Projection display apparatus, display method for same and image display apparatus

• US 7,170,531 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Issued: 01/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Akaiwa, Shoichi, Itoh, Takafumi, Miyashita, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, KENT WU
• Application Number:
  US10/307,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20030117385A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 345/204, 345/629, 345/157, 345/158, 348/584, 348/588, 348/589, 348/600, 348/60, 715/730, 715/856, 715/720, 715/861
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/397 Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of two or more bit-mapped memories to the screen simultaneously, e.g. for mixing or overlay G09G5/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44504 Circuit details of the additional information generator, e.g. details of the character or graphics signal generator, overlay mixing circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7441 the modulator being an array of liquid crystal cells

Abstract

The present invention provides a technology that enables projection images to be overlaid with embellishment effects without depending on the capabilities of the image supply apparatus. A projection display apparatus that projects images onto a screen responsive to given image data, comprises: an embellishment effect memory for storing embellishment effect data representing an embellishment effect image that can be used to embellish an arbitrary image; an image embellishment section that generates embellished image data by overlaying an original image represented by the given image data and the embellishment effect image; a light modulation unit that is driven responsive to the embellished image data pixel by pixel; and an optical system for projecting onto the screen the embellished image obtained by the light modulation unit. A projection display apparatus superimposes the embellishment effect on the projected image without having to rely on the capabilities of an image supply apparatus.

Claims

1. A display control method of a projection display apparatus that displays embellishment image overlaid on a given original image, comprising:

using a remote controller so as to display a menu screen overlay;

using the remote controller so as to select from the menu a desired embellishment image to be overlaid among a plurality of embellishment images and a display condition including at least a color condition of the selected embellishment image to be overlaid;

erasing the menu screen and displaying an overlay of a display pointer image symbolizing the selected embellishment image to be overlaid and the selected display condition including the color condition of the selected embellishment image to be overlaid;

using the remote controller so as to move the display pointer image and display an overlay of a starting pointer image at a starting position determined for the embellishment image to be overlaid; and

using the remote controller to again move the display pointer image and determine an end position for the embellishment-image to be overlaid so as to display an overlay of the embellishment image between the starting position and the end position determined for the embellishment image, the embellishment image being displayed according to the selected display condition including the color condition.

2. A display control method according to claim 1, wherein the starting pointer image is selected from a plurality of pointer images, each of the plurality of pointer images indicating a direction of the embellishment image to be overlaid, and when the display pointer image is moved, one pointer image is selected as the starting pointer image from the plurality of pointer images based on a direction in which the display pointer image is moving relative to the starting position.

3. A display control method according to claim 1, wherein the embellishment image represents at least one of a line and area whose color can be selected from a plurality of colors, and at least the display pointer image is displayed overlaid as an image having a color which corresponds to the selected color.

4. A display control method according to claim 2, wherein the embellishment image represents at least one of a line and area whose color can be selected from a plurality of colors, and at least the display pointer image is displayed overlaid as an image having a color corresponding to the selected color.