Projection device, projection method, and control program

Abstract

To provide a projection device, a projection method, and a control program that can efficiently set an overlapping area.SOLUTION: A projection device 10 projects a first image 7a projected by a first projection unit 1a and a second image 7b projected by a second projection unit 1b so as to partially overlap each other. When the projection device 10 receives an operation to change the settings of the overlapping area, the projection device performs control to project the first image 7a from the first projection unit 1a by performing projection control according to the received setting change operation, and control to project the second image 7b from the second projection unit 1b by performing projection control according to the received change operation, and when receiving a confirmation operation instructing confirmation of the overlapping area, ends control according to the change operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a user interface for specifying the range of an overlapping region, taking into consideration a case in which the overlapping region in a pixel region is not known (cannot be predicted) in advance. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-81412 A Summary of the Invention

[0004] An embodiment of the technique disclosed herein provides a projection device, a projection method, and a control program that efficiently set an overlapping area of ​​each image projected from a plurality of projection units. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The projection device of the present invention is a projection device that projects a first image projected by a first projection unit and a second image projected by a second projection unit in a partially overlapping manner, and has a processor that performs projection control on a first area of ​​the first image that is set as an overlap area with the second image, and a second area of ​​the second image that is set as an overlap area with the first image, and when a first operation that instructs a change of the first area and the second area is received, the processor performs at least one of control to project the first image from the first projection unit onto the first area by performing the projection control in accordance with the received first operation, and control to project the second image from the second projection unit onto the second area by performing the projection control in accordance with the received first operation, and when a second operation that instructs a confirmation of the first area is received, the processor terminates the control in accordance with the first operation.

[0006] The projection method of the present invention is a projection method by a projection device that projects a first image projected by a first projection unit and a second image projected by a second projection unit in a partially overlapping manner, wherein a processor of the projection device that performs projection control on a first area of ​​the first image that is set as an overlap area with the second image and a second area of ​​the second image that is set as an overlap area with the first image, when it receives a first operation instructing a change of the first area and the second area, performs at least one of control to project the first image from the first projection unit onto the first area by performing the projection control in accordance with the first operation received, and control to project the second image from the second projection unit onto the second area by performing the projection control in accordance with the first operation received, and when it receives a second operation instructing a confirmation of the first area, terminates the control in accordance with the first operation.

[0007] The control program of the present invention is a control program for a projection device that projects a first image projected by a first projection unit and a second image projected by a second projection unit in a partially overlapping manner, and is configured to cause a processor of the projection device that performs projection control on a first area of ​​the first image that is set as an overlap area with the second image, and a second area of ​​the second image that is set as an overlap area with the first image, to execute processing to, when a first operation instructing a change of the first area and the second area is received, at least one of control to project the first image from the first projection unit by performing the projection control on the first area in accordance with the received first operation, and control to project the second image from the second projection unit by performing the projection control on the second area in accordance with the received first operation, and to terminate the control in accordance with the first operation when a second operation instructing a confirmation of the first area is received. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a projection device, a projection method, and a control program that are capable of efficiently setting an overlapping area. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a projection device 10 which is an embodiment of the projection device of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of a first projection unit 1a and a second projection unit 1b shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the external configuration of a projection unit 1. [Figure 4] 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical unit 106 of the projection unit 1 shown in FIG. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the control device 4 accepts a setting of an overlapping area. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram (part 1) showing a specific example of projection control according to settings of an overlapping area. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing a specific example of projection control according to settings of an overlapping area. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram (part 3) showing a specific example of projection control according to settings of the overlapping area. [Figure 9] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for setting the positional relationship between a first image 7a and a second image 7b. FIG. [Figure 10] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating an example of a user interface for receiving a change operation and a confirmation operation from a user. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram illustrating another example of a user interface for receiving a change operation and a confirmation operation from a user. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information for informing a user of a method for performing a change operation. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a projection device 10 having three or more projection units. [Figure 14] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which a projection device 10 having three projection units receives settings of an overlapping area. [Figure 15] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen on which the projection device 10 accepts a designation of a combination of projection units to be set. FIG. [Figure 16]11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which a projection device 10 having N projection units receives a setting of an overlapping area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] When the images projected by the multiple projection units are partially overlapped, it is desirable to perform projection control in the overlapping areas of the images to suppress the sense of incongruity of the overlapping areas, such as control to reduce the brightness. To achieve this, it is necessary to set the overlapping areas of the images projected by the multiple projection units on the device side. However, in the conventional technology, it is not possible to efficiently set the overlapping areas of the images projected by the multiple projection units.

[0011] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses providing a user interface for specifying the range of the overlapping area, but does not disclose anything about what specific user interface is provided for specifying the range of the overlapping area.

[0012] In response to this, for example, a configuration can be considered in which a cursor or the like is projected to allow the user to specify the overlap area, a change operation to move the cursor or the like is accepted from the user, and when the user then performs a confirmation operation, the area specified by the cursor or the like at that time is set as the overlap area and projection control is performed.

[0013] However, in such a configuration, the result of the change operation is not reflected in the projection control until the user performs a confirmation operation, so it is difficult for the user to imagine the result of the change operation. For example, even if the user tries to align the cursor or the like with the edge of the overlapping area where two projected images overlap and become bright, it is difficult to visually confirm that the cursor or the like has completely aligned with the edge of the overlapping area. For this reason, the overlapping area cannot be set efficiently.

[0014] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention for solving this problem will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0015] <Schematic configuration of a projection device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention> FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a projection device 10 which is an embodiment of the projection device of the present invention.

[0016] The projection device 10 includes a first projection unit 1a and a second projection unit 1b, a control device 4, an imaging unit 5, a screen 6, and an operation reception unit 2. Each of the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal projector or a projector using LCOS (Liquid Crystal On Silicon). In the following, the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b will be described as being a liquid crystal projector.

[0017] The control device 4 is a device that includes a control unit composed of various processors, a communication interface (not shown) for communicating with each unit, and a storage medium 4a such as a hard disk, SSD (Solid State Drive), or ROM (Read Only Memory), and provides overall control over the first projection unit 1a and second projection unit 1b, the operation reception unit 2, and the imaging unit 5.

[0018] The various processors in the control unit of the control device 4 include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), which is a general-purpose processor that executes programs to perform various processes, a programmable logic device (PLD), which is a processor whose circuit configuration can be changed after manufacture, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a dedicated electrical circuit, which is a processor having a circuit configuration designed specifically to execute specific processes, such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

[0019] More specifically, the structure of these various processors is an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements. The control unit of the control device 4 may be composed of one of the various processors, or may be composed of a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a combination of multiple FPGAs or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA).

[0020] The imaging unit 5 includes an imaging element such as a CCD (Charged Coupled Device) type image sensor or a MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) type image sensor that captures an image of a subject through an imaging optical system, and captures an image of the screen 6. The captured image captured by the imaging unit 5 is input to the control device 4. Note that the imaging unit 5 may be omitted in the projection device 10.

[0021] The operation reception unit 2 detects instructions from the user (user instructions) by receiving various operations from the user. The operation reception unit 2 may be a button, a key, a joystick, or the like provided on the control device 4, or may be a receiving unit or the like that receives a signal from a remote controller that remotely controls the control device 4.

[0022] The first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b, the control device 4, and the operation reception unit 2 may be realized, for example, by a single device. Alternatively, the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b, the control device 4, and the operation reception unit 2 may be realized by a plurality of devices that cooperate with each other by communicating with each other.

[0023] The screen 6 is an object to be projected, which has a projection surface on which the projected images are displayed by the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the projection surface of the screen 6 is rectangular. The top, bottom, left, and right of the screen 6 in Fig. 1 correspond to the top, bottom, left, and right of the actual screen 6.

[0024] The projection device 10, for example, projects a divided image from the first projection unit 1a, projects a divided image from the second projection unit 1b, and displays a landscape image on the screen 6 by joining the two divided images together.

[0025] A first image 7a shown by a dashed line is an image projected by the first projection unit 1a onto the screen 6. A second image 7b shown by a broken line is an image projected by the second projection unit 1b onto the screen 6. In the example shown in Fig. 1, each of the first image 7a and the second image 7b is rectangular.

[0026] Furthermore, the projection device 10 projects the first image 7a and the second image 7b in a partially overlapping manner. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the overlapping region 8a indicated by diagonal lines is the region where the first image 7a and the second image 7b overlap. In the overlapping region 8a, the luminance of the first image 7a and the second image 7b are added together and displayed, so if projected as is, the image display will look unnatural.

[0027] In response to this, the projection device 10 performs projection control such as reducing the brightness of the overlapping portions of the first image 7a and the second image 7b. As an example, the projection device 10 performs projection control such that the brightness of a first region of the first image 7a that is set as an overlapping region with the second image 7b and a second region of the second image 7b that is set as an overlapping region with the first image 7a are reduced by half. This makes it possible to suppress the above-mentioned sense of incongruity in the overlapping region 8a.

[0028] In addition, when the projection device 10 displays a horizontally long image by joining the first image 7a and the second image 7b as two divided images as described above, the projection device 10 performs projection control to generate the two divided images so that the overlapping areas of the first image 7a and the second image 7b form the same image.

[0029] As in the example shown in Figure 1, when the first image 7a and the second image 7b are rectangular with the same height and aligned horizontally, the overlap width D, which is the width of the overlap region 8a, can be set in the projection device 10 as the overlap region 8a.

[0030] That is, by setting the correct overlap width D in the projection device 10, the projection device 10 recognizes the region of the first image 7a that is the overlap width D from the end portion on the second image 7b side (right side in FIG. 1) as a first region that is an overlap region with the second image 7b, and can perform the above-mentioned projection control. Also, the projection device 10 recognizes the region of the second image 7b that is the overlap width D from the end portion on the first image 7a side (left side in FIG. 1) as a second region that is an overlap region with the first image 7a, and can perform the above-mentioned projection control.

[0031] On the other hand, if the overlapping area (overlap width D) is not set correctly in the projection device 10, the display may look unnatural. For example, if an overlapping width wider than the actual overlapping width D is set in the projection device 10, the projection device 10 will perform projection control such as reducing the brightness beyond the actual overlapping area 8a, and the brightness of a part of the displayed image will be unintentionally low (see, for example, FIG. 8). Also, if an overlapping width narrower than the actual overlapping width D is set in the projection device 10, the projection device 10 will not perform projection control such as reducing the brightness of a part of the actual overlapping area 8a, and the brightness of a part of the displayed image will be unintentionally high (see, for example, FIG. 7).

[0032] For this reason, it is necessary to correctly set the overlapping area for the projection device 10. According to the present invention, the correct overlapping area can be efficiently set for the projection device 10.

[0033] <Internal configuration of the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b shown in FIG. 1> FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b shown in FIG.

[0034] Each of the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b shown in Fig. 1 can be realized by, for example, the projection unit 1 shown in Fig. 2. The projection unit 1 includes a light source 21, a light modulation unit 22, a projection optical system 23, and a control circuit 24.

[0035] The light source 21 includes a light emitting element such as a laser or an LED (Light Emitting Diode), and emits, for example, white light.

[0036] The light modulation unit 22 is composed of three liquid crystal panels that modulate the three color lights, red, blue, and green, emitted from the light source 21 and separated by a color separation mechanism (not shown), based on image information to emit the respective color images. Each of the three liquid crystal panels may be equipped with a red, blue, and green filter, and the white light emitted from the light source 21 may be modulated by each liquid crystal panel to emit the respective color images.

[0037] The projection optical system 23 receives light from the light source 21 and the light modulation unit 22 and includes at least one lens, and is configured, for example, by a relay optical system. The light that passes through the projection optical system 23 is projected onto the screen 6.

[0038] The control circuit 24 controls the light source 21, the light modulation unit 22, and the projection optical system 23 based on the display data input from the control device 4, thereby projecting an image based on the display data onto the screen 6. The display data input to the control circuit 24 is composed of three data: red display data, blue display data, and green display data.

[0039] Furthermore, the control circuit 24 enlarges or reduces the projection area of ​​the projection unit 1 by changing the projection optical system 23 based on a command input from the control device 4. Furthermore, the control device 4 may move the projection area of ​​the projection unit 1 by changing the projection optical system 23 based on an operation from a user accepted by the operation accepting unit 2.

[0040] The projection device 10 also includes a shift mechanism that mechanically or optically moves the projection area while maintaining the image circle of the projection optical system 23. The image circle of the projection optical system 23 is an area through which the projection light incident on the projection optical system 23 passes through the projection optical system 23 appropriately in terms of light amount drop, color separation, peripheral curvature, etc.

[0041] The shift mechanism is realized by at least one of an optical system shift mechanism that performs an optical system shift and an electronic shift mechanism that performs an electronic shift.

[0042] The optical system shift mechanism is, for example, a mechanism for moving the projection optical system 23 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis (see, for example, FIGS. 3 and 4), or a mechanism for moving the light modulation unit 22 in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis instead of moving the projection optical system 23. The optical system shift mechanism may also be a mechanism for combining the movement of the projection optical system 23 and the movement of the light modulation unit 22.

[0043] The electronic shift mechanism is a mechanism that shifts the pseudo projection area by changing the range through which light is transmitted in the light modulation section 22 .

[0044] Furthermore, the projection device 10 may include a projection direction changing mechanism that moves the projection area together with the image circle of the projection optical system 23. The projection direction changing mechanism is a mechanism that changes the projection direction of the projection unit 1 by changing the orientation of the projection unit 1 through mechanical rotation (see, for example, FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0045] <Mechanical configuration of projection unit 1> Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the external configuration of the projection unit 1. Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical unit 106 of the projection unit 1 shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 shows a cross section on a plane along the optical path of light emitted from the main body unit 101 shown in Fig. 3.

[0046] 3, the projection unit 1 includes a main body 101 and an optical unit 106 protruding from the main body 101. In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the light source 21, the light modulation unit 22, and the control circuit 24 in the projection unit 1 are provided in the main body 101. The projection optical system 23 in the projection unit 1 is provided in the optical unit 106.

[0047] When each of the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b is realized by the projection unit 1, the operation reception unit 2, the control device 4, and the imaging unit 5 may be configured as part of either the first projection unit 1a or the second projection unit 1b, or may be configured as a separate component from the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b.

[0048] The optical unit 106 includes a first member 102 supported by a main body portion 101 and a second member 103 supported by the first member 102 .

[0049] The first member 102 and the second member 103 may be an integrated member. The optical unit 106 may be configured to be detachable from the main body 101 (in other words, configured to be replaceable).

[0050] The main body 101 has a housing 15 (see FIG. 4) in which an opening 15a (see FIG. 4) for passing light is formed at a portion connected to the optical unit .

[0051] As shown in FIG. 3, provided inside the housing 15 of the main body 101 are a light source 21 and a light modulation unit 12 including a light modulation section 22 (see FIG. 2) that spatially modulates the light emitted from the light source 21 based on input image data to generate an image.

[0052] The light emitted from the light source 21 is incident on the light modulation section 22 of the light modulation unit 12, and is spatially modulated by the light modulation section 22 before being emitted.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 4, the image formed by the light spatially modulated by the light modulation unit 12 passes through the opening 15a of the housing 15 and enters the optical unit 106, and is projected onto the screen 6 as the projection object, so that the image G1 becomes visible to the observer.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 4, the optical unit 106 includes a first member 102 having a hollow portion 2A connected to the inside of the main body 101, a second member 103 having a hollow portion 3A connected to the hollow portion 2A, a first optical system 121 and a reflecting member 122 arranged in the hollow portion 2A, a second optical system 31, a reflecting member 32, a third optical system 33, and a lens 34 arranged in the hollow portion 3A, a shift mechanism 105, and a projection direction change mechanism 104.

[0055] The first member 102 is a member having a cross-sectional outer shape of, for example, a rectangle, and the openings 2a and 2b are formed on planes perpendicular to each other. The first member 102 is supported by the main body 101 with the opening 2a disposed at a position facing the opening 15a of the main body 101. Light emitted from the optical modulation section 22 of the optical modulation unit 12 of the main body 101 is incident on the hollow section 2A of the first member 102 through the openings 15a and 2a.

[0056] The incident direction of light entering hollow portion 2A from main body portion 101 is referred to as direction X1, the opposite direction to direction X1 is referred to as direction X2, and directions X1 and X2 are collectively referred to as direction X. In addition, in Fig. 4, the direction from the front of the paper to the back and the opposite direction thereto are referred to as direction Z. Of direction Z, the direction from the front of the paper to the back is referred to as direction Z1, and the direction from the back of the paper to the front is referred to as direction Z2.

[0057] Moreover, a direction perpendicular to directions X and Z is referred to as direction Y, and within direction Y, the upward direction in Fig. 4 is referred to as direction Y1, and the downward direction in Fig. 4 is referred to as direction Y2. In the example of Fig. 4, the projection device 10 is disposed so that direction Y2 is the vertical direction.

[0058] The projection optical system 23 shown in Fig. 2 is composed of a first optical system 121, a reflecting member 122, a second optical system 31, a reflecting member 32, a third optical system 33, and a lens 34. Fig. 4 shows an optical axis K of the projection optical system 23. The first optical system 121, the reflecting member 122, the second optical system 31, the reflecting member 32, the third optical system 33, and the lens 34 are arranged along the optical axis K in this order from the light modulation unit 22 side.

[0059] The first optical system 121 includes at least one lens, and guides light traveling in a direction X1 that is incident on the first member 102 from the main body 101 to the reflecting member 122.

[0060] The reflecting member 122 reflects the light incident from the first optical system 121 in a direction Y1. The reflecting member 122 is formed of, for example, a mirror. The first member 102 has an opening 2b formed on the optical path of the light reflected by the reflecting member 122, and the reflected light passes through the opening 2b and advances to the hollow portion 3A of the second member 103.

[0061] The second member 103 is a member having a substantially T-shaped cross-sectional outline, and has an opening 3a formed at a position facing the opening 2b of the first member 102. Light from the main body 101 that has passed through the opening 2b of the first member 102 passes through this opening 3a and enters the hollow portion 3A of the second member 103. The cross-sectional outlines of the first member 102 and the second member 103 are arbitrary and are not limited to those described above.

[0062] The second optical system 31 includes at least one lens, and guides the light incident from the first member 102 to the reflecting member 32 .

[0063] The reflecting member 32 reflects the light incident from the second optical system 31 in a direction X2 and guides the light to the third optical system 33. The reflecting member 32 is formed of, for example, a mirror.

[0064] The third optical system 33 includes at least one lens, and guides the light reflected by the reflecting member 32 to a lens 34 .

[0065] The lens 34 is disposed at an end portion of the second member 103 in the direction X2 so as to cover an opening 3c formed at this end portion. The lens 34 projects the light incident thereon from the third optical system 33 onto the screen 6.

[0066] The projection direction change mechanism 104 is a rotation mechanism that rotatably connects the second member 103 to the first member 102. The projection direction change mechanism 104 configures the second member 103 to be rotatable around a rotation axis (specifically, optical axis K) extending in the direction Y. Note that the projection direction change mechanism 104 is not limited to the arrangement position shown in FIG. 4 as long as it can rotate the optical system. Furthermore, the number of rotation mechanisms is not limited to one, and multiple mechanisms may be provided.

[0067] The shift mechanism 105 is a mechanism for moving the optical axis K of the projection optical system (in other words, the optical unit 106) in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis K (direction Y in FIG. 4). Specifically, the shift mechanism 105 is configured to be able to change the position of the first member 102 in direction Y relative to the main body 101. The shift mechanism 105 may be one that moves the first member 102 manually, or one that moves the first member 102 electrically.

[0068] Fig. 4 shows a state in which the first member 102 is moved to the maximum extent in the direction Y1 by the shift mechanism 105. When the first member 102 is moved in the direction Y2 by the shift mechanism 105 from the state shown in Fig. 4, the relative position between the center of the image formed by the light modulation unit 22 (in other words, the center of the display surface) and the optical axis K changes, and the image G1 projected on the screen 6 can be shifted (translated) in the direction Y2.

[0069] The shift mechanism 105 may be a mechanism that moves the light modulation section 22 in the direction Y, instead of moving the optical unit 106 in the direction Y. Even in this case, the image G1 projected on the screen 6 can be moved in the direction Y2.

[0070] <Processing for the control device 4 to receive the setting of the overlapping area> Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the control device 4 accepts the setting of an overlapping region. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the control device 4 executes the process shown in Fig. 5 in a state in which the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b are arranged so that the first image 7a and the second image 7b partially overlap each other.

[0071] 1, the positional relationship between the first image 7a and the second image 7b, that is, the second image 7b is disposed to the right of the first image 7a when facing the screen 6, is assumed to be set in the projection device 10. A method for setting this positional relationship will be described later (see, for example, FIG. 9).

[0072] First, the control device 4 provisionally sets the overlap width D1 to 0 (step S51). The overlap width D1 is the overlap width set in the control device 4, and is stored in, for example, the storage medium 4a of the control device 4. Next, the control device 4 starts projection of the first image 7a and the second image 7b from the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b, respectively (step S52). The first image 7a and the second image 7b are overlapped as shown in FIG. 1, for example, but at this stage, the overlap width D1 is provisionally set to 0 in the control device 4, that is, the first image 7a and the second image 7b are not overlapped, so the control device 4 does not perform the above projection control.

[0073] Next, the control device 4 judges whether or not a change operation for changing the overlap width D1 has been received from the user by the operation receiving unit 2 (step S53). The change operation constitutes a first operation of the present invention. If the change operation has been received (step S53: Yes), the control device 4 changes the overlap width D1 according to the received change operation. The control device 4 also performs projection control on the first image 7a and the second image 7b based on the changed overlap width D1, and projects the first image 7a and the second image 7b that have been subjected to the projection control from the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b (step S54). Then, the control device 4 returns to step S53.

[0074] In step S53, if no change operation has been accepted (step S53: No), the control device 4 determines whether or not a confirmation operation to confirm the overlap area setting (overlap width D1) has been accepted from the user by the operation accepting unit 2 (step S55).

[0075] In step S55, if the confirmation operation has not been received (step S55: No), the control device 4 returns to step S53. The confirmation operation constitutes a second operation of the present invention. The confirmation operation is an operation indicating that the first area set as an overlap area of ​​the first image 7a with the second image 7b, or the second area set as an overlap area of ​​the second image 7b with the first image 7a, matches the overlap area 8a. If the confirmation operation has been received (step S55: Yes), the control device 4 ends the series of processes.

[0076] In this way, when the control device 4 receives a change operation, it performs control to project the first image 7a by performing projection control according to the received change operation, and control to project the second image 7b by performing projection control according to the received change operation. Then, when the control device 4 receives a confirmation operation to instruct to confirm the overlapping area, it ends the above control according to the change operation (steps S53, S54).

[0077] This allows the results of the changes made by the user to be reflected in the projection control in real time when projection is performed, so that the user can make changes while viewing the results of the changes, thereby making it possible to set the overlap area efficiently.

[0078] <Example of projection control according to overlap area settings> 6 to 8 are diagrams showing specific examples of projection control according to settings of the overlapping area. In each graph of Fig. 6 to Fig. 8, the horizontal axis indicates the horizontal (lateral) position on the screen 6, and the vertical axis indicates the brightness of the image.

[0079] Also, here, each of the original first image 7a and second image 7b is an adjustment image with constant brightness at each position (as an example, a uniform gray image), and the control device 4 performs projection control to reduce the brightness by half for each of the overlapping areas of the first image 7a and second image 7b.

[0080] Luminance distribution 71 is the distribution of luminance in the horizontal direction of first image 7a. Luminance distribution 72 is the distribution of luminance in the horizontal direction of second image 7b. Luminance distribution 73 is the distribution of luminance in the horizontal direction of the image displayed on screen 6, and is the sum of luminance distributions 71 and 72.

[0081] As described above, the overlapping area 8a is the overlapping area of ​​the first image 7a and the second image 7b, and is the area between the right end of the first image 7a and the left end of the second image 7b. The overlapping width D1 is the width of the overlapping area of ​​the first image 7a and the second image 7b set in the control device 4.

[0082] As shown in the luminance distribution 71, the control device 4 performs projection control to reduce the luminance by half for the region of the first image 7a from the right end to the overlap width D1. Also, as shown in the luminance distribution 72, the control device 4 performs projection control to reduce the luminance by half for the region of the second image 7b from the left end to the overlap width D1.

[0083] 6, the overlap width D1 set in the control device 4 coincides with the actual overlap width D of the overlap region 8a. In this case, projection control is performed for each of the first image 7a and the second image 7b to reduce the luminance to half only in the overlap region 8a, so that the luminance distribution 73 is constant. Therefore, the image displayed on the screen 6 is an image with constant luminance in the horizontal direction (for example, a uniform gray image).

[0084] 7, the overlap width D1 set in the control device 4 is narrower than the actual overlap width D of the overlap region 8a. In this case, projection control is performed to reduce the brightness to half only on one of the first image 7a and the second image 7b for a part of the overlap region 8a. As a result, in the brightness distribution 73, there are parts that are brighter than other parts.

[0085] Specifically, in the brightness distribution 73, the brightness is higher in the inner parts at both ends of the overlap region 8a. Therefore, two vertical lines with high brightness are generated in the image displayed on the screen 6. This allows the user to recognize that the overlap width D1 currently set in the control device 4 is narrower than the overlap width D of the overlap region 8a, and allows the user to perform a change operation to increase the overlap width D1.

[0086] 8, the overlap width D1 set in the control device 4 is wider than the actual overlap width D of the overlap region 8a. In this case, projection control is performed to reduce the brightness to half for both the first image 7a and the second image 7b in the range beyond the overlap region 8a. As a result, in the brightness distribution 73, there are some parts with a lower brightness than other parts.

[0087] Specifically, the brightness of the brightness distribution 73 is lower in the outer portions at both ends of the overlap region 8a. Therefore, two vertical lines of low brightness appear in the image displayed on the screen 6. This allows the user to recognize that the overlap width D1 currently set in the control device 4 is wider than the overlap width D of the overlap region 8a, and allows the user to perform a change operation to decrease the overlap width D1.

[0088] <Screen for setting the positional relationship between the first image 7a and the second image 7b> 9 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen for the positional relationship between the first image 7a and the second image 7b. Here, the arrangement of the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b is assumed to be the same as the arrangement of the first image 7a and the second image 7b. In this case, the positional relationship between the first image 7a and the second image 7b can be set by setting the positional relationship between the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b.

[0089] For example, the projection device 10 displays a setting screen 80 to the user. The setting screen 80 may be displayed on a display provided in the projection device 10, or on a display provided in another device (e.g., a remote controller) capable of communicating with the projection device 10. The setting screen 80 may be displayed by including the setting screen 80 in at least one of the first image 7a and the second image 7b.

[0090] 9, it is assumed that a reference projection unit out of the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b is set in the control device 4. The reference projection unit may be set by the control device 4 based on an identification number unique to each projection unit or may be set by the user via the operation reception unit 2. Here, it is assumed that the second projection unit 1b is set in the control device 4 as the reference projection unit.

[0091] The setting screen 80 is a screen that accepts, from the user, a designation (either up, down, left or right) of the position of the projector (first projection unit 1a) adjacent to the second projection unit 1b, for example, with the second projection unit 1b as a reference. On the setting screen 80, the user designates the position of the first projection unit 1a adjacent to the second projection unit 1b via the operation acceptance unit 2.

[0092] 1, the first projection unit 1a is located to the left of the second projection unit 1b when facing the screen 6, so the user specifies the left as the position of the first projection unit 1a relative to the second projection unit 1b, as shown in Fig. 9. This makes it possible to set the positional relationship between the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b (i.e., the positional relationship between the first image 7a and the second image 7b) with respect to the projection device 10.

[0093] By setting the positional relationship between the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b in the projection device 10, the projection device 10 can determine which end of each of the first image 7a and the second image 7b is the overlapping area 8a. Therefore, by further setting the overlapping width D1 in the projection device 10, the projection device 10 can set the area of ​​the overlapping area 8a in each of the first image 7a and the second image 7b. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the change operation for the user to change the setting of the overlapping area to an operation to increase or decrease the overlapping width D1.

[0094] In this way, the projection device 10 sets the areas (first and second areas) that will be the overlap areas for the first image 7a and the second image 7b, respectively, based on the positional relationship between the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b. This makes it possible to simplify the change operation for changing the settings of the overlap area, and the overlap area can be set more efficiently.

[0095] The positional relationship between the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b (the first image 7a and the second image 7b) with respect to the projection device 10 can be set based on a user instruction, for example, as in the example shown in Fig. 9. However, the positional relationship between the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b is not limited to a user instruction, and may be set based on, for example, a captured image obtained by imaging by the imaging unit 5 shown in Fig. 1.

[0096] <User interface for accepting change operations and confirmation operations from the user> FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a user interface for receiving a change operation and a confirmation operation from a user.

[0097] For example, the operation reception unit 2 can be a receiving unit that receives a signal from a remote controller 60 shown in Fig. 10. The remote controller 60 has an increase key 111, a decrease key 112, and an OK key 65. The increase key 111 is a key for instructing the control device 4 to increase the overlap width D1. The decrease key 112 is a key for instructing the control device 4 to decrease the overlap width D1. The increase key 111 is marked with a "+" symbol, and the decrease key 112 is marked with a "-" symbol.

[0098] As one example, the change operation for changing the setting of the overlap region (overlap width D1) can be the pressing of the increase key 111 or the decrease key 112. For example, the control device 4 increases the setting of the overlap width D1 by a predetermined amount when the increase key 111 is pressed once, and decreases the setting of the overlap width D1 by a predetermined amount when the decrease key 112 is pressed once. Alternatively, the control device 4 may increase the setting of the overlap width D1 in accordance with the length of time the increase key 111 is pressed, and decrease the setting of the overlap width D1 in accordance with the length of time the decrease key 112 is pressed.

[0099] Then, when the control device 4 changes the setting of the overlap width D1 in response to pressing the increase key 111 or the decrease key 112, the control device 4 immediately (i.e., without waiting for the OK key 65 to be pressed) performs projection control and projection based on the changed setting of the overlap width D1.

[0100] The confirmation operation for confirming the setting of the overlap area (overlap width D1) can be, for example, pressing the OK key 65. For example, when the OK key 65 is pressed, the projection device 10 ends the projection control and the control of projection in response to the change operation.

[0101] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of a user interface for receiving a change operation and a confirmation operation from a user.

[0102] The remote controller 60 may have direction keys 61 to 64 and an OK key 65. The direction keys 61 to 64 are used to instruct the control device 4 to move up, down, left, and right, respectively. The change operation for changing the setting of the overlapping area (overlap width D1) may be performed by pressing the direction keys 61 to 64.

[0103] 11, it is assumed that a reference projection unit out of the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b is set in the control device 4. The reference projection unit may be set by the control device 4 based on an identification number unique to each projection unit or may be set by the user via the operation reception unit 2. Here, it is assumed that the first projection unit 1a is set in the control device 4 as the reference projection unit.

[0104] Meanwhile, it is assumed that the positional relationship between the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b (the first image 7a and the second image 7b) has not been set in the control device 4. In this case, the control device 4 may detect the positional relationship between the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b in response to a change operation that is first received after the first image 7a and the second image 7b are projected.

[0105] 5, when the overlap width D1 is set to 0 at the time when the projection of the first image 7a and the second image 7b is started, the brightness of the entire overlap region 8a is higher than the brightness of the original first image 7a and the second image 7b. In this state, it is considered that the user performs an operation to increase the overlap region 8a in order to narrow the region with high brightness.

[0106] From this, for example, when the user indicates left using the directional key 63, it can be predicted that the overlapping area 8a in the first image 7a of the first projection unit 1a, which serves as the reference, is located on the right side, and that the second projection unit 1b is located to the right of the first projection unit 1a, as in the example of Figure 1.

[0107] Therefore, when the control device 4 first receives a press of the direction key 63, it determines that the second projection unit 1b is located to the right of the first projection unit 1a, sets the determined positional relationship, and increases the overlap width D1 in response to the received press of the direction key 63. Thereafter, the control device 4 further increases the overlap width D1 when it receives a press of the direction key 63, and decreases the overlap width D1 when it receives a press of the direction key 64.

[0108] In other cases, for example, when the user first presses the direction key 64, the control device 4 determines that the second projection unit 1b is located to the left of the first projection unit 1a. When the user first presses the direction key 61, the control device 4 determines that the second projection unit 1b is located below the first projection unit 1a. When the user first presses the direction key 62, the control device 4 determines that the second projection unit 1b is located above the first projection unit 1a.

[0109] In this way, the control device 4 may detect the positional relationship between the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b in response to the first change operation received after the first image 7a and the second image 7b are projected. This allows the control device 4 to automatically set the positional relationship between the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b even if the user does not set the positional relationship between the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b using, for example, the setting screen 80 shown in FIG.

[0110] <Information on how to change the settings> 12 is a diagram showing an example of guidance information for guiding a method of performing a change operation. The control device 4 may perform control to display, for example, guidance information 90 in a state in which a change operation is accepted, for example.

[0111] The guidance information 90 can be displayed on the screen 6, for example, by including the guidance information 90 in at least one of the first image 7a and the second image 7b. However, the display of the guidance information 90 is not limited to this, and may be performed, for example, by a display included in the projection device 10, or may be performed by a display provided in another device capable of communicating with the projection device 10.

[0112] In FIG. 12, as the above-mentioned projection control, a process of reducing brightness as in the examples shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 is performed, and a case is described in which the remote controller 60 shown in FIG. 10 is used as a user interface for the user to perform change operations.

[0113] The guidance information 90 is information that guides the user on how to change the state of the projected first image 7a and second image 7b for each state of the projected first image 7a and second image 7b. In the example shown in Fig. 12, the guidance information 90 shows the luminance distribution 73 indicating the state of the projected first image 7a and second image 7b and the change operation that the user should perform for each state of the overlap width D1 set in the control device 4 shown in Figs. 6 to 8.

[0114] For example, in the guidance information 90, the character string "Setting OK" is displayed in association with the luminance distribution 73 shown in Fig. 6. This allows the user to easily recognize that if the first image 7a and the second image 7b displayed on the screen 6 become in the state shown in the luminance distribution 73 shown in Fig. 6 (the state in which the two vertical lines with different luminance are not visible), no further change operation is required.

[0115] Furthermore, in the guidance information 90, the character string "Please press '+'" is displayed in association with the luminance distribution 73 shown in FIG. 7. This allows the user to easily recognize that when the first image 7a and the second image 7b displayed on the screen 6 are in the state shown in the luminance distribution 73 in FIG. 7 (where two bright vertical lines are visible), the user should press the increase key 111.

[0116] Furthermore, in the guidance information 90, the character string "Please press "- "" is displayed in association with the luminance distribution 73 shown in FIG. 8. This allows the user to easily recognize that when the first image 7a and the second image 7b displayed on the screen 6 are in the state shown in the luminance distribution 73 shown in FIG. 8 (where two dark vertical lines are visible), it is sufficient to press the decrease key 112.

[0117] That is, the user repeats the change operation of pressing the increase key 111 when two bright vertical lines are visible, and pressing the decrease key 112 when two dark vertical lines are visible, and when the two vertical lines of different brightness are no longer visible, presses the OK key 65 as a confirmation operation.

[0118] <Projection device 10 having three or more projection units> Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a projection device 10 having three or more projection units. In the example shown in Fig. 13, the projection device 10 includes a third projection unit 1c in addition to the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b shown in Fig. 1. The third projection unit 1c can be realized by, for example, the projection unit 1 shown in Fig. 2, similar to the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b.

[0119] A third image 7c indicated by a two-dot chain line is an image projected by the third projection unit 1c onto the screen 6. The third image 7c is rectangular, like the first image 7a and the second image 7b.

[0120] Furthermore, the projection device 10 projects the second image 7b and the third image 7c in a partially overlapping manner. In the example shown in Fig. 13, an overlapping region 8b indicated by diagonal lines is the region where the second image 7b and the third image 7c overlap.

[0121] In this way, when the projection device 10 has three or more projection units, it is necessary to set the overlap area for each combination of projection units in which the projected images are overlapped, and therefore it is necessary to specify to the projection device 10 the combination of projection units to be currently set.

[0122] <Process for accepting settings of overlapping area by projection device 10 having three projection units> FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the projection device 10 having three projection units receives the setting of the overlapping area.

[0123] For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the first projection unit 1a, the second projection unit 1b, and the third projection unit 1c are arranged so that the first image 7a, the second image 7b, and the third image 7c are arranged in a horizontal row, the first image 7a and the second image 7b partially overlap each other, and the second image 7b and the third image 7c partially overlap each other, and the control device 4 executes the processing shown in FIG. 14.

[0124] Here, it is assumed that the configuration in which the three projection units are arranged in a horizontal row is set in the projection device 10. This setting is set in advance in the projection device 10 by the user via the operation reception unit 2, for example. On the other hand, it is assumed that the positional relationship of the first projection unit 1a, the second projection unit 1b, and the third projection unit 1c, as to whether they are arranged at the left, center, or right, is not set in the projection device 10.

[0125] First, the control device 4 receives, as combination information, designation of the left and center projection units among the three projection units from the user via the operation reception unit 2 (step S141). In the example shown in Fig. 13, the user designates the first projection unit 1a as the left projection unit and the second projection unit 1b as the center projection unit in step S141. A method of performing this designation will be described later (see, for example, Fig. 15).

[0126] Next, the control device 4 sets an overlapping area of ​​the two projection units specified in step S141 (step S142). The setting of the overlapping area in step S142 is performed by, for example, a process similar to the process shown in FIG.

[0127] Next, the control device 4 receives, as combination information, designation of the center and right projection units among the three projection units from the user via the operation reception unit 2 (step S143). In the example shown in FIG. 13, the user designates the second projection unit 1b as the center projection unit and the third projection unit 1c as the right projection unit in step S143. A method for this designation will be described later (see, for example, FIG. 15). Note that, in step S143, since the center projection unit has already been designated in step S141, the control device 4 may receive designation only for the right projection unit.

[0128] Next, the control device 4 sets the overlapping area of ​​the two projection units specified in step S143 (step S144), and ends the series of processes. The setting of the overlapping area in step S144 is performed by, for example, the same process as the process shown in FIG.

[0129] In steps S141 and S143, the control device 4 may accept from the user a designation of only the combination of two projection units for which the overlapping region is to be set, without distinguishing between left, center, and right. In this case, the control device 4 may set the positional relationship of the two designated projection units by a user operation using the setting screen 80 shown in Fig. 9 or the like, or may automatically set it by the method described in Fig. 11.

[0130] In this way, the control device 4 receives combination information from the user indicating that the images of two of the three projection units, the first projection unit 1a, the second projection unit 1b, and the third projection unit 1c, are to be partially superimposed, and performs control according to the change operation for the two projection units based on the received combination information. This allows the projection device 10 having the three projection units, the first projection unit 1a, the second projection unit 1b, and the third projection unit 1c, to set an overlapping area for each combination of the projection units that superimpose the projection images.

[0131] <Setting screen on which the projection device 10 accepts the designation of the combination of the projection units to be set> FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen in which the projection device 10 receives a designation of a combination of projection units to be set. Here, it is assumed that identifiers recognizable by the user, such as "A", "B", and "C", are added to the first projection unit 1a, the second projection unit 1b, and the third projection unit 1c, respectively.

[0132] For example, the projection device 10 displays the setting screen 151 to the user. The setting screen 151 may be displayed by a display provided in the projection device 10, or may be displayed by a display provided in another device communicable with the projection device 10 or the like. Further, the setting screen 151 may be displayed by including the setting screen 151 in at least any one of the first image 7a, the second image 7b, and the third image 7c.

[0133] On the setting screen 151, two projection units can be selected from, for example, the first projection unit 1a, the second projection unit 1b, and the third projection unit 1c ("A", "B", and "C") by a user operation via the operation reception unit 2. Specifically, on the setting screen 151, "A", "B", and "C" are displayed as options together with the character string "Please select two setting pairs". The user can specify two of "A", "B", and "C" via the operation reception unit 2.

[0134] For example, in step S141 shown in FIG. 14, the user designates the first projection unit 1a and the second projection unit 1b ("A" and "B") as the left and central projection units as shown in FIG. 15 using the setting screen 151. Further, in step S143 shown in FIG. 14, the user designates the second projection unit 1b and the third projection unit 1c ("B" and "C") as the central and right projection units using the setting screen 151.

[0135] <Process in which the projection device 10 having N projection units receives a setting of a superimposed area> FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a process in which the projection device 10 having N projection units receives a setting of a superimposed area.

[0136] In the example shown in Fig. 16, the projection device 10 includes N projection units (N is a natural number equal to or greater than 3), the N projection units are arranged in a horizontal row, and the projected images of adjacent projection units are partially overlapped with each other. In this state, the control device 4 executes the process shown in Fig. 16.

[0137] First, the control device 4 receives a designation of the positional relationship of the N projection units (projected images) from the user via the operation reception unit 2 (step S161). For example, in the example shown in Fig. 13, the user designates in step S161 the positional relationship in which the first projection unit 1a, the second projection unit 1b, and the third projection unit 1c are arranged in this order from the left.

[0138] Next, the control device 4 sets (initializes) n to 1 (step S162). n is a numerical value that the control device 4 stores in the storage medium 4a.

[0139] Next, the control device 4 sets the overlap width D between the n-th projection unit and the (n+1)-th projection unit from the left based on the current n (step S163), and ends the series of processes. The overlap width setting in step S163 is performed, for example, by the process shown in FIG.

[0140] Next, the control device 4 judges whether or not n+1 has reached N based on the current n (step S164). If n+1 has not reached N (step S164: No), the control device 4 increments n (n=n+1) (step S165) and returns to step S163. If n+1 has reached N (step S164: Yes), the control device 4 ends the series of processes.

[0141] In this way, the control device 4 can control the area in which projection control for the overlapping areas is performed by setting an overlapping area for each combination of adjacent projection units among the three or more projection units based on the positional relationship of each image projected by the three or more projection units.

[0142] At this time, as shown in FIG. 16, by setting the order of combinations of projection units that set the overlapping regions in the projection device 10, the overlapping regions can be set more efficiently.

[0143] 16, the control device 4 may perform control to display (e.g., highlight) each of the projection images of the n-th projection unit and the n+1-th projection unit so as to be distinguished from the projection images of the other projection units. This allows the user to easily grasp the combination of projection units to be set, and allows the user to set the overlapping area more efficiently.

[0144] <Modification> For example, in the process shown in Fig. 5, the process of temporarily setting the overlap width D1 to 0 as the initial state has been described, but the initial value of the overlap width D1 is not limited to 0. For example, in step S51 shown in Fig. 5, the control device 4 may set the overlap width D1 to the same value as the width of the first image 7a or the second image 7b.

[0145] Further, in the example shown in Figures 6 to 8, a configuration has been described in which projection control is performed to reduce the brightness of the overlapping area 8a for the first image 7a and the second image 7b, each of which has a constant brightness, but the projection control is not limited to this configuration.

[0146] For example, using a first image 7a and a second image 7b each having a constant luminance and white, projection control may be performed such that the color of the overlapping area 8a of the first image 7a is a first color and the color of the overlapping area 8a of the second image 7b is a second color that is complementary to the first color. As an example, the first color can be blue and the second color can be orange.

[0147] In this case, when the overlap width D1 set in the control device 4 matches the overlap width D of the overlap area 8a, the image displayed on the screen 6 will be a constant white image in the horizontal direction. On the other hand, when the overlap width D1 set in the control device 4 does not match the overlap width D of the overlap area 8a, blue or orange parts will appear in the image displayed on the screen 6. This allows the user to easily recognize the difference between the overlap width D1 set in the control device 4 and the overlap width D of the overlap area 8a.

[0148] Although the configuration has been described in which the operation receiving unit 2 is a receiving unit that receives a signal from the remote controller 60 shown in Figures 10 and 11, the operation receiving unit 2 may be a receiving unit that receives a signal from an information terminal such as a smartphone, or may be a user interface such as a button or touch panel provided on the projection device 10.

[0149] Although the configuration has been described in which the control device 4 performs projection control on all of the images (first image 7a and second image 7b) that are superimposed on each other, the control device 4 may be configured to perform projection control on only one of the images that are superimposed on each other. For example, the control device 4 may perform projection control to set the luminance of the area set as the overlapping area 8a in the first image 7a to 0, and may not perform projection control to reduce the luminance of the second image 7b.

[0150] This specification describes at least the following:

[0151] (1) A projection device that projects a first image projected by a first projection unit and a second image projected by a second projection unit in a partially overlapping manner, a processor for controlling projection onto a first region of the first image that is set as an overlapping region with the second image, and a second region of the second image that is set as an overlapping region with the first image, The processor is when a first operation instructing a change of the first area and the second area is received, at least one of control to project the first image from the first projection unit onto the first area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation and control to project the second image from the second projection unit onto the second area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation; when a second operation instructing to confirm the first area is received, the control according to the first operation is terminated. Projection device.

[0152] (2) The projection device according to (1), The projection control includes a process of reducing brightness. Projection device.

[0153] (3) The projection device according to (1) or (2), The processor is A first projection control is performed on the first region, and a second projection control is performed on the second region, when the first operation instructing to change the first area and the second area is received, the control is performed to project the first image, which has been subjected to the first projection control, from the first projection unit onto the first area changed in accordance with the received first operation, and to project the second image, which has been subjected to the second projection control, from the second projection unit onto the second area changed in accordance with the received first operation; when the second operation instructing to confirm the first area and the second area is accepted, the control according to the first operation is terminated. Projection device.

[0154] (4) The projection device according to (3), the first projection control includes a process of setting a color of the first area to a first color; the second projection control includes a process of changing a color of the second region to a second color that is a complementary color to the first color; Projection device.

[0155] (5) A projection device according to any one of (1) to (4), The processor is setting the first area of ​​the first image based on a positional relationship between a projection area of ​​the first image and a projection area of ​​the second image; Projection device.

[0156] (6) The projection device according to (5), The processor is setting a positional relationship between a projection area of ​​the first image and a projection area of ​​the second image based on a user instruction; Projection device.

[0157] (7) The projection device according to (5), The processor is setting a positional relationship between the projection area of ​​the first image and the projection area of ​​the second image based on imaging data captured by an imaging device; Projection device.

[0158] (8) The projection device according to (5), The processor is detecting the positional relationship in response to the first operation that is first accepted after the first image and the second image are projected; Projection device.

[0159] (9) A projection device according to any one of (1) to (8), The processor is performing control to display guidance information that provides guidance on a method of the first operation for each state of the projected first image and the projected second image; Projection device.

[0160] (10) The projection device according to (9), The processor is performing control to display the guidance information by including it in at least one of the first image and the second image; Projection device.

[0161] (11) A projection device according to any one of (1) to (10), The processor is receiving, from a user, combination information indicating that images projected by the first projection unit and the second projection unit among three or more projection units including the first projection unit and the second projection unit are to be partially superimposed; performing the control corresponding to the first operation on the first projection unit and the second projection unit based on the received combination information; Projection device.

[0162] (12) A projection device according to any one of (1) to (11), The processor is Controlling an area where projection control for an overlapping area is performed for each combination of adjacent projection units among the three or more projection units based on a positional relationship between the images projected by the three or more projection units including the first projection unit and the second projection unit. Projection device.

[0163] (13) A projection device according to any one of (1) to (12), The second operation is an operation indicating that the first area coincides with an overlapping area between the first image and the second image. Projection device.

[0164] (14) A projection method using a projection device that projects a first image projected by a first projection unit and a second image projected by a second projection unit in a partially overlapping manner, comprising: a processor of the projection device that performs projection control on a first region of the first image that is set as an overlapping region with the second image, and a second region of the second image that is set as an overlapping region with the first image, when a first operation instructing a change of the first area and the second area is received, at least one of control to project the first image from the first projection unit onto the first area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation and control to project the second image from the second projection unit onto the second area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation; when a second operation instructing to confirm the first area is received, the control according to the first operation is terminated. Projection method.

[0165] (15) (14) A projection method according to the present invention, The projection control includes a process of reducing brightness. Projection method.

[0166] (16) A projection method according to (14) or (15), The processor is A first projection control is performed on the first region, and a second projection control is performed on the second region, when the first operation instructing to change the first area and the second area is received, the control is performed to project the first image, which has been subjected to the first projection control, from the first projection unit onto the first area changed in accordance with the received first operation, and to project the second image, which has been subjected to the second projection control, from the second projection unit onto the second area changed in accordance with the received first operation; when the second operation instructing to confirm the first area and the second area is accepted, the control according to the first operation is terminated. Projection method.

[0167] (17) (16) A projection method according to the present invention, the first projection control includes a process of setting a color of the first area to a first color; the second projection control includes a process of changing a color of the second region to a second color that is a complementary color to the first color; Projection method.

[0168] (18) A projection method according to any one of (14) to (17), The processor is setting the first area of ​​the first image based on a positional relationship between a projection area of ​​the first image and a projection area of ​​the second image; Projection method.

[0169] (19) (18) A projection method according to the present invention, The processor is setting a positional relationship between a projection area of ​​the first image and a projection area of ​​the second image based on a user instruction; Projection method.

[0170] (20) (18) A projection method according to the present invention, The processor is setting a positional relationship between the projection area of ​​the first image and the projection area of ​​the second image based on imaging data captured by an imaging device; Projection method.

[0171] (twenty one) (18) A projection method according to the present invention, The processor is detecting the positional relationship in response to the first operation that is first accepted after the first image and the second image are projected; Projection method.

[0172] (twenty two) A projection method according to any one of (14) to (21), The processor is performing control to display guidance information that provides guidance on a method of the first operation for each state of the projected first image and the projected second image; Projection method.

[0173] (twenty three) (22) A projection method according to the present invention, The processor is performing control to display the guidance information by including it in at least one of the first image and the second image; Projection method.

[0174] (twenty four) A projection method according to any one of (14) to (23), The processor is receiving, from a user, combination information indicating that images projected by the first projection unit and the second projection unit among three or more projection units including the first projection unit and the second projection unit are to be partially superimposed; performing the control corresponding to the first operation on the first projection unit and the second projection unit based on the received combination information; Projection method.

[0175] (twenty five) A projection method according to any one of (14) to (24), The processor is Controlling an area where projection control for an overlapping area is performed for each combination of adjacent projection units among the three or more projection units based on a positional relationship between the images projected by the three or more projection units including the first projection unit and the second projection unit. Projection method.

[0176] (26) A projection method according to any one of (14) to (25), The second operation is an operation indicating that the first area coincides with an overlapping area between the first image and the second image. Projection method.

[0177] (27) A control program for a projection device that projects a first image projected by a first projection unit and a second image projected by a second projection unit in a partially overlapping manner, the program comprising: a processor of the projection device that performs projection control on a first region of the first image that is set as an overlap region with the second image, and a second region of the second image that is set as an overlap region with the first image, when a first operation instructing a change of the first area and the second area is received, at least one of control to project the first image from the first projection unit onto the first area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation and control to project the second image from the second projection unit onto the second area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation; when a second operation instructing to confirm the first area is received, the control according to the first operation is terminated. A control program for executing processing.

[0178] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can come up with various modified or revised examples within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the components in the above-mentioned embodiments may be arbitrarily combined within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0179] 1 Projection section 1a 1st projection section 1b 2nd projection section 1c Third projection section 2 Operation reception section 2A,3A Hollow part 2a,2b,3a,3c,15a opening 4. Control device 4a Storage medium 5. Imaging unit 6 Screens 7a 1st image 7b 2nd image 7c 3rd image 8a, 8b overlapping area 10 Projection device 12 Optical Modulation Unit 15. Cabinet 21 Light source 22 Optical modulation section 23 Projection optical system 24 Control circuit 31 Second optical system 32,122 Reflective material 33 Third optical system 34 Lens 60 Remote Controller 61~64 Directional keys 65 OK key 71~73 Brightness distribution 80,151 Settings screen 90 Information 101 Main body 102 First member 103 Second member 104 Projection direction change mechanism 105 Shift mechanism 106 Optical Unit 111 Increase key 112 Decrease key 121 First optical system D1 Overlap width G1 Image

Claims

1. A projection device that projects a first image projected by a first projection unit and a second image projected by a second projection unit in a partially overlapping manner, a processor for controlling projection onto a first region of the first image that is set as an overlapping region with the second image, and a second region of the second image that is set as an overlapping region with the first image, The processor, when a first operation instructing a change of the first area and the second area is received, at least one of control to project the first image from the first projection unit onto the first area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation and control to project the second image from the second projection unit onto the second area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation, detecting a positional relationship between a projection area of ​​the first image and a projection area of ​​the second image in response to the first operation that is first received after the first image and the second image are projected, and setting the first area of ​​the first image based on the positional relationship; when the first operation is received for a second or subsequent time after the first image and the second image are projected, the first area of ​​the first image is set based on the positional relationship detected in response to the first operation that is received for the first time; when a second operation instructing to confirm the first area is received, the control according to the first operation is terminated. Projection device.

2. A projection method using a projection device that projects a first image projected by a first projection unit and a second image projected by a second projection unit in a partially overlapping manner, comprising: a processor of the projection device that performs projection control on a first region of the first image that is set as an overlapping region with the second image and a second region of the second image that is set as an overlapping region with the first image, when a first operation instructing a change of the first area and the second area is received, at least one of control to project the first image from the first projection unit onto the first area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation and control to project the second image from the second projection unit onto the second area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation, detecting a positional relationship between a projection area of ​​the first image and a projection area of ​​the second image in response to the first operation that is first received after the first image and the second image are projected, and setting the first area of ​​the first image based on the positional relationship; when the first operation is received for a second or subsequent time after the first image and the second image are projected, the first area of ​​the first image is set based on the positional relationship detected in response to the first operation that is received for the first time; when a second operation instructing to confirm the first area is received, the control according to the first operation is terminated. Projection method.

3. A control program for a projection device that projects a first image projected by a first projection unit and a second image projected by a second projection unit in a partially overlapping manner, the control program comprising: a processor of the projection device that performs projection control on a first region of the first image that is set as an overlapping region with the second image and a second region of the second image that is set as an overlapping region with the first image, when a first operation instructing a change of the first area and the second area is received, at least one of control to project the first image from the first projection unit onto the first area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation and control to project the second image from the second projection unit onto the second area by performing the projection control according to the received first operation, detecting a positional relationship between a projection area of ​​the first image and a projection area of ​​the second image in response to the first operation that is first received after the first image and the second image are projected, and setting the first area of ​​the first image based on the positional relationship; when the first operation is received for a second or subsequent time after the first image and the second image are projected, the first area of ​​the first image is set based on the positional relationship detected in response to the first operation that is received for the first time; when a second operation instructing to confirm the first area is received, the control according to the first operation is terminated. A control program for executing processing.

Images