating a phase comparison signal by comparing a phase of the data transfer start signal with a wheel index signal indicating an angular position of a color wheel; and

applying said phase comparison signal for controlling a rotation speed the color wheel.

7. The control method according to claim 6, comprising:

stopping a transfer of display data to the SLM if the phase comparison signal indicating a phase difference between the wheel index signal and the frame start signal is larger than a predetermined discretionary value.

8. The control method according to claim 6, comprising:

comparing a number of times of inputting the data transfer start signals and a number of times of inputting synchronous signals of video image signals, and

transferring same data to the SLM as previously transferred if the number of times of inputting the data transfer start signals is no smaller than the number of times of inputting the synchronous signals.

9. The control method according to claim 6, comprising:

comparing a number of times of inputting the data transfer start signals and a number of times of inputting the synchronous signals of video image signals, and

transferring data inputted to a SLM controller in an immediate previous frame to the SLM if the number of inputting the data transfer start signals is smaller than the number of times of inputting the synchronous signals by two or more.

10. The control method according to claim 6, further comprising:

controlling and driving the color wheel for filtering and transmitting lights of different color therefrom in a time sequential manner.

11. A method for controlling a video image display apparatus for displaying a video image comprising:

determining a transmission start time of sending data for lights of different colors to a spatial light modulator (SLM);

determining a start time of projecting said lights of different colors to the SLM from a light source;

calculating a difference between a start time of sending data to the SLM and a start time of the wavelength of light incident to the SLM; and

controlling the start time of projecting said lights of different colors from the light source to the SLM to eliminate the difference.

12. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising:

changing over the projection of said lights of different colors to the SLM in a time sequential manner by controlling a color wheel.

13. The control method according to claim 11, comprising:

comparing the difference of the start time of projecting said lights of different colors from the light source to the SLM with a predetermined value, and

changing data transferred to the SLM based on a result of comparison.