Electronic Device

• US 20070263176A1
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nitta, Keiichi, Nozaki, Hirotake
• Application Number:
  US11/660,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20070263176A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/69
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/142 Adjusting of projection optics
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 29/00 Combinations of cameras, projectors or photographic printing apparatus with non-photographic non-optical apparatus, e.g. clocks or weapons; Cameras having the shape of other objects combinations with flash apparatus G03B15/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0272 for a projector or beamer module assembly constructional features of projectors per se G03B21/00; constructional details of projectors using electronic spatial light modulators per se H04N9/31

Abstract

An electronic device includes a projector device that projects an image formed by an optical image formation element via a projection optical system towards a projection surface external to a body of the electronic device; and the projector device projects the image while determining an orientation of the projection light flux, so that neither in a first placement method, in which the electronic device is placed with a first surface of the body being downwards upon a plane upon which the electronic device and the projection surface are placed, nor in a second placement method in which the electronic device is placed with a second surface of the body that is different from the first surface being downwards, is the image projected from the projector device intercepted by the plane.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a projector device that projects an image formed by an optical image formation element via a projection optical system towards a projection surface external to a body of the electronic device, wherein;

the projector device projects the image while determining an orientation of a projection light flux, so that neither in a first placement method, in which the electronic device is placed with a first surface of the body being downwards upon a plane upon which the electronic device and the projection surface are placed, nor in a second placement method in which the electronic device is placed with a second surface of the body that is different from the first surface being downwards, is the image projected from the projector device intercepted by the plane.

2. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

the orientation of the projection light flux is determined so that, both in the first placement method and in the second placement method, a center line of the projection light flux faces upward relative to a surface parallel to the plane.

3. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

the orientation of the projection light flux is determined so that an edge portion of the projection light flux does not protrude from either the first surface or the second surface of the electronic device.

4. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

the orientation of the projection light flux is determined so that, both in the first placement method and in the second placement method, an orientation of projection towards the projection surface of a lower edge of the projection light flux faces in the same direction as a surface parallel to the plane, or above the direction.

5. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

the orientation of the projection light flux is determined so that, when the projector device has projected the image towards the projection surface that is disposed within a range of projection distance in which a focal state of the image upon the projection surface is kept appropriate, both in the first placement method and in the second placement method, the image is not intercepted by the plane, irrespective of a position of arrangement of the projection surface within the range.

6. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

the orientation of the projection light flux is determined so that, when the projector device has projected the image upon the projection surface that is disposed at a position within a range in which a focal state of the image upon the projection surface is kept appropriate, and at a maximum projection distance, both in the first placement method and in the second placement method, the image is not intercepted by the plane.

7. An electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an actuation member that adjusts the orientation of the projection light flux, and wherein;

both in the first placement method and in the second placement method, the orientation of the projection light flux in which the image projected from the projector device is not intercepted by the plane, is a default state.

8. An electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a correction unit that, both in the first placement method and in the second placement method, corrects trapezoidal deformation upon the projection surface of the image projected from the projector device with the same correction characteristics.

9. An electronic device according to claim 8, wherein:

the correction unit further performs correction by varying the correction characteristics for trapezoidal deformation upon the projection surface, so that, in the first placement method and in the second placement method, the correction characteristics become different.

10. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

members that face downwards during the placement are provided to both the first surface and the second surface.

11. An electronic device according to claim 1, wherein:

at least the optical image formation element is adapted so as to be able to rotate about an axis which is substantially parallel to an optical axis of a projection optical system.

12. An electronic device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a rotation drive unit which rotationally drives at least the optical image formation element, according to a type of information to be projected and the placement method for the electronic device.

13. An electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a projected image rotation unit which forms an image whose orientation has been rotated by the optical image formation element; and

wherein;

the projected image rotation unit rotates the orientation of the image according to at least either one of a type of information to be projected, and the placement method for the electronic device.

14. An electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display device of which a display surface is arranged upon the body of the electronic device; and

at least one of a projected image rotation unit that has the optical image formation element form an image with an orientation of the image rotated, and a displayed image rotation unit that displays an image on the display device with an orientation of the image rotated.

19. An electronic device according to claim 12, further comprising:

a display device of which a display surface is provided upon the body of the electronic device; and

wherein;

the rotation drive unit rotationally drives the optical image formation device or the projector device, so as to make an orientation of the image projected by the projector device and an orientation of the image displayed by the display device coincide with one another.

21. An electronic device according to claim 14, wherein:

at least one of the projected image rotation unit and the displayed image rotation unit rotates an image formed by the optical image formation element, or an image formed by the display device, according to a type of information to be displayed by the projector device or by the display device, and an orientation in which the electronic device is placed.

22. An electronic device according to claim 14, wherein:

at least one of the projected image rotation unit and the displayed image rotation unit rotates an image formed by the optical image formation element, or an image formed by the display device, so as to make an orientation of the image projected by the projector device and an orientation of the image displayed by the projector device coincide with one another.

15. An electronic device having a body comprising:

a projector device fitted to the body, which projects an image formed by an optical image formation element towards a projection surface external to the body via a projection optical system;

wherein;

the projector device is adapted to be able, in a state in which the body is placed upon a placement surface, to rotate around an axis that is substantially parallel to an optical axis of the projection optical system.

16. An electronic device according to claim 15, wherein:

the projector device is adapted to be capable of rotating in different directions around the substantially parallel axis.

17. An electronic device according to claim 15, wherein:

the projector device further comprises a LED light source that has an illumination optical axis that is non-parallel to a rotation axis, and that illuminates an image formed upon the optical image formation element.

18. An electronic device according to claim 15, further comprising:

a rotation drive unit which rotationally drives the projector device, according to at least one of a type of information to be projected and an orientation in which the electronic device is placed.

23. An electronic device according to claim 18, further comprising:

a display device of which a display surface is provided upon the body of the electronic device; and

wherein;

the rotation drive unit rotationally drives the optical image formation device or the projector device, so as to make an orientation of the image projected by the projector device and an orientation of the image displayed by the display device coincide with one another.

20. An electronic device, comprising:

a projector device that projects an image formed by an optical image formation element upon a projection surface;

a display device of which a display surface is arranged upon a body of the electronic device; and

at least one of a projected image rotation unit that electrically rotates an orientation of the image formed by the optical image formation element, and a displayed image rotation unit that electrically rotates an orientation of an image formed by the display device.

24. An electronic device according to claim 20, wherein:

at least one of the projected image rotation unit and the displayed image rotation unit rotates an image formed by the optical image formation element, or an image formed by the display device, according to a type of information to be displayed by the projector device or by the display device, and an orientation in which the electronic device is placed.

25. An electronic device according to claim 20, wherein:

at least one of the projected image rotation unit and the displayed image rotation unit rotates an image formed by the optical image formation element, or an image formed by the display device, so as to make an orientation of the image projected by the projector device and an orientation of the image displayed by the projector device coincide with one another.