Projecting apparatus with shooting function, program for controlling projecting apparatus with shooting function, and projection image shooting system

• US 7,092,028 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2004
• Issued: 08/15/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Akutsu, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, HEATHER RAE
• Application Number:
  US10/957,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20050078203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 348/345, 348/552
• US Class Current: 348/345
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/54 with projector
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/53 Means for automatic focusing, e.g. to compensate thermal effects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/74 Projection arrangements for image reproduction, e.g. using eidophor

Abstract

After power is turned on, a control section causes a distance detecting section to detect a distance up to a screen, and controls focus positions of a projector lens and an imaging lens in synchronization with each other based on the detected distance (projection distance and subject distance) and an initialized zoom ratio. Moreover, when a change operation in angle of view is executed by a user in a user control apparatus, the control section changes a zoom ratio of the projector lens according to the user'"'"'s operation and changes a zoom ratio of the imaging lens to correspond to the zoom ratio of the projector lens. The control section controls the zoom ratio and the focus position of the imaging lens in synchronization with setting of the zoom ratio and the focus position of the projector lens.

Claims

1. A projecting apparatus with a shooting function, comprising:

a projecting section that projects a projection light representing an image onto a screen;

a camera section that shoots the screen on which the projection light is projected;

an image converting section that converts image information to the projection light;

a position adjustable projection optical section that projects the projection light converted by the image converting section onto the screen;

an imaging section that images the image represented by the projection light projected on the screen that is shot by the camera section;

a position adjustable imaging optical section that image-forms an optical image imaged by the imaging section; and

a control section which stores data associated with a position of the projection optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof and corresponding data associated with a position of the imaging optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof, and which controls a position of the imaging optical section in synchronization with a position of the projection optical section based on the stored data.

2. The projecting apparatus with a shooting function according to claim 1, further comprising:

an imaging-side driving section that drives the imaging optical section,

wherein the control section causes the imaging-side driving section to drive the position of the imaging optical section to a position corresponding to an adjusted position of the projection optical section, so as to control a zoom ratio of the imaging optical section to be a zoom ratio corresponding to a zoom ratio of the projection optical section.

3. The projecting apparatus with a shooting function according to claim 2, further comprising:

a position information detecting section that detects position information indicating the adjusted position of the projection optical section,

wherein the control section causes the imaging-side driving section to drive the position of the imaging optical section to a position corresponding to the adjusted position of the projection optical section based on the position information detected by the position information detecting section.

4. The projecting apparatus with a shooting function according to claim 3, wherein the control section causes the imaging-side driving section to drive the imaging optical section based on the position information detected by the position information detection section, so as to control a focus position of the imaging optical section.

5. The projecting apparatus with a shooting function according to claim 1, further comprising:

a projection-side driving section that drives the projection optical section;

an imaging-side driving section that drives the imaging optical section; and

a distance information obtaining section that obtains distance information indicating a distance to the screen,

wherein the control section causes the projection-side driving section to drive the projection optical section and causes the imaging-side driving section to drive the imaging optical section based on the distance information obtained by the distance information obtaining section, so as to control focus positions of the projection optical section and the imaging optical section.

6. The projecting apparatus with a shooting function according to claim 5, further comprising:

a position information detecting section that detects position information indicating an adjusted position of the projection optical section,

wherein the distance information obtaining section obtains the distance information based on the position information detected by the position information detecting section.

7. The projecting apparatus with a shooting function according to claim 1, further comprising:

a projection-side driving section that drives the projection optical section;

an imaging-side driving section that drives the imaging optical section; and

an auto-focusing section that causes the imaging-side driving section to drive the imaging optical section so as to control a focus position of the imaging optical section to be a position where a contrast value of the image imaged by the imaging section reaches a maximum value, and

wherein the control section causes the projection-side driving section to drive the projection optical section based on the focus position of the imaging optical section controlled by the auto-focusing section, so as to control a focus position of the projection optical section.

8. A projecting apparatus comprising:

an image converting section that converts image information to a projection light;

a position adjustable projection optical section that projects the projection light converted by the image converting section onto a screen;

a position adjustable imaging optical section that image-forms an optical image of an image represented on the screen on which the projection light is projected;

a control section which stores data associated with a position of the projection optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof and corresponding data associated with a position of the imaging optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof, and which controls a position of the imaging optical section together with a position of the projection optical section based on the stored data, in such a way that the image represented by the projection light projected on the screen is substantially entirely included in the optical image image-formed by the imaging optical section; and

an imaging section that images the optical image image-formed by the imaging optical section.

9. A method of controlling a projecting apparatus including a position adjustable projection optical section that projects a projection light on a screen and a position adjustable imaging optical section that image-forms an optical image of an image represented on the screen on which the projection light is projected, the method comprising:

converting image information to a projection light;

projecting the converted projection light onto the screen;

controlling a position of the imaging optical section together with a position of the projection optical section, based on pre-stored data associated with a position of the projection optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof and corresponding pre-stored data associated with a position of the imaging optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof, in such a way that an image represented by the projection light projected on the screen is substantially entirely included in an optical image image-formed by the imaging optical section; and

imaging the image represented by the projection light projected on the screen.

10. A computer readable storage medium having a program that is executable by a computer of a projecting apparatus with a shooting function, the program comprising:

controlling a position of an imaging optical section of the projecting apparatus together with a position of a projection optical selection of the projecting apparatus, based on pre-stored data associated with a position of the projection optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof and corresponding pre-stored data associated with a position of the imaging optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof;

wherein an image represented by projection light projected through the projection optical section onto a screen is substantially entirely included in an optical image image-formed by the imaging optical section.

11. A projection image shooting system comprising:

an image projecting section that projects a projection light representing an image onto a screen; and

an imaging section that images the screen on which the projection light is projected,

wherein the image projecting section comprises;

an image converting section that converts image information to the projection light;

a position adjustable projection optical section that projects the projection light converted by the image converting section onto the screen; and

a transmitting section that transmits angle-of-view information indicating a zoom ratio of the projection optical section to the imaging section, and

wherein the imaging section comprises;

an imaging section that images an image represented by the projection light projected on the screen;

a position adjustable imaging optical section that image-forms an optical image to be imaged by the imaging section;

an imaging-side driving section that drives the imaging optical section;

a receiving section that receives the angle-of-view information transmitted from the image projecting section; and

a control section which stores data associated with a position of the projection optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof and corresponding data associated with a position of the imaging optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof, and which causes the imaging-side driving section to drive the imaging optical section based on the angle-of-view information received by the receiving section, so as to control a zoom ratio of the imaging optical section to be a zoom ratio corresponding to a zoom ratio of the projection optical section.

12. The projection image shooting system according to claim 11, wherein the image projecting section further comprises:

a projection-side driving section that drives the projection optical section;

a distance information obtaining section that obtains distance information indicating a distance to the screen; and

a control section that causes the projection-side driving section to drive the projection optical section based on the distance information obtained by the distance information obtaining section, so as to control a focus position of the projection optical section, and

wherein the control section of the imaging section causes the imaging-side driving section to drive the imaging optical section based on the focus position of the projection optical section, so as to control a focus position of the imaging optical section.

13. The projection image shooting system according to claim 12, wherein when the zoom ratio of the projection optical section is changed, the control section of the image projecting section changes the angle-of-view information and causes the transmitting section to transmit the changed angle-of-view information to the imaging section.

14. A projecting apparatus with a shooting function, comprising:

a projecting section that projects a projection light representing an image onto a screen;

a camera section that shoots the screen on which the projection light is projected;

an image converting section that converts image information to the projection light;

a position adjustable projection optical section that projects the projection light converted by the image converting section onto the screen;

an imaging section that images the image represented by the projection light projected on the screen that is shot by the camera section;

a position adjustable imaging optical section that image-forms an optical image imaged by the imaging section; and

a control section which stores data associated with a position of the projection optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof and corresponding data associated with a position of the imaging optical section in a direction of an optical axis thereof, and which obtains a projection distance corresponding to a pre-adjusted position of the projection optical section or the image optical section based on the stored data and controls a position of the imaging optical section in synchronization with a position of the projection optical section according to the obtained projection distance.