Projection control device, projection system, projection control method, and program

Abstract

To cause a projector 250 to be used not only as a device for projecting a content but also as a source of lighting.SOLUTION: In a projection system 100 configured by installing a 3D camera and a projector as a projection machine on a workbench and a PC below the workbench, a projection control device 200 includes a control unit 110 that executes determining a content projection area for projecting content with the projector by projecting a check image, photographing the projected check image with a 3D camera, and detecting the planar area obtained by photographing, and determining an illumination area for irradiating illumination light to a location different from the content projection area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a projection control device, a projection system, a projection control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Projectors capable of projecting various information have been used for a long time, but recently, projectors that project information to support work in the place where the work is performed have also appeared. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that projects contents such as recipes in an area suitable for projection where cooking utensils such as pots are not placed in a kitchen. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2022-503701 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The system disclosed in Patent Document 1 detects the position of an object with a sensor and projects an image onto an area selected according to the detected position of the object, thereby projecting content onto an appropriate area. However, with this conventional technology, although content can be projected onto an optimal area, areas other than the area onto which the content is projected do not become bright, so that a user needs to prepare a separate light when working in that location.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned situation, and aims to provide a projection control device, a projection system, a projection control method, and a program that enable a projector to be used not only as a device for projecting content but also as lighting. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the projection control device according to the present invention comprises: determining a content projection area for projecting the content with a projector; determining an illumination area for irradiating an illumination light onto a location different from the content projection area; It has a control unit. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the projector can be used not only as a device for projecting content but also as a source of illumination. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of installation of a projection system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of connections between devices constituting a projection system according to an embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a projection system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a check image according to the embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an image obtained by capturing a check image in the embodiment; [Figure 6] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a content projection area etc. when a workpiece is present on a workbench. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an illumination area in the case of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a case where a workpiece on a workbench is moved and the content projection area becomes smaller; FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an illumination area in the case of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a projection unit control process according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] 13 is an example of a flowchart of a projection unit control process according to Modification 3. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an illuminatable area according to Modification 3. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an illumination region according to Modification 3. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of illumination region setting information according to Modification 4. [Figure 15] 13 is an example of a flowchart of a projection unit control process according to Modification 4. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a margin according to Modification 5. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] A projection system and the like according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0010] (Embodiment) 1, the projection system 100 according to the embodiment is configured by installing a 3D (Dimensional) camera 240 and a projector 250 as a projector on a workbench 300, and a PC (Personal Computer) 210 under the workbench 300. The projection system 100 is a system controlled by the PC 210, which detects a plane on the workbench 300 (an area where no workpiece or user's hands are present) with the 3D camera 240, and projects information (contents) onto the area of ​​the plane with the projector 250. Therefore, the PC 210 is also called a projection control device.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 2, the projection system 100 is configured by connecting a 3D camera 240 to a PC 210 via a Universal Serial Bus (USB), and connecting a projector 250 to the PC 210 via a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) (registered trademark) and a serial cable.

[0012] As shown in Fig. 3, the projection system 100 and the projection control device 200 are functionally configured such that the projection control device 200 includes a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, and an operation input unit 130, while the projection system 100 includes a detection unit 140 and a projection unit 150 in addition to the above. For example, the PC 210 that constitutes the projection control device 200 corresponds to the control unit 110, the storage unit 120, and the operation input unit 130, the 3D camera 240 corresponds to the detection unit 140, and the projector 250 corresponds to the projection unit 150. However, which of the devices included in the projection system 100 corresponds to each of these functional components can be determined arbitrarily. For example, the projection control device 200 may not correspond to the operation input unit 130, and the projector 250 may correspond to the operation input unit 130 and the projection unit 150.

[0013] The control unit 110 is composed of a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 110 executes processes for realizing various functions of the projection system 100 and projection unit control processes described below, etc., using programs stored in the storage unit 120. The control unit 110 also has a timer function and can measure time. The control unit 110 also supports multi-threading and can execute multiple processes in parallel.

[0014] The storage unit 120 stores programs executed by the control unit 110 and necessary data. The storage unit 120 may include, but is not limited to, a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory, etc. Note that the storage unit 120 may be provided inside the control unit 110.

[0015] The operation input unit 130 includes a user interface such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a push button switch, and receives operation input from a user. However, if the projection system 100 does not need to receive operation input from a user, the projection system 100 does not need to include the operation input unit 130.

[0016] The detection unit 140 includes a distance measurement sensor and acquires the state of the top surface of the worktable 300 (information on the three-dimensional position of each of the multiple points on the top surface). The control unit 110 acquires the information acquired by the detection unit 140 (position information on each of the multiple points on the top surface of the worktable 300) from the detection unit 140, and can detect which parts of the top surface are flat and which parts are not flat based on the information acquired from the detection unit 140. Note that in the example shown in FIG. 1, the projection system 100 uses a 3D camera 240 as the detection unit 140, but the detection unit 140 does not necessarily have to use the 3D camera 240 as a distance measurement sensor. The detection unit 140 can use any distance measurement sensor as long as it can acquire position information on multiple points on the top surface of the worktable 300.

[0017] The projection unit 150 is a projector, and includes a light source, a projection device, a lens unit, etc. The type of the light source, the projection device, etc. is arbitrary, but for example, a mercury lamp, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), etc. can be used as the light source, and a liquid crystal, a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device), etc. can be used as the projection device.

[0018] In addition, after the projection system 100 is installed on a workbench 300 or the like, a calibration process is performed with nothing placed on the top surface of the workbench 300 so that the control unit 110 can obtain the distance to the top surface of the workbench 300 and match the coordinates of the projection unit 150 (projector coordinates) with the coordinates of the detection unit 140 (camera coordinates).

[0019] In the distance calibration process, the control unit 110 obtains the three-dimensional positions of multiple points on the top surface of the worktable 300 using the detection unit 140, thereby obtaining the distance to the top surface of the worktable 300 and storing it in the memory unit 120.

[0020] By using the distance acquired in the calibration process, the control unit 110 can stably determine whether or not the top surface of the worktable 300 is flat. Then, if the distance does not match the distance acquired during calibration, the control unit 110 determines that even if a flat surface is detected, the plane is not the flat surface of the top surface of the worktable 300. Furthermore, even if there are irregularities on the top surface of the worktable 300 (for example, when a pen is placed on the top surface), the control unit 110 may determine that the entire top surface is flat as long as the irregularities are within a predetermined range (for example, ±1 cm).

[0021] In the coordinate calibration process, first, a check image 410 as shown in FIG. 4 is projected onto the upper surface of the work table 300 by the projection unit 150 (projector 250), and the projected check image 410 is photographed by the detection unit 140 (3D camera 240). Then, the control unit 110 can obtain a photographed image 420 as shown in FIG. 5. Then, the control unit 110 obtains shape correction information from the correspondence between the coordinates (camera coordinates) of each intersection (e.g., intersection 421) in the photographed image 420 and the coordinates (projector coordinates) of each intersection (e.g., intersection 411) in the original check image 410. By using this shape correction information, the projection system 100 knows what kind of image (image expressed in projector coordinates) should be projected in order to project a specific image onto a certain area (area expressed in camera coordinates) on the work table 300.

[0022] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, the projection system 100 is installed so that a projectable area 320 (the entire area that can be projected by the projection unit 150 (projector 250)) is included within a detectable area 310 (the entire area in which a three-dimensional position can be detected by the detection unit 140 (3D camera 240)), and the detectable area 310 is included within the upper surface of the workbench 300. For example, such an installation is possible by projecting a dummy image (for example, a black and white checkered image 410 as shown in Fig. 4) from the projection unit 150 onto the workbench 300, detecting it with the detection unit 140, and adjusting the installation positions of the detection unit 140 and the projection unit 150.

[0023] Even if the top surface of workbench 300 is rectangular, the image projected by projection unit 150 may become a distorted rectangle, as shown in projectable area 320 in Fig. 6, depending on the position and orientation of projection unit 150. Ideally, detection unit 140 and projection unit 150 should be installed so that projectable area 320, detectable area 310, and the top surface of workbench 300 are rectangular with the same size, but in this embodiment, a case where detectable area 310 and projectable area 320 are distorted will be described to show that it is no problem even if they are installed somewhat roughly.

[0024] Even in such a case, the projection system 100 can acquire the correspondence between the camera coordinates and the projector coordinates by the above-mentioned calibration process, thereby projecting rectangular content within the projectable area 320. In this embodiment, after the projection system 100 is installed, the above-mentioned calibration process is performed to set a distortion-free content projection area (a rectangle with an aspect ratio of the image projected by the projection unit 150 (e.g., 16:10)) within the projectable area 320 on the workbench 300, and the necessary information (content screen) is projected therein.

[0025] When no object or the like is present on the workbench 300, the entire surface of the workbench 300 becomes flat, and therefore the entire detectable area 310, which is the entire area in which the detection unit 140 can acquire information on three-dimensional position, is detected as a flat surface by the control unit 110. Note that any method can be used as a method for the control unit 110 to detect a flat surface using the detection unit 140, and for example, the detection method described in JP 2014-85940 A can be used.

[0026] 6, when a work object 350 is placed in the detectable area 310 on the workbench 300, a part of the detectable area 310 (the part where the work object 350 is present) is no longer flat. In this state, when the control unit 110 checks the planar state of the detectable area 310 using the detection unit 140, the area of ​​the detectable area 310 where the work object 350 is present is detected as a non-flat area, and the area where the work object 350 is not present is detected as a flat area.

[0027] When content is projected onto a non-flat area, the projected content becomes distorted according to the unevenness of the non-flat area, making it difficult to see. Therefore, control unit 110 determines a content projection area for projecting content within a flat area in projectable area 320, and projects the content without distortion onto the content projection area.

[0028] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when a workpiece 350 is present on the workbench 300, the content projection area 321 is determined as a rectangle of the maximum size within the projectable area 320 that fits within the planar area 311 where the workpiece 350 is not present.

[0029] The projection unit 150 itself can project a given image onto the entire projectable area 320, but in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, an area of ​​the projectable area 320 other than the content projection area 321 is determined as an illumination area 312 for irradiating illumination light, and a white image is projected onto it. As a result, the white image becomes the illumination light, and the projection unit 150 serves as illumination, brightly lighting the user's work area, such as the work object 350, without the need for a separate illumination.

[0030] Furthermore, when the work piece 350 moves inside the worktable 300 as shown in Fig. 8, the content projection area 321 is reduced so as not to overlap with the work piece 350, and the illumination area 312 is enlarged as shown in Fig. 9. Conversely, when the work piece 350 moves towards the outside of the worktable 300, the content projection area 321 is enlarged to an extent that it does not overlap with the work piece 350, and the illumination area 312 is reduced. Therefore, the illumination area 312 is set within an extent that does not affect the projection of the content.

[0031] The projection unit control process, which is a process that allows the projection unit 150 to be used as lighting, will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The projection unit control process starts when the projection system 100 is started up.

[0032] First, the control unit 110 executes the above-mentioned calibration process to obtain the distance to the top surface of the worktable 300 and shape correction information, and stores the information in the storage unit 120 (step S101). By executing the calibration process, the control unit 110 also obtains the area that can be projected by the projection unit 150 (projectable area 320). Note that since it is sufficient to execute the calibration process once after the projection system 100 is installed, if the distance to the top surface of the worktable 300 and shape correction information have already been obtained, the control unit 110 may skip the process of step S101.

[0033] Next, the control unit 110 checks the planar state of the detectable area 310 based on the position information acquired by the detection unit 140, and detects the planar area 311 in the projectable area 320 (step S102). Then, a rectangular area of ​​the maximum size that can fit in the planar area 311 is determined as the content projection area 321 (step S103). Any method can be used as a method for determining the content projection area 321 of the maximum size that can fit in the planar area 311. For example, a method can be used in which, for every point in the planar area 311, a rectangle is generated with the point as a center point at the maximum size that can fit in the planar area 311, and the largest rectangle among the generated rectangles is determined as the content projection area 321.

[0034] Then, the control unit 110 fills the entire surface of the projection data to be projected by the projection unit 150 with a white image (step S104), and fits the content data into an area in the projection data that corresponds to the content projection area 321 (step S105). This generates projection data that projects white light onto areas in the projectable area 320 other than the content projection area 321 to brighten the area. Note that, as the processes in steps S104 and S105 (generation process of projection data), the control unit 110 may determine the area in the projectable area 320 other than the content projection area 321 as the illumination area 312, write white image data into an area in the projection data that corresponds to the illumination area 312, and write the content data into an area that corresponds to the content projection area 321.

[0035] Next, the control unit 110 projects the projection data by the projection unit 150 (step S106). As a result, the illumination area 312 becomes bright with white light. Then, the control unit 110 returns to step S102 to repeat the determination of the content projection area and the generation and projection of the projection data.

[0036] Through the above-described projection unit control process, the content is projected onto the content projection area 321, and white light is projected onto the illumination area 312, which is an area different from the content projection area 321, to brighten it. Therefore, the user can use the projector not only as a device for projecting content, but also as a light source.

[0037] (Variation 1) In the above-described embodiment, the entire projectable area 320 other than the content projection area 321 is set as the illumination area 312. However, when it is desired to observe the work piece 350 under bright lighting, it is also possible to desire to illuminate only the work piece 350 on the workbench 300. Here, a first modification will be described in which only the area where the work piece 350 exists, i.e., the non-flat area, is set as the illumination area 312.

[0038] An example of device settings in the first modification is similar to that in the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in Fig. 1. The functional configuration of the first modification is also similar to that in the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0039] The projection unit control process according to the first modification is obtained by modifying the process of step S104 of the projection unit control process (FIG. 10) according to the embodiment described above as follows. In step S104 of the projection unit control process according to the first modification, the control unit 110 fills in the projection data corresponding to the planar area 311 detected in step S102 with a black image, and fills in the projection data corresponding to areas other than the planar area 311 (non-planar areas) with a white image. The rest of the process is the same as the projection unit control process according to the embodiment (FIG. 10).

[0040] That is, in variant example 1, as the processing of steps S104 and S105 (projection data generation processing), the control unit 110 determines the area (non-planar area) other than the planar area 311 within the projectable area 320 as the illumination area 312, writes white image data in the area corresponding to the illumination area 312 in the projection data, and writes content data in the area corresponding to the content projection area 321.

[0041] By carrying out such processing, in the first modification, the area other than the planar area 311 (non-planar area), i.e., the area where the work object 350 exists, becomes the illumination area 312. As a result, white light is projected onto the work object 350, making it bright, so in the first modification, the projector can also be used as illumination.

[0042] (Variation 2) Contrary to the above-mentioned modified example 1, there may be cases where it is not desirable to illuminate the work object 350, such as when light hitting the work object 350 is too dazzling to work on. Here, modified example 2 will be described in which the illumination area 312 is an area where the work object 350 does not exist, i.e., a planar area.

[0043] An example of device settings in the second modification is similar to that in the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in Fig. 1. The functional configuration of the second modification is also similar to that in the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0044] The projection unit control process according to the second modification is obtained by modifying the process of step S104 of the projection unit control process (FIG. 10) according to the embodiment described above as follows. In step S104 of the projection unit control process according to the second modification, the control unit 110 fills in the projection data corresponding to the planar area 311 detected in step S102 with a white image, and fills in the projection data corresponding to areas other than the planar area 311 (non-planar areas) with a black image. The rest of the process is the same as the projection unit control process (FIG. 10) according to the embodiment.

[0045] That is, in variant example 2, in the processing of steps S104 and S105 (projection data generation processing), the control unit 110 determines the planar area 311 other than the content projection area 321 within the projectable area 320 as the illumination area 312, writes white image data in the area corresponding to the illumination area 312 in the projection data, and writes content data in the area corresponding to the content projection area 321.

[0046] By carrying out such processing, the projector can be used as lighting in Modification 2. Also, in Modification 2, white light is not projected onto the work object 350, so there is no risk of light being reflected on the work object 350 and making it difficult to work.

[0047] (Variation 3) In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the illumination area 312 is automatically set based on the position of the work piece 350, etc., but the user may be allowed to set an area that can become the illumination area 312. Here, a modified example 3 will be described in which the user can set an area that can become the illumination area 312 (illuminatable area).

[0048] An example of device settings in the third modification is similar to that in the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in Fig. 1. The functional configuration of the third modification is also similar to that in the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0049] The projection unit control process according to the third modified example will be described with reference to Fig. 11. This projection unit control process also starts to be executed when the projection system 100 is started. This process is a partial modification of the projection unit control process according to the above-described embodiment (Fig. 10), so differences will mainly be described.

[0050] First, step S201 is the same as step S101 in Fig. 10, and therefore description thereof will be omitted. After that, the control unit 110 sets an illuminable area (step S202). The illuminable area is an area that can become an illumination area, and is set by the user as any area within the projection area 320 as shown in Fig. 12. In the example shown in Fig. 12, two areas, an illuminable area 313 and an illuminable area 314, are set as the illuminable area. This is set, for example, by projecting a cursor for setting the illuminable area by the projection unit 150, and the user moving the cursor via the operation input unit 130 to specify the illuminable area.

[0051] In step S202, not only the size and position of the illuminable area but also the color of the light to be irradiated may be set. In the above embodiment, a white image is written in the area corresponding to the illumination area 312 of the projection data, so that white light is projected. However, instead of the white image, a color of the user's preference (any color such as gray, yellow, red, blue, green, light blue, etc.) may be set, and light of the set color may be projected onto the illumination area 312.

[0052] The processes in the following steps S203 and S204 are similar to the processes in steps S102 and S103 in FIG. 10, and therefore will not be described.

[0053] Next, in step S205, the control unit 110 fills in the portion of the projection data projected by the projection unit 150 that corresponds to the illuminable area with a white image (or an image of a color arbitrarily set by the user). Then, the control unit 110 fits the content data into the area corresponding to the content projection area 321 in the projection data (step S206). This generates projection data that projects white light (or light of a color arbitrarily set by the user) onto the illuminable area other than the content projection area 321 in the projectable area 320 to brighten it. Note that, as the processing of steps S205 and S206 (generation processing of projection data), the control unit 110 may determine the illuminable area other than the content projection area 321 in the projectable area 320 as the illumination area 312, write white image data into the area corresponding to the illumination area 312 in the projection data, and write the content data into the area corresponding to the content projection area 321.

[0054] Next, the control unit 110 projects the projection data by the projection unit 150 (step S207). Then, the control unit 110 returns to step S203 to repeat the determination of the content projection area 321 and the generation and projection of the projection data.

[0055] By the above-described projection unit control process according to the third modification, in the third modification, the area in which the content is not projected, among the illuminatable area set by the user, becomes the illumination area 312. For example, as shown in Fig. 13, white light is projected onto the illumination area 315 corresponding to the illuminatable area 313 and the illumination area 316 corresponding to the illuminatable area 314, thereby brightening them. Therefore, in the third modification, not only can the projector be used as lighting, but the user can freely set the area that can be used as lighting.

[0056] (Variation 4) As another modification, a fourth modification in which the illumination area 312 is changed depending on the brightness of the workbench 300 will be described.

[0057] An example of device settings in the fourth modification is similar to that in the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 1. The functional configuration of the fourth modification is also similar to that in the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 3. However, in the fourth modification, the control unit 110 is assumed to be capable of acquiring the brightness (brightness information) of the workbench 300. The method of acquiring the brightness information is arbitrary, but for example, the projection system 100 according to the fourth modification may include an illuminance sensor (not shown) so that the control unit 110 is capable of acquiring the brightness information from the illuminance sensor, or the control unit 110 may acquire the brightness information based on an image captured by a camera of the detection unit 140.

[0058] Moreover, the storage unit 120 according to the fourth modification stores illumination area setting information 121 in which an illumination possible area is set according to brightness information (illuminance) as shown in FIG.

[0059] A projection unit control process according to the fourth modified example that performs such processing will be described with reference to Fig. 15. This projection unit control process also starts to be executed when the projection system 100 is started. This process is a partial modification of the projection unit control process according to the first modified example (Fig. 11), so differences will mainly be described.

[0060] First, step S301 is the same as step S201 in Fig. 11, so the description will be omitted. After that, the control unit 110 sets an illuminable area according to the brightness information (step S302). Specifically, the control unit 110 acquires the brightness information by acquiring the illuminance of the workbench 300 from the camera of the detection unit 140 or a separately provided illuminance sensor, and sets an illuminable area corresponding to the acquired illuminance by referring to the illumination area setting information 121.

[0061] The process from step S303 to step S307 is similar to the process from step S203 to step S207 in Fig. 11, and therefore the description will be omitted. However, after step S307, the control unit 110 returns to step S302 and repeats the setting of the illumination possible area, the determination of the content projection area, and the generation and projection of the projection data.

[0062] In the above-described projection unit control process according to the modification 4, the illumination area can be changed according to the brightness information in the modification 4. For example, as shown in Fig. 14, by storing a setting for reducing the area of ​​the illuminable area as the illuminance increases as the illumination area setting information 121, the area of ​​the illumination area can be reduced as the workbench 300 becomes brighter.

[0063] In the above-mentioned modification 4, the position and size of the illuminable area are changed according to the brightness information, but instead of the position and size of the illuminable area, or together with the position and size of the illuminable area, the color of the light to be irradiated may be changed from white light to another color (e.g., gray light). For example, instead of a white image, a gray image with a brightness according to the brightness information (e.g., the brighter the brightness information, the lower the brightness of the gray image) may be written in the area corresponding to the illumination area of ​​the projection data. For this purpose, color information according to the brightness information may be stored in the "illuminable area" item of the illumination area setting information 121. By doing so, the brightness of the light irradiated to the illumination area can be reduced as the workbench 300 becomes brighter.

[0064] (Variation 5) In the above-described embodiment, white light is projected onto areas other than content projection area 321, so when the background of the content is white, it becomes difficult to distinguish the boundary between content projection area 321 and illumination area 312. Here, a fifth modification example that makes the boundary between content projection area 321 and illumination area 312 easier to distinguish will be described.

[0065] An example of device settings in the fifth modification is similar to that in the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in Fig. 1. The functional configuration of the fifth modification is also similar to that in the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in Fig. 3.

[0066] The projection unit control process according to the fifth modification is obtained by modifying steps S103 and S105 of the projection unit control process (FIG. 10) according to the above-described embodiment as follows.

[0067] First, in step S103 of the projection unit control process according to the fifth modification, the control unit 110 determines an internal area that has a predetermined margin 322 (a margin of width h on the left and right, and a margin of height v on the top and bottom) secured inside a rectangular area of ​​the maximum size that can fit within the planar area 311 as the content projection area 321, as shown in Fig. 16. The margin can be set to any size.

[0068] Next, in step S105 of the projection unit control process according to the fifth modification, the control unit 110 fits the content data into an area in the projection data that corresponds to the content projection area 321, and fills in an area that corresponds to the margin 322 with an image of a color different from the illumination area, such as a black image. The rest of the process is the same as the projection unit control process according to the embodiment.

[0069] That is, in variant example 5, in the processing of steps S104 and S105 (projection data generation processing), the control unit 110 determines an area within the projectable area 320 that is neither the content projection area 321 nor the margin 322 as the illumination area, writes white image data in the area corresponding to the illumination area in the projection data, writes content data in the area corresponding to the content projection area 321, and writes image data of a color other than white in the area corresponding to the margin 322.

[0070] By performing such processing, in the fifth modification, a margin 322 is generated at the boundary between the content projection area 321 and the illumination area (an area which is neither the content projection area 321 nor the margin 322), making it easier to see the boundary between the content projection area 321 and the illumination area.

[0071] As a modification of Modification 5, the above-mentioned margin 322 may be used as an illumination area, and white light may be projected onto it, with nothing being projected onto areas that are neither the content projection area 321 nor the margin 322 (areas that were illumination areas in Modification 5). In this way, it becomes possible to use the margin 322 around the content projection area 321 instead of illumination.

[0072] (Variation 6) The above-mentioned embodiment and modifications may be combined. For example, a sixth modification will be described, which allows the user to switch between the embodiment, the first modification, and the second modification.

[0073] An example of device settings in the sixth modification is similar to the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 1. The functional configuration of the sixth modification is also similar to the above-described embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 3. However, it is assumed that a user setting value for switching the illumination area is stored in the storage unit 120. This setting value is arbitrary, but here, it is set to 0 when an area other than the content projection area is the illumination area (corresponding to the embodiment), 1 when an area other than the planar area is the illumination area (corresponding to the first modification), and 2 when a planar area other than the content projection area is the illumination area (corresponding to the second modification).

[0074] The projection unit control process according to the sixth modification is obtained by modifying the process of step S104 of the projection unit control process (FIG. 10) according to the above-described embodiment as follows. Specifically, if the read setting value is 0, the control unit 110 fills the entire surface of the projection data projected by the projection unit 150 with a white image. If the setting value is 1, the control unit 110 fills the projection data corresponding to the planar area detected in step S102 with a black image, and fills the projection data corresponding to the area other than the planar area (non-planar area) with a white image. If the setting value is 2, the control unit 110 fills the projection data corresponding to the planar area detected in step S102 with a white image, and fills the projection data corresponding to the area other than the planar area (non-planar area) with a black image. The rest of the process is the same as the projection unit control process according to the embodiment.

[0075] In addition, the user's setting values ​​may be stored in advance in the memory unit 120, or, for example, after step S101, the control unit 110 may store the setting values ​​input by the user via the operation input unit 130 in the memory unit 120.

[0076] (Other variations) In the above Modification 6, the embodiment, Modification 1, and Modification 2 are combined, but in a similar manner, Modification 3 may also be combined to switch between the embodiment, Modification 1, Modification 2, and Modification 3 based on a user's setting value. Also, Modification 3 (and / or Modification 5) may be combined with Modification 4 to select an illuminable area set by the user for each brightness information.

[0077] In the above-described embodiment and modified example, control unit 110 determines the largest rectangular area that can fit within a planar area inside projectable area 320 as the content projection area, but the content projection area is not limited to the largest rectangular area that can fit within a planar area. For example, an area set by the user may be determined as the content projection area regardless of whether it is planar or not.

[0078] The projection system 100 is not limited to a system including the PC 210, the 3D camera 240, and the projector 250. For example, the projection system 100 may be realized as a system including only the projector 250 with a distance measuring function, or as a system including the 3D camera 240 and the projector 250. In this case, for example, the projector 250 also includes the control unit 110 and the storage unit 120. In the embodiment, the control unit 110 is described as being included in the PC 210, but as in the above example, a device other than the PC 210 (for example, the projector 250) may include the control unit 110, and all control of the projection system 100 may be performed by the control unit 110 included in the device (for example, the projector 250). When the device is the projector 250, the control unit 110 and the storage unit 120 of the device constitute at least a part of the projection control device, and the light source, the projection device, the video memory, and the lens unit of the projector 250 constitute the projection unit 150.

[0079] Furthermore, the PC 210 as the projection control device 200 is not limited to a normal PC, and any computer can be used as long as it is equipped with the control unit 110 and the storage unit 120. The projection control device 200 may be, for example, a one-board microcomputer.

[0080] In the above embodiment, the program for the projection unit control process and the like executed by the control unit 110 has been described as being stored in advance in the storage unit 120. However, the program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium such as a flexible disk, a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an MO (Magneto-Optical disc), a memory card, a USB memory, or the like, and distributed, and the program may be read and installed in a computer to configure a computer capable of executing each of the above-mentioned processes.

[0081] Furthermore, the program may be superimposed on a carrier wave and applied via a communication medium such as the Internet. For example, the program may be distributed by posting it on a bulletin board system (BBS) on a communication network. The program may then be started and executed under the control of an OS (Operating System) in the same manner as other application programs, thereby enabling the above-mentioned processes to be performed.

[0082] In addition, the control unit 110 may be configured by any processor alone, such as a single processor, a multiprocessor, or a multi-core processor, or may be configured by combining any of these processors with a processing circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0083] Although the above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and the present invention includes the invention described in the claims and its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 100...projection system, 110...control unit, 120...storage unit, 121...illumination area setting information, 130...operation input unit, 140...detection unit, 150...projection unit, 200...projection control device, 210...PC, 240...3D camera, 250...projector, 300...workbench, 310...detectable area, 311...planar area, 312, 315, 316...illumination area, 313, 314...illuminatable area, 320...projectable area, 321...content projection area, 322...margin, 350...workpiece, 410...check image, 411, 421...intersection, 420...captured image

Claims

1. determining a content projection area for projecting the content with a projector; determining an illumination area for irradiating an illumination light onto a location different from the content projection area; A control unit is provided. Projection control device.

2. The control unit is A projectable area is obtained, which is an area that can be projected by the projector. determining the content projection area and the illumination area within the projectable area; The projection control device according to claim 1 .

3. The control unit is The detection unit detects a flat area. determining the content projection area within the detected planar area; The projection control device according to claim 1 .

4. The control unit is determining the largest rectangular area that fits within the detected planar area as the content projection area; The projection control device according to claim 3 .

5. The control unit is A projectable area is obtained, which is an area that can be projected by the projector. determining an area other than the planar area within the projectable area as the illumination area; The projection control device according to claim 3 or 4.

6. The control unit is A projectable area is obtained, which is an area that can be projected by the projector. determining, within the projectable area, the planar area other than the content projection area as the illumination area; The projection control device according to claim 3 or 4.

7. A projection system comprising a projection unit and a control unit, The control unit is determining a content projection area for projecting the content by the projection unit; determining an illumination area for irradiating an illumination light onto a location different from the content projection area; Projection system.

8. The control unit: determining a content projection area for projecting the content with a projector; determining an illumination area for irradiating an illumination light onto a location different from the content projection area; Projection control method.

9. In the control section, determining a content projection area for projecting the content with a projector; determining an illumination area for irradiating an illumination light onto a location different from the content projection area; A program that executes a process.

Images