Light source control device, projector, and light source control method

• US 8,870,387 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2011
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Toyooka, Takashi, Mizusako, Kazuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Dowling, William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOWARD, RYAN D
• Application Number:
  US13/274,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20120099084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 353/85, 353/121, 353/94, 313/498, 313/500, 315194-199, 362/800, 348/742
• US Class Current: 353/85
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/14 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2026 Gas discharge type light sources, e.g. arcs
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2033 LED or laser light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/204 using secondary light emission, e.g. luminescence or fluorescence using different colours G03B33/00; if related to video signals H04N9/3197
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/2053 Intensity control of illuminating light controlled by video signal processing H04N5/74 or H04N9/31
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 33/12 using beam-splitting or beam-combining systems, e.g. dichroic mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06 Arrangements for controlling the laser output parameters, e.g. by operating on the active medium
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/14 using electrical feedback from LEDs or from LED modules
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/46 having LEDs disposed in parallel lines

Abstract

A light source control device and a light source control method each capable of preventing the scroll noise from occurring without being affected by the characteristics of a light modulation device, and a projector equipped with the light source control device are provided. The light source device includes a duty determination section adapted to determine a duty ratio, and a drive control section adapted to perform drive control of a plurality of solid-state light sources by generating a PWM signal having the duty ratio determined by the duty ratio determination section, and adapted to make a phase with which at least one of the solid-state light sources is driven different from a phase with which another of the solid-state light sources is driven.

Claims

1. A light source control device adapted to control a light source device having a plurality of solid-state light sources, the light source control device comprising:

a determination section adapted to determine a duty ratio, which is a ratio between an emission time period and an extinction time period of the solid-state light sources in a control period of the light source device, based on an information representing a target light intensity, which is a light intensity of light required to be emitted from the light source device;

a drive control section adapted to generate a control signal having the duty ratio determined by the determination section, and adapted to make a phase with which at least one of the solid-state light sources is driven different from a phase with which another of the solid-state light sources is driven, thereby performing drive control of the plurality of solid-state light sources; and

a current control section adapted to control a current supplied to the solid-state light sources in accordance with the target light intensity and the duty ratio determined by the determination section,

wherein the current control section has a second table representing a relationship between the light intensity of the light emitted from the light source device, the duty ratio, and the current supplied to the solid-state light sources, and supplies the solid-state light sources with the current corresponding to the target light intensity and the duty ratio using the second table.

2. The light source control device according to claim 1, wherein

the determination section has a first table representing a relationship between the light intensity of the light emitted from the light source device and the duty ratio, and determines the duty ratio corresponding to the target light intensity using the first table.

3. The light source control device according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of solid-state light sources are sectioned into n blocks lighting and extinction of which can be controlled individually, wherein n denotes an integer one of equal to and greater than two,

the determination section determines the duty ratio D % to be a value obtained by a formula of a×

(100/n) assuming that the target light intensity is denoted by m %, and a value obtained by rounding up a value obtained by a formula of m/(100/n) to the whole number is denoted by a, wherein m denotes a number fulfilling 0≦

m≦

100,

the drive control section generates n control signals having respective phases shifted 360/n degree(s) from each other, and

the current control section controls the current supplied to the solid-state light sources to be (m/D)×

100% of a current, which is supplied to the solid-state light sources when the target light intensity is 100%.

4. A projector comprising:

a light source device;

a light modulation device adapted to modulate a light from the light source device based on an image signal of an image required to be displayed;

a projection optical system adapted to project the light modulated by the light modulation device on a screen; and

the light source control device according to claim 1 adapted to control the light source device.

5. The projector according to claim 4, further comprising:

a target light intensity calculation section adapted to obtain a signal representing the target light intensity from the image signal.

6. The projector according to claim 5, further comprising:

an extension processing section adapted to perform an extension process of an image signal used for the modulation in the light modulation device in accordance with the target light intensity obtained by the target light intensity calculation section.

7. A projector comprising:

a light source device;

a light modulation device adapted to modulate a light from the light source device based on an image signal of an image required to be displayed;

a projection optical system adapted to project the light modulated by the light modulation device on a screen; and

the light source control device according to claim 2 adapted to control the light source device.

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

a target light intensity calculation section adapted to

obtain a signal representing the target light intensity from

the image signal.

9. The projector according to claim 8, further comprising:

an extension processing section adapted to perform an extension process of an image signal used for the modulation in the light modulation device in accordance with the target light intensity obtained by the target light intensity calculation section.

10. A light source control method of controlling a light source device having a plurality of solid-state light sources, the method comprising:

determining a duty ratio, which is a ratio between an emission time period and an extinction time period of the solid-state light sources in a control period of the light source device, based on an information representing a target light intensity, which is a light intensity of light required to be emitted from the light source device;

performing drive control of the plurality of solid-state light sources by generating a control signal having the duty ratio determined in the determining, and adapted to make a phase with which at least one of the solid-state light sources is driven different from a phase with which another of the solid-state light sources is driven;

a current control section adapted to control a current supplied to the solid-state light sources in accordance with the target light intensity and the duty ratio determined by the determination section,

wherein the current control section has a second table representing a relationship between the light intensity of the light emitted from the light source device, the duty ratio, and the current supplied to the solid-state light sources, and supplies the solid-state light sources with the current corresponding to the target light intensity and the duty ratio using the second table.