Control method of projector

Abstract

To provide a control method of a projection that can increase light utilization efficiency.SOLUTION: A control method of a projector comprising a light source device, one liquid crystal panel having a rectangular image formation area, and a control section for controlling the liquid crystal panel, projects light emitted from the light source device by modulating it by the liquid crystal panel according to image information. The control section separates input image data into first color image data, second color image data, and third color image data each, rotates each of the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data by 90 degrees, and aligns the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data after the rotation along a long side direction of the image formation area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for controlling a projector. [Background technology]

[0002] Projectors that use a single liquid crystal panel as a light modulation element, so-called single-panel projectors, have been known for some time. Patent Document 1 listed below discloses a projector that includes a light source device, a liquid crystal panel with a color filter, and a projection lens, and that realizes color display using a single liquid crystal panel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-121930 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above projector has a problem in that light utilization efficiency is reduced because specific wavelengths of the light emitted from the light source device are absorbed by the color filter provided on the liquid crystal panel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a projector comprising a light source device, a liquid crystal panel having a rectangular image forming area, and a control unit that controls the liquid crystal panel, wherein the light emitted from the light source device is modulated by the liquid crystal panel according to image information and projected, wherein the control unit separates input image data input to the liquid crystal panel into first color image data, second color image data, and third color image data, respectively, rotates the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data by 90 degrees, and arranges the rotated first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data along the long side direction of the image forming area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a projector. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a liquid crystal panel. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the main configuration of an image forming area of ​​a liquid crystal panel. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control unit. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling the liquid crystal panel by the control unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings used in the following description may show characteristic portions enlarged for convenience in order to make the characteristics easier to understand, and the dimensional ratios of the respective components may not necessarily be the same as those in reality.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a projector according to this embodiment. 1, the projector 1 of this embodiment is an image display device that includes a single liquid crystal panel as a light modulation device, and is a so-called single-panel projector. The projector 1 includes a light source device 2, a single liquid crystal panel 3, an illumination optical system 4, a first combining optical system 5, a projection optical device 6, and a control unit 10.

[0009] Hereinafter, the positional relationship of each component may be explained using the XYZ coordinate system shown in the drawings. In each drawing, the X axis is the axis along the width direction of the screen SCR. The Y axis is the axis perpendicular to the X axis and is the axis along the up-down direction of the screen SCR. The Z axis is the axis perpendicular to the X axis and Y axis and is the axis along the projection direction of the image light I from the projector 1 onto the screen SCR. Also, one side in the X direction is the -X side, and the side opposite the -X side in the X direction is the +X side. One side in the Y direction is the -Y side, and the side opposite the -Y side in the Y direction is the +Y side. One side in the Z direction is the -Z side, and the side opposite the -Z side in the Z direction is the +Y side.

[0010] The light source device 2 emits red light LR, green light LG, and blue light LB. The light source device 2 has a first light source 21 that emits red light LR, a second light source 22 that emits green light LG, and a third light source 23 that emits blue light LB. In this embodiment, the first light source 21, the second light source 22, and the third light source 23 are each configured as a light-emitting element made up of a light-emitting diode (LED).

[0011] The red light LR emitted by the first light source 21 is light having a first wavelength band, for example, a red wavelength band of 600 nm to 680 nm. The green light LG emitted by the second light source 22 is light having a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band, for example, a green wavelength band of 520 nm to 620 nm. The blue light LB emitted by the third light source 23 is light having a third wavelength band different from the first and second wavelength bands, for example, a blue wavelength band of 400 nm to 500 nm.

[0012] Each liquid crystal panel 3 is, for example, a transmissive liquid crystal panel. Polarizing plates (not shown) are arranged on the incident side and the exit side of the liquid crystal panel 3. The polarizing plates only allow linearly polarized light in a specific direction to pass through.

[0013] The red light LR, green light LG, and blue light LB emitted from the light source device 2 are incident on different positions in the image forming area 30 of the liquid crystal panel 3 by the illumination optical system 4. Specifically, the red light LR, green light LG, and blue light LB are incident on a first illumination area 30R, a second illumination area 30G, and a third illumination area 30B, respectively, of the image forming area 30, which will be described later.

[0014] The illumination optical system 4 has a first light guide element 41, a second light guide element 42, and a third light guide element 43. The first light guide element 41 faces the light emission side of the first light source 21 and is disposed on the optical path of the red light LR emitted from the first light source 21. The first light guide element 41 uniforms the illuminance of the red light LR that illuminates the first illumination region 30R of the image formation region 30. The first light guide element 41 has a first light incident surface 41a onto which the red light LR emitted from the first light source 21 is incident, a first light emission surface 41b from which the red light LR exits, and a side surface 41c that reflects the incident red light LR toward the first light emission surface 41b.

[0015] The second light guide element 42 faces the light emission side of the second light source 22 and is disposed on the optical path of the green light LG emitted from the second light source 22. The second light guide element 42 homogenizes the illuminance of the green light LG that illuminates the second illumination region 30G of the image formation region 30. The second light guide element 42 has a second light incident surface 42a onto which the green light LG emitted from the second light source 22 is incident, a second light exit surface 42b from which the green light LG exits, and a side surface 42c that reflects the incident green light LG toward the second light exit surface 42b.

[0016] The third light guide element 43 faces the light emission side of the third light source 23 and is disposed on the optical path of the red light LR emitted from the third light source 23. The third light guide element 43 uniforms the illuminance of the blue light LB that illuminates the third illumination region 30B of the image formation region 30. The third light guide element 43 has a third light incident surface 43a onto which the blue light LB emitted from the third light source 23 is incident, a third light emission surface 43b from which the blue light LB exits, and a side surface 43c that reflects the incident blue light LB toward the third light emission surface 43b.

[0017] The first light guide element 41, the second light guide element 42, and the third light guide element 43 are each formed of a tapered rod. Each of the light guide elements 41, 42, and 43 has a truncated quadrangular pyramid shape, and the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the optical axis of each element expands along the light propagation direction.

[0018] In the first light guide element 41, the area of ​​the first light exit surface 41b is larger than the area of ​​the first light incident surface 41a. An axis passing through the centers of the first light exit surface 41b and the first light incident surface 41a and parallel to the X axis is defined as an optical axis J1 of the first light guide element 41. The optical axis J1 of the first light guide element 41 coincides with the optical axis AX1 of the first light source 21.

[0019] In the second light guide element 42, the area of ​​the second light exit surface 42b is larger than the area of ​​the second light incident surface 42a. An axis that passes through the centers of the second light exit surface 42b and the second light incident surface 42a and is parallel to the X axis is defined as an optical axis J2 of the second light guide element 42. The optical axis J2 of the second light guide element 42 coincides with the optical axis AX2 of the second light source 22. The optical axis AX2 coincides with the illumination optical axis of the projector 1.

[0020] In the third light guide element 43, the area of ​​the third light exit surface 43b is larger than the area of ​​the third light incident surface 43a. An axis that passes through the centers of the third light exit surface 43b and the third light incident surface 43a and is parallel to the X axis is defined as an optical axis J3 of the third light guide element 43. The optical axis J3 of the third light guide element 43 coincides with the optical axis AX3 of the third light source 23.

[0021] The liquid crystal panel 3 modulates the red light LR, green light LG, and blue light LB based on input image data input from an image forming device such as a computer (not shown) to generate a red image IR, a green image IG, and a blue image IB. The liquid crystal panel 3 emits each color light constituting the red image IR, the green image IG, and the blue image IB toward the +X side in the X direction.

[0022] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the liquid crystal panel 3. In Fig. 2, the shorter side direction of the rectangular liquid crystal panel 3 is the X direction, and the longer side direction is the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal panel 3 includes an image forming area 30 and a driving circuit 35 provided on a substrate 100. The image forming area 30 is a rectangular area in which a plurality of pixels 30P are arranged in a matrix. The image forming area 30 is provided with a plurality of data lines 33 extending in the X direction and a plurality of scanning lines 32 extending in the Y direction intersecting with the X direction. Each pixel 30P is provided corresponding to an intersection of the plurality of scanning lines 32 and the plurality of data lines 33. Therefore, the plurality of pixels 30P are arranged in a matrix in both the X direction and the Y direction. A pixel 30P corresponds to the smallest unit of the display area that turns on or off in response to image data for one pixel.

[0023] The drive circuit 35 is an L-shaped region that surrounds the peripheral region of the image forming region 30. The drive circuit 35 is a circuit that drives each pixel 30P in the image forming region 30. The drive circuit 35 includes a scanning line drive circuit 36, a data line drive circuit 37, and a power supply circuit and a control circuit (not shown). The control unit 10 controls the driving of the liquid crystal panel 3 via the drive circuit 35.

[0024] The scanning line driving circuit 36 ​​is provided on the +Y side, which is one end side in the extension direction of the multiple scanning lines 32. Note that the scanning line driving circuit 36 ​​may be arranged one on each side of the image forming area 30 in the Y direction.

[0025] The data line driving circuit 37 supplies image data input from the control unit 10 as a gradation potential (data signal) corresponding to the gradation designated for each pixel 30P in parallel to the plurality of data lines 33 for each writing period (horizontal scanning period). Note that the data line driving circuit 37 may supply signals to all data lines 33 simultaneously during the horizontal scanning period, or may supply signals in multiple batches.

[0026] The scanning line driving circuit 36 ​​sequentially selects each of the plurality of scanning lines 32 for each writing period by supplying a scanning signal to each of the plurality of scanning lines 32. This turns on the selection transistor of the pixel 30P corresponding to the scanning line 32 selected by the scanning line driving circuit 36. Then, a gradation potential is supplied to the gate of the driving transistor of each pixel 30P via the data line 33 and the selection transistor, and a voltage according to the gradation potential is supplied to the pixel electrode, causing any pixel 30P corresponding to the image data to be emitted from the image forming area 30 as part of the image light.

[0027] Hereinafter, in this specification, the manner in which the scanning line driving circuit 36 ​​sequentially selects the multiple scanning lines 32 is referred to as "vertical scanning." The direction in which the scanning lines 32 are sequentially scanned in one direction in the Y direction by the vertical scanning of the scanning line driving circuit 36 ​​is referred to as the "vertical scanning direction."

[0028] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the image forming area 30 of the liquid crystal panel 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the image forming area 30 has a first illumination area 30R illuminated with red light LR, a second illumination area 30G illuminated with green light LG, and a third illumination area 30B illuminated with blue light LB. In the image forming area 30, the first illumination area 30R, the second illumination area 30G, and the third illumination area 30B are arranged in this order from the -Y side to the +Y side of the image forming area 30. The order in which the first illumination area 30R, the second illumination area 30G, and the third illumination area 30B are arranged within the image forming area 30 is not particularly limited.

[0029] The liquid crystal panel 3 of this embodiment is a panel compatible with 4K image signals, and the image forming area 30 has 3840 × 2160 pixels 30P. That is, the number of pixels in the Y direction of the image forming area 30 is 3840, and the number of pixels in the X direction of the image forming area 30 is 2160.

[0030] In the liquid crystal panel 3 of this embodiment, the long side direction of each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, and 30B coincides with the short side direction of the image forming area 30, and the short side direction of each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, and 30B coincides with the long side direction of the image forming area 30. Each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, and 30B is an area capable of displaying high-definition images, and each has 1920 × 1080 pixels 30P. That is, the number of pixels in the Y direction of each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, and 30B is 1080, and the number of pixels in the X direction of each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, and 30B is 1920.

[0031] The first illumination area 30R is an area that generates a red image IR by modulating red light LR incident from the illumination optical system 4. The second illumination area 30G is an area that generates a green image IG by modulating green light LG incident from the illumination optical system 4. The third illumination area 30B is an area that generates a blue image IB by modulating blue light LB incident from the illumination optical system 4. The liquid crystal panel 3 of this embodiment does not have color filters in each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, and 30B, and therefore efficiently utilizes the colored light LR, LG, and LB incident from the illumination optical system 4 without absorbing them, thereby generating bright images.

[0032] The image forming region 30 includes a grid-shaped parting region 31 surrounding each of the illumination regions 30R, 30G, and 30B. The pixels 30P that make up the parting region 31 always display black. Therefore, the parting region 31 is an area that does not contribute to image display. In the long side direction of the image forming region 30, the parting region 31 located between the first illumination region 30R and the second illumination region 30G has a width that includes at least one pixel 30P, and the parting region 31 located between the second illumination region 30G and the third illumination region 30B has a width that includes at least one pixel 30P.

[0033] Therefore, in the image forming area 30, the first illumination area 30R and the second illumination area 30G are spaced apart by at least one pixel, and the second illumination area 30G and the third illumination area 30B are spaced apart by at least one pixel.

[0034] Driving of the liquid crystal panel 3 is controlled by the control unit 10. A method of controlling the liquid crystal panel 3 by the control unit 10 will be described below. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control unit 10. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method of controlling the liquid crystal panel 3 by the control unit 10.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 10 includes a data separation unit 11, an image processing unit 12, and a data synthesis unit 13. The control unit 10 is electrically connected to an image forming apparatus such as a computer (not shown), and starts the control flow of the liquid crystal panel 3 when image data is input from the image forming apparatus. The control unit 10 is configured with a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Note that some or all of the functions of the control unit 10 may be configured with circuits such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0036] The control unit 10 receives input image data corresponding to a full-color image at the data separation unit 11. The data separation unit 11 executes step S1 shown in FIG. 5. In step S1, the data separation unit 11 separates the input image data D into image data for each color of RGB. Specifically, the data separation unit C1 separates the input image data D into red image data (first color image data) Dr, green image data (second color image data) Dg, and blue image data (third color image data) Db. The red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db each correspond to a high-definition image and each contain information on 1920 x 1080 pixels. Note that the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db are data relating to the same image, differing only in color.

[0037] Next, the control unit 10 causes the image processing unit 12 to perform the first image processing of step S2 shown in Fig. 5 on the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db. In step S2, the image processing unit 12 performs image processing on each of the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db to correct at least one of gradation, image size, and sharpness. By performing the first image processing, the control unit 10 can correct the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db, for example, to an image size corresponding to the size of each illumination area 30R, 30G, 30B, or correct them to image data suitable for the image display mode of the projector 1.

[0038] As described above, the long side direction of each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, 30B coincides with the short side direction of the image forming area 30, and the short side direction of each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, 30B coincides with the long side direction of the image forming area 30.

[0039] If the red image data Dr is input to the first illumination region 30R with the long side direction of the red image data Dr aligned with the short side direction of the first illumination region 30R, the red image IR corresponding to the red image data Dr will extend beyond the first illumination region 30R. As a result, the entire red image IR based on the red image data Dr cannot be displayed within the first illumination region 30R. The same can be said for the green image data Dg and blue image data Db.

[0040] In response to this, the control unit 10 causes the image processing unit 12 to perform a rotation process on the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db in step S3 shown in Fig. 5. Specifically, in step S3, the image processing unit 12 rotates the orientation of each of the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db relative to the image forming area 30 by 90 degrees.

[0041] As a result, the long side direction of the red image IR corresponding to the red image data Dr coincides with the short side direction of the first illumination region 30R. Similarly, the long side direction of the green image IG corresponding to the green image data Dg coincides with the short side direction of the second illumination region 30G, and the long side direction of the blue image IB corresponding to the blue image data Db coincides with the short side direction of the third illumination region 30B.

[0042] Next, the control unit 10 causes the image processing unit 12 to perform the second image processing of step S4 shown in Fig. 5 on the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db after the rotation processing. In step S4, the image processing unit 12 performs image processing on each of the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db to correct at least one of color unevenness and streak unevenness. By performing the second image processing, the control unit 10 can correct the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db to image data that suppresses color unevenness and streaks, thereby further improving the image quality of each color displayed in each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, and 30B.

[0043] As a comparative example, consider a case where the second image processing is performed together with the first image processing before the rotation processing that rotates the orientations of the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db. If the first image processing and the second image processing are performed together before the rotation processing in this way, color unevenness and streak unevenness in the images displayed in each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, and 30B cannot be sufficiently corrected, and color unevenness and streak unevenness occur after the rotation processing, resulting in the need to correct the color unevenness and streak unevenness again.

[0044] In this embodiment, the control unit 10 performs the second image processing after rotating the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db, so that color unevenness and streak unevenness in the displayed image can be efficiently corrected with a single second image processing.

[0045] Next, the control unit 10 performs image synthesis processing in step S5 shown in FIG. 5, in which the data synthesis unit 13 synthesizes the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db. Specifically, in step S5, the data synthesis unit 13 synthesizes the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db to generate one piece of synthetic image data AD. The synthetic image data AD includes not only the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db, but also image data of black display corresponding to the parting region 31. The data synthesis unit 13 generates synthetic image data AD for each frame of the display image in the image forming region 30 of the liquid crystal panel 3.

[0046] 5 based on the composite image data AD generated by the data synthesis unit 13. In step S6, the control unit 10 inputs the rotated red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db aligned along the long side of the image forming area 30.

[0047] In step S6, the control unit 10 displays one composite image A in the image forming area 30 of the liquid crystal panel 3 based on one piece of composite image data AD. As shown in Fig. 3 , the composite image A includes a red image RR corresponding to the red image data Dr, a green image GG corresponding to the green image data Dg, and a blue image BB corresponding to the blue image data Db, which are arranged in this order along the long side direction of the image forming area 30, as well as a black image K displayed in the parting area 31.

[0048] In the composite image A, the black image formed by the parting region 31 provided between the red image RR and the green image GG includes at least one pixel 30P. Also, in the composite image A, the black image formed by the parting region 31 provided between the green image GG and the blue image BB includes at least one pixel 30P. Therefore, in the composite image A, the red image RR and the green image GG are separated by at least one pixel, and the green image GG and the blue image BB are separated by at least one pixel. In this way, in the composite image A, the red image RR, the green image GG, and the blue image BB are separated from each other, so that the light constituting the red image RR, the green image GG, and the blue image BB can be efficiently incident on the desired positions of the first combining optical system 5, which will be described later.

[0049] More specifically, in step S6, the data line driving circuit 37 inputs each image data constituting the composite image data AD to the corresponding data lines 33 in the image forming area 30. For example, the data line driving circuit 37 inputs red image data Dr to the data lines 33 provided in the first illumination area 30R, green image data Dg to the data lines 33 provided in the second illumination area 30G, blue image data Db to the data lines 33 provided in the third illumination area 30B, and black display image data to the data lines 33 corresponding to the parting area 31.

[0050] The scanning line driving circuit 36 ​​sequentially selects each of the multiple scanning lines 32 from the +X side to the -X side of the image forming area 30 and supplies a scanning signal to each of them. While the entire composite image A is shown in the image forming area 30 in Fig. 3 for ease of viewing, the actual composite image A is displayed sequentially along the X direction, which is the short side direction of the image forming area 30, for each pixel row 30PL along the Y direction, which is the long side direction of the image forming area 30. Therefore, each pixel row 30PL of the image forming area 30 displays a part of the red image RR, a part of the green image GG, a part of the blue image BB, and a part of the black image in the parting area 31.

[0051] However, with conventional single-panel projectors, each RGB color light is incident on the image formation area of ​​a single LCD panel in time sequential manner, which can lead to the risk of color breakup, in which each color light appears separated over time on the image. In contrast, according to the liquid crystal panel 3 of this embodiment, the composite image A that is displayed sequentially during vertical scanning includes part of the red image RR, part of the green image GG, and part of the blue image BB, thereby suppressing degradation of image quality due to the color breakup phenomenon.

[0052] In this way, the liquid crystal panel 3 modulates the colored light LR, LG, and LB input to each lighting area 30R, 30G, and 30B based on the image data Dr, Dg, and Db input to each lighting area 30R, 30G, and 30B, thereby generating a composite image A in the image forming area 30, which consists of three identical color images: a red image RR, a green image GG, and a blue image BB.

[0053] The red image RR, green image GG, and blue image BB emitted from each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, and 30B of the liquid crystal panel 3 are incident on the first combining optical system 5. Thereafter, the red image RR, green image GG, and blue image BB are emitted from each of the illumination areas 30R, 30G, and 30B as red image light RR1, green image light GG1, and blue image light BB1.

[0054] The first combining optical system 5 combines the red image light RR1, the green image light GG1, and the blue image light BB1 emitted from the illumination areas 30R, 30G, and 30B of the image forming area 30 of the liquid crystal panel 3. The first combining optical system 5 has a first prism 51, a second prism 52, a first bending prism 53, a second bending prism 54, and a light combining prism 55.

[0055] The first prism 51 is disposed on the light exit side of the first illumination region 30R of the liquid crystal panel 3. The first prism 51 transmits the red image light RR1 exiting from the first illumination region 30R of the liquid crystal panel 3 and causes the red image light RR1 to enter the first bending prism 53. The first prism 51 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is made of a light-transmitting member such as glass or plastic.

[0056] The second prism 52 is disposed on the light exit side of the third illumination region 30B of the liquid crystal panel 3. The second prism 52 transmits the blue image light BB1 exiting from the third illumination region 30B of the liquid crystal panel 3 and causes the blue image light BB1 to enter the second bending prism 54. The second prism 52 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is made of a light-transmitting member such as glass or plastic.

[0057] The first bending prism 53 is disposed on the light exit side of the first prism 51. The first bending prism 53 bends the red image light RR1 that has passed through the first prism 51. The first bending prism 53 has a right-angled triangular prism shape and is made of a light-transmitting member such as glass or plastic. The first bending prism 53 bends the optical path of the red image light RR1 by 90 degrees, emits it to the -Y side, and makes it incident on the light combining prism 55.

[0058] The second bending prism 54 is disposed on the light exit side of the second prism 52. The second bending prism 54 bends the blue image light BB1 that has passed through the second prism 52. The second bending prism 54 has a right-angled triangular prism shape and is made of a light-transmitting material such as glass or plastic. The second bending prism 54 bends the optical path of the blue image light BB1 by 90 degrees, emits it to the +Y side, and makes it incident on the light-combining prism 55.

[0059] The light combining prism 55 is disposed on the light exit side of the second illumination region 30G of the liquid crystal panel 3. The light combining prism 55 is disposed at a predetermined gap from the liquid crystal panel 3. The light combining prism 55 is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the first bending prism 53 and the second bending prism 54 along the Y direction.

[0060] The light combining prism 55 reflects red image light RR1 incident from the +Y side toward the -Y side by 90 degrees and emits it to the +X side, reflects blue image light BB1 incident from the -Y side toward the +Y side by 90 degrees and emits it to the +X side, and transmits green image light GG1 incident from the -X side toward the +X side and emits it to the +X side. The light combining prism 55 generates full-color image light I by combining the red image light RR1 emitted from the first bending prism 53, the green image light GG1 emitted from the liquid crystal panel 3, and the blue image light BB1 emitted from the second bending prism 54. The light combining prism 55 of this embodiment is, for example, a cross dichroic prism.

[0061] In this way, the first combining optical system 5 combines the red image light RR1, the green image light GG1, and the blue image light BB1 emitted from the liquid crystal panel 3, and emits the combined image light I toward the projection optical device 6.

[0062] The projection optical device 6 is composed of multiple projection lenses. The projection optical device 6 enlarges and projects the full-color image light I synthesized by the first synthesizing optical system 5 onto the screen SCR, thereby displaying a color image on the screen SCR.

[0063] Here, the optical path length of the green image light GG1 passing through the air portion after being emitted from the liquid crystal panel 3 until it is incident on the photosynthetic prism 55 is denoted as GSa.

[0064] For the red image light RR1 emitted from the liquid crystal panel 3 and incident on the light-combining prism 55, the optical path length passing through the air portion is defined as RSa, the optical path length in the optical axis direction of the first bending prism 53 is defined as RS1, the refractive index of the first bending prism 53 is defined as Rn1, the optical path length in the optical axis direction of the light-combining prism 55 is defined as RS2, and the refractive index of the light-combining prism 55 is defined as Rn2.

[0065] For the blue image light BB1 emitted from the liquid crystal panel 3 and incident on the light-combining prism 55, the optical path length passing through the air portion is BSa, the optical path length in the optical axis direction of the second bending prism 54 is BS1, the refractive index of the second bending prism 54 is Bn1, the optical path length in the optical axis direction of the light-combining prism 55 is BS2, and the refractive index of the light-combining prism 55 is Bn2.

[0066] In this embodiment, the air-equivalent optical path length of the green image light GG1 from the liquid crystal panel 3 to the photosynthetic prism 55 is defined as GSa. The air-equivalent optical path length of the red image light RR1 from the liquid crystal panel 3 to the photosynthetic prism 55 is defined as RSa+(RS1 / Rn1)+(RS2 / Rn2). The air-equivalent optical path length of the blue image light BB1 from the liquid crystal panel 3 to the photosynthetic prism 55 is defined as BSa+(BS1 / Bn1)+(BS2 / Bn2). In the light combining prism 55, the optical path lengths of the red image light RR1, the green image light GG1, and the blue image light BB1 are equal to one another.

[0067] For this reason, in the first combining optical system 5 of this embodiment, the air-equivalent optical path length RS of the red image light RR1, the air-equivalent optical path length GS of the green image light GG1, and the air-equivalent optical path length BS of the blue image light BB1 are all equal, all of which are emitted from the liquid crystal panel 3 and reach the projection optical device 6. In this specification, "air-equivalent optical path lengths are equal" does not necessarily mean that the air-equivalent optical path lengths are completely equal, but also means that a state in which the air-equivalent optical path lengths are approximately equal is acceptable.

[0068] With this configuration, the distance from the first illumination region 30R, the second illumination region 30G, and the third illumination region 30B of the liquid crystal panel 3 to the projection optical device 6 is optically transparent, so that the red image light RR1, the green image light GG1, and the blue image light BB1 emitted from the first illumination region 30R, the second illumination region 30G, and the third illumination region 30B, which are arranged on the same plane, can be well focused. Therefore, the projection optical device 6 can project a high-quality color image with little blur onto the screen SCR.

[0069] As described above, the control method for the projector 1 of this embodiment comprises a light source device 2, one liquid crystal panel 3 having a rectangular image forming area 30, and a control unit 10 that controls the liquid crystal panel 3, and is a method in which the light emitted from the light source device 2 is modulated by the liquid crystal panel 3 based on image data and projected, and the control unit 10 separates the input image data D into red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db, rotates the orientation of the red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db relative to the image forming area 30 by 90 degrees, and inputs the rotated red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db so that they are aligned along the long side direction of the image forming area 30.

[0070] According to the control method of this embodiment, red image data Dr, green image data Dg, and blue image data Db are input side by side to the image forming area 30 of one liquid crystal panel 3. This allows one liquid crystal panel 3 to generate a composite image A in the image forming area 30, including a red image RR corresponding to the red image data Dr, a green image GG corresponding to the green image data Dg, and a blue image BB corresponding to the blue image data Db, without using a color filter. This allows for efficient use of the light emitted from the light source device 2 to generate a bright composite image A. The composite image A emitted from the image forming area 30 is separated into red image light RR1, green image light GG1, and blue image light BB1 by the first combining optical system 5, and then combined to generate full-color image light I. The full-color image light I is enlarged and projected onto the screen SCR by the projection optical device 6. Therefore, according to the control method of this embodiment, it is possible to improve the light utilization efficiency of the light source device 2 in a single-panel projector 1 that uses one liquid crystal panel 3.

[0071] The projector 1 of this embodiment employs a single-panel system, which eliminates the need for an alignment process for multiple liquid crystal panels. In conventional three-panel projectors, different types of LCD panels were sometimes used depending on their position relative to the cross dichroic prism. This required the preparation of two types of LCD panels, which could lead to increased costs. In the present embodiment, only one type of LCD panel 3 is required, so this problem does not occur.

[0072] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, when displaying composite image A in image forming area 30 of liquid crystal panel 3, vertical scanning is performed along the short side direction of image forming area 30, but liquid crystal panel 3 may also be controlled to perform vertical scanning along the long side direction of image forming area 30.

[0073] In addition, the specific descriptions of the shape, number, arrangement, material, etc. of each component of the light source device and projector are not limited to the above-described embodiments and can be changed as appropriate.

[0074] A summary of this disclosure is provided below. (Appendix 1) A control method for a projector comprising a light source device, a liquid crystal panel having a rectangular image forming area, and a control unit that controls the liquid crystal panel, wherein light emitted from the light source device is modulated by the liquid crystal panel based on image data and projected, the method comprising: The control unit Separating the input image data into first color image data, second color image data, and third color image data, rotate the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data by 90 degrees relative to the image forming area; the rotated first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data are arranged along the long side direction of the image forming area; A method for controlling a projector.

[0075] According to the projector control method of this configuration, each color image data is input side by side to the image forming area of ​​one liquid crystal panel. As a result, the single liquid crystal panel generates an image including each color image corresponding to each color image data in the image forming area without using a color filter, so that it is possible to efficiently use the light emitted from the light source device to generate a bright image. Therefore, according to the control method of this configuration, it is possible to improve the light utilization efficiency in a single-panel projector that uses one liquid crystal panel.

[0076] (Appendix 2) The control unit synthesizing the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data arranged along the long side direction of the image forming area to generate one synthesized image data; displaying one composite image in the image forming area of ​​the one liquid crystal panel based on the one composite image data; 2. A method for controlling a projector according to claim 1.

[0077] With this configuration, a composite image including each color image corresponding to each color image data can be generated in the image forming area of ​​a single liquid crystal panel, thereby realizing a single-panel projector with high light utilization efficiency.

[0078] (Appendix 3) the image forming area is composed of a plurality of pixels, the composite image includes a first color image corresponding to the first color image data, a second color image corresponding to the second color image data, and a third color image corresponding to the third color image data, which are arranged in order along the long side direction of the image forming area, the first color image and the second color image are spaced apart by at least one pixel, The second color image and the third color image are spaced apart by at least one pixel. 3. A method for controlling a projector according to claim 2.

[0079] With this configuration, two adjacent color images in the composite image are spaced apart by at least one pixel, so that light emitted from each color image can be efficiently incident on an optical system located after the liquid crystal panel.

[0080] (Appendix 4) the one composite image is displayed in order along the short side direction of the image forming area for each pixel column along the long side direction of the image forming area, a part of the first color image, a part of the second color image, and a part of the third color image are displayed in the one pixel row; 4. A method for controlling a projector according to claim 3.

[0081] According to this configuration, the composite image displayed sequentially during vertical scanning includes a portion of the first color image, a portion of the second color image, and a portion of the third color image, thereby suppressing degradation of image quality due to the color breakup phenomenon.

[0082] (Appendix 5) The control unit after rotating the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data by 90 degrees, correcting at least one of color unevenness and streak unevenness for the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data, respectively; 5. A method for controlling a projector according to claim 1, wherein:

[0083] This configuration allows the image data for each color to be corrected to data that suppresses the occurrence of color unevenness and streak unevenness. This further improves the image quality of each color displayed in the image forming area of ​​the liquid crystal panel. Furthermore, since the color unevenness and streak unevenness of the image data are corrected after the rotation process, the color unevenness and streak unevenness of the displayed image can be efficiently corrected in a single process.

[0084] (Appendix 6) The control unit before rotating the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data by 90 degrees, correcting at least one of gradation, image size, and sharpness for each of the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data; 6. A method for controlling a projector according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

[0085] According to this configuration, for example, by correcting the image data to be suitable for the image display mode of each projector, the image quality of the projected image can be further improved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1...projector, 2...light source device, 3...liquid crystal panel, 10...control unit, 30...image forming area, 30P...pixel, 30PL...pixel row, A...composite image, AD...composite image data, D...input image data, Db...blue image data (third color image data), Dg...green image data (second color image data), Dr...red image data (first color image data).

Claims

1. A control method for a projector including a light source device, one liquid crystal panel having a rectangular image forming area, and a control unit that controls the one liquid crystal panel, wherein light emitted from the light source device is modulated by the one liquid crystal panel based on image data and projected, the method comprising: The control unit Separating the input image data into first color image data, second color image data, and third color image data, respectively; Rotating the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data by 90 degrees relative to the image forming area; the rotated first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data are arranged along a long side direction of the image forming area; A method for controlling a projector.

2. The control unit synthesizing the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data arranged along the long side direction of the image forming area to generate one synthesized image data; displaying one composite image in the image forming area of ​​one liquid crystal panel based on the one composite image data; 2. The method for controlling a projector according to claim 1.

3. the image forming area is composed of a plurality of pixels, the composite image includes a first color image corresponding to the first color image data, a second color image corresponding to the second color image data, and a third color image corresponding to the third color image data, which are arranged in order along the long side direction of the image forming area, the first color image and the second color image are spaced apart by at least one pixel, the second color image and the third color image are spaced apart by at least one pixel; 3. The method for controlling a projector according to claim 2.

4. the one composite image is displayed in order along the short side direction of the image forming area for each pixel column along the long side direction of the image forming area, a part of the first color image, a part of the second color image, and a part of the third color image are displayed in the one pixel row; 4. The method for controlling a projector according to claim 3.

5. The control unit after rotating the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data by 90 degrees, correcting at least one of color unevenness and streak unevenness for the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data, respectively; 5. The method for controlling a projector according to claim 1.

6. The control unit before rotating the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data by 90 degrees, correcting at least one of gradation, image size, and sharpness for each of the first color image data, the second color image data, and the third color image data; 5. The method for controlling a projector according to claim 1.

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