Image projection method and projector

Abstract

To provide an image projection method capable of easily identifying use of each marker and improving convenience.SOLUTION: An image projection method includes projecting a plurality of first markers onto a screen, projecting one or more first sub-markers different in appearance from each of the plurality of first markers onto the screen, determining positions of the plurality of first markers on the screen, determining positions of the first sub-markers on the screen, determining an approximate shape of an outline of a first image to be projected on the screen by using the positions of the plurality of first markers, and determining a first line outlining the first image to be projected onto the screen by using the positions of the plurality of first markers and the first sub-markers, and a first edge of a blend region which is a first edge forming the outline of the first image and blends the first image with a second image different from the first image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image projection method and a projector.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for determining a coordinate system common to two projectors using a plurality of points selected by a user in an overlapping area where the images of two projectors overlap on a screen.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the appearance of a plurality of points each functioning as a marker is of a single type with respect to each image. If the uses of the respective markers are different for one image, it becomes difficult to distinguish the uses, which may impair convenience.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] One aspect includes projecting a plurality of first markers onto a screen, projecting one or more first sub - markers having an appearance different from each of the plurality of first markers onto the screen, determining the positions of the plurality of first markers on the screen, determining the positions of the first sub - markers on the screen, using the positions of the plurality of first markers to determine a general shape of the contour of a first image projected onto the screen, using the positions of the plurality of first markers and the first sub - markers to determine a first line forming part of the contour of the first image and a first edge forming part of the contour of the first image, the first edge being a first edge of a blend region where the first image and a second image different from the first image are blended, and projecting the first image onto the screen so as to include the blend region.

[0006] Another aspect is a projector comprising: a projection device that projects a plurality of first markers onto a screen, projects one or more first sub - markers having an appearance different from the plurality of first markers onto the screen, and projects a first image onto the screen so as to include a blend region where the first image is blended with a second image different from the first image; an input interface that detects an input for determining the positions of the plurality of first markers on the screen and an input for determining the positions of the first sub - markers on the screen; and a processing circuit that uses the positions of the plurality of first markers to determine a general shape of the contour of the first image, and uses the positions of the plurality of first markers and the first sub - markers to determine a first line forming part of the contour of the first image and a first edge forming part of the contour of the first image, the first edge being a first edge of the blend region.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

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[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments illustrate a system for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, an apparatus and a method used in this system. The technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the types and configurations of each apparatus, network topology, a series of processes, etc. described below. In the drawings, the same or similar elements may be respectively denoted by the same or similar reference numerals, and redundant descriptions may be omitted.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, a projection system 1 according to an embodiment includes, for example, a plurality of projectors 101, 102, ……, 10 N and a control device 20 that communicates with each of the projectors 101 to 10 N via a network NW. The projection system 1 is a so-called multi-projection system that projects one entire image onto a screen SC to be projected by projecting partial images from each of the projectors 101 to 10 N .

[0010] The plurality of projectors 101 to 10 N are composed of a first projector 101, a second projector 102, …, an Nth projector 10 N . In the present embodiment, N, which is the number of projectors, is an integer of 2 or more. N may be 1. The projection surface of the screen SC by the projectors 101 to 10 N may have a flat surface or a curved surface. The projection surface of the screen SC may be discontinuous.

[0011] The control device 20 includes, for example, a communication unit 21, an input unit 22, a display unit 23, and a control unit 24. The communication unit 21 is connected to the plurality of projectors 101 to 10 NIt is provided with a communication circuit that establishes communication links with each of them and processes signals transmitted over the communication links. The communication unit 21, in accordance with the control by the control unit 24, establishes communication links with each of the plurality of projectors 101 to 10 N by establishing communication links with each of them via the network NW, and connects communicably with each of the plurality of projectors 101 to 10 N The communication link may be wired, wireless, or a combination of wired and wireless. That is, the communication unit 21 may be directly connected to each of the plurality of projectors 101 to 10 N or may be indirectly connected via another relay device. The communication unit 21 may include, for example, an antenna for transmitting and receiving wireless signals, a receptacle into which a plug of a communication cable is inserted, and the like.

[0012] The input unit 22 is an input device that detects input by the user and outputs a signal corresponding to the user's input to the control unit 24. As the input unit 22, for example, various switches such as push buttons and touch sensors, pointing devices such as mice and touch panels, and various input devices such as keyboards can be adopted. In order to detect the user's voice as an input using voice recognition technology, a microphone may be adopted as the input unit 22. Alternatively, as the input unit 22, a gesture sensor that detects the user's gesture as an input may be adopted. The input unit 22 may include a wired or wireless remote controller.

[0013] The display unit 23 is a display that displays an image on the screen in accordance with the control by the control unit 24. The display unit 23 is, for example, a flat panel display. The control unit 24 transmits image data indicating an image to the projectors 101 to 10 N via the communication unit 21, and the image by at least any one of the projectors 101 to 10 N may be used as the image of the display unit 23. The input unit 22 and the display unit 23 may be a touch panel display integrally configured with each other.

[0014] The control unit 24 includes a processing unit 25 and a storage unit 26. The processing unit 25 constitutes a processing device of a computer that processes operations necessary for the operation of the control device 20. The processing unit 25 realizes various functions of the control device 20 described in the embodiments, for example, by executing a program stored in the storage unit 26. As the processing device constituting at least a part of the processing unit 25, various logical operation circuits such as a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable logic device (PLD), and an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) can be adopted. The processing unit 25 may be composed of integrated hardware or may be composed of a plurality of separate hardwares.

[0015] The storage unit 26 is a computer-readable storage device that stores a program indicating a series of processes necessary for the operation of the control device 20 and various data. As the storage unit 26, for example, a semiconductor memory or various disk media can be adopted. The storage unit 26 is not limited to a non-volatile auxiliary storage device and may include a volatile main storage device such as a register or a cache memory. At least a part of the storage unit 26 may be constituted by a part of the processing unit 25. The storage unit 26 may be composed of integrated hardware or may be composed of a plurality of separate hardwares.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the X-th projector 10 X is any one of the plurality of projectors 101 to 10 N That is, here, X is an integer from 1 to N. Hereinafter, regarding the configuration of each of the plurality of projectors 101 to 10 N as a representative, the X-th projector 10 X will be described. The description of other projectors is equivalent to the description of the X-th projector 10 X in which the ordinal number X is replaced with an integer from 1 to N.

[0017] The X-th projector 10 XIt includes an input interface (I / F) 11, a control circuit 12, and a projection device 13. The input I / F 11 includes, for example, a communication I / F 111 and an input device 112. The input I / F 11 detects various inputs by the user and outputs a signal corresponding to the user's input to the control circuit 12.

[0018] The communication I / F 111 is communicably connected to the control device 20 by establishing a communication link via the network NW with the control device 20 according to the control by the control circuit 12. The communication I / F 111 includes a communication circuit that processes signals transmitted on the communication link. The communication link may be wired, wireless, or a combination of wired and wireless. That is, the communication I / F 111 may be directly connected to the control device 20 or indirectly connected via another relay device. The communication I / F 111 may include, for example, an antenna for transmitting and receiving wireless signals, a receptacle into which a plug of a communication cable is inserted, etc.

[0019] The communication I / F 111 sequentially acquires, for example, image data transmitted from the control device 20 and outputs it to the control circuit 12. The communication I / F 111 may also acquire image data being played back in another playback device. The playback device may be, for example, a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a digital media player, a camera, a movie player, a wireless display adapter, a TV tuner, a video game console, etc., any device having the function of supplying image data to the Xth projector 10 X can be any device.

[0020] The input device 112 detects the input by the user and outputs a signal corresponding to the user's input to the control circuit 12. At least any one of various input devices that can be adopted as the input unit 22 can be adopted as the input device 112. The input device 112 may be a pointing device that detects the position on the screen SC. The input I / F 11 may also detect the user's input to the input unit 22 of the control device 20 via the communication I / F 111.

[0021] The projection device 13 includes a light source 131, a display panel 132, and an optical system 133. The light source 131 includes a light-emitting element such as a discharge lamp or a solid light source. The display panel 132 is a light modulation element having a plurality of pixels. The display panel 132 modulates the light emitted from the light source 131 according to the image signal output from the control circuit 12. The display panel 132 is, for example, a transmissive or reflective liquid crystal light valve. The display panel 132 may be a digital micromirror device that controls the reflection of light for each pixel. Needless to say, the display panel 132 in one projection device 13 may include a plurality of display panels that modulate light of different wavelengths. The optical system 133 projects an image onto the screen SC by irradiating the light modulated by the display panel 132 onto the screen SC. The optical system 133 may include various lenses, mirrors, drive mechanisms, and the like.

[0022] The control circuit 12 controls the projection device 13 to project a partial image based on the image data input from the communication I / F 111 onto the screen SC. The control circuits 12 of the projectors 101 to 10 N each control the projection device 13 to project a plurality of partial images constituting one entire image onto the screen SC based on the user input detected by the input unit 22 or the input device 112.

[0023] The control circuit 12 includes a marker processing circuit 121, a geometric correction circuit 122, a processing circuit 123, and a storage medium 124. The marker processing circuit 121 generates a plurality of markers to be projected onto the screen SC by, for example, on-screen display (OSD) technology for geometric correction of the partial image projected onto the screen SC. The marker processing circuit 121 projects a plurality of markers via the projection device 13. Each position of the plurality of markers on the screen SC is adjusted according to the user input to the input unit 22 or the input device 112. That is, the input I / F 11 detects an input for adjusting the positions of the plurality of markers.

[0024] The geometric correction circuit 122 performs geometric correction of the partial image by controlling the display panel 132 based on the positions of a plurality of markers. Specifically, the processing circuit 123 calculates geometric correction parameters necessary for geometric correction by determining the contour of the partial image based on the basic information of the multi-projection input from the input I / F 11 and the positions of the plurality of markers. The geometric correction circuit 122 performs geometric correction based on the geometric correction parameters. As a series of processes for geometric correction by the geometric correction circuit 122 and the processing circuit 123, two-dimensional coordinate conversions such as affine transformation and homography transformation, and interpolation methods such as bilinear interpolation and bicubic interpolation can be executed.

[0025] The processing circuit 123 constitutes a processing device of a computer that processes operations necessary for the operation of the Xth projector 10 X For example, the processing circuit 123 realizes various functions described in the embodiments by executing a control program stored in the storage medium 124. At least a part of the marker processing circuit 121 and the geometric correction circuit 122 may be realized by the processing circuit 123. As the processing device constituting at least a part of the processing circuit 123, for example, various logical operation circuits such as a CPU, a DSP, a PLD, and an ASIC can be adopted. The processing circuit 123 may be composed of integrated hardware or may be composed of a plurality of separate hardwares.

[0026] The storage medium 124 is a computer-readable storage device that stores a control program indicating a series of processes necessary for the operation of the processing circuit 123 and various data. As the storage medium 124, for example, a semiconductor memory, various disk media, etc. can be adopted. The storage medium 124 is not limited to a non-volatile auxiliary storage device, and may include a volatile main storage device such as a register and a cache memory. At least a part of the storage medium 124 may be constituted by a part of the processing circuit 123. The storage medium 124 may be composed of integrated hardware or may be composed of a plurality of separate hardwares.

[0027] For example, as shown in FIG. 3, projectors 101 to 10 N project a first image 301, a second image 302, …, and an Nth image 30 N onto the screen SC as a plurality of partial images so that adjacent partial images include a blend area B where they are blended with each other. Thereby, the entire image is projected onto the screen SC. For example, the first image 301 is an image projected by the projection device 13 of the first projector 101. The first image 301 is projected onto the screen SC so as to include a blend area B that is blended with a second image 302 different from the first image 301.

[0028] In the example shown in FIG. 3, the projection surface of the screen SC is a curved surface having a non-constant curvature. The outline of the entire image composed of a plurality of partial images is controlled to coincide with the edge of the screen SC. That is, in the present embodiment, the case where the projection surface coincides with the main surface of the screen SC will be described, but the projection surface may be defined on a part of the main surface of the screen SC. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 3, along the first direction D1, from the first image 301 to the Nth image 30 N are arranged in a row in order. The direction in which the plurality of partial images are arranged may be a second direction D2 orthogonal to the first direction D1, or may be the first direction D1 and the second direction D2.

[0029] In order to project the entire image in this way, first, the installation states of the projectors 101 to 10 N are adjusted so that the range of the projection surface can be covered without gaps by the respective maximum projection ranges of the projectors 101 to 10 N . The maximum projection range is the maximum range within which each projector can project an image. Thereafter, the projectors 101 to 10 N project a plurality of markers that define the outlines of the respective partial images. By adjusting the positions of the plurality of markers, the outlines of the respective partial images are determined, and based on each outline, geometric correction of the first image 301 to the Nth image 30 N is performed. As described above, the entire image geometrically corrected in the projection system 1 is projected.

[0030] Hereinafter, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 4, as an image projection method of the projection system 1, an example of a series of processes executed in the projection system 1 will be specifically described.

[0031] In step S101, the input I / F 11 inputs the basic information to the processing circuit 123 by detecting an input for setting basic information regarding multi-projection. The basic information can be transmitted to each input I / F 11 of the projectors 101 to 10 N by being input by the user via the input unit 22 of the control device 20. In this case, for example, the processing unit 25 prompts the user to input basic information by displaying a dedicated input screen on the display unit 23. Alternatively, the basic information may be input by the user via the input device 112.

[0032] In the present embodiment, the basic information includes the number N of the projectors 101 to 10 N the resolution of each of the projectors 101 to 10 N the blend amount, and the marker number information. The number N corresponds to the number of partial images arranged in a row along the first direction D1. The resolution corresponds to the dimension in the first direction D1 of the partial image, that is, the number of pixels. The maximum value of the resolution may correspond to the resolution of each display panel 132 of the projectors 101 to 10 N Since the resolution is the resolution of the projected partial image, it may be changed by the processing circuit 123. The blend amount is an amount defining the dimension of the blend region B in the first direction D1, that is, the number of pixels. The marker number information is information regarding the number of markers arranged along the first direction D1.

[0033] In step S102, the projection device 13 prompts the user to adjust the installation state of the projectors 101 to 10 N for example, by projecting an image corresponding to the maximum projection range of the partial image. Thereby, the installation state of the projectors 101 to 10 N is adjusted so that the overlapping regions where adjacent partial images overlap each other overlap all regions of the blend region B. The installation state of the projectors 101 to 10 NThe installation state may be adjusted, for example, by the user moving the housings of projectors 101 to 10 N In addition, the installation state of projectors 101 to 10 N may be adjusted by shifting lenses or the like according to an input detected by the input I / F11 by a drive mechanism included in the optical system 133.

[0034] For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the overall image is composed of the first image 301 and the second image 302 on the screen SC, the installation states of the first projector 101 and the second projector 102 are adjusted so that the overlapping region R overlaps all regions of the blend region B. The overlapping region R is a region where the first image 301 and the second image 302 overlap each other. The adjustment of the installation state may be performed according to the user's visual amount based on the blend amount, or may be performed using a target prepared in advance relative to the screen SC. In this way, the installation states of projectors 101 to 10 N are adjusted.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 6, the first panel image 41 displayed on the display panel 132 of the first projector 101 and the second panel image 42 displayed on the display panel 132 of the second projector 102 are each rectangular. The first panel image 41 is an image displayed on the display panel 132 of the first projector 101 when projecting the first image 301 in FIG. 5. The second panel image 42 is an image displayed on the display panel 132 of the second projector 102 when projecting the second image 302 in FIG. 5. Note that the first image 301 and the second image 302 in FIG. 5 have geometric distortion due to the influence of errors in the optical system 133 or the like as compared with the first panel image 41 and the second panel image 42.

[0036] In FIG. 5, only the first image 301 and the second image 302 are shown as a plurality of partial images, and in FIG. 6, only the first panel image 41 and the second panel image 42 are shown. Thus, in the examples shown in FIGS. 5 to 22, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, the case where the overall image is projected by two first projectors 101 and second projectors 102 will be described. However, the same applies to the configuration, operation, and effects of projectors that project other adjacent pairs of partial images.

[0037] In step S103, each projection device 13 of projectors 101 to 10 N projects a plurality of main markers that define the outline of the partial image. The processing circuit 123 determines a plurality of main markers and a plurality of identifiers corresponding to the main markers based on the basic information input in step S101. The marker processing circuit 121 displays the plurality of main markers and identifiers determined by the processing circuit 123 on the display panel 132. The number of main markers is determined based on the marker number information input in step S101.

[0038] For example, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first projector 101 projects a plurality of first markers K1, which are part of the plurality of main markers, onto the screen SC. The first projector 101 projects a plurality of first identifiers corresponding to the plurality of first markers K1 onto the screen SC together with the plurality of first markers K1. Similarly, the second projector 102 projects a plurality of second markers K2, which are part of the plurality of main markers, onto the screen SC together with a plurality of second identifiers corresponding to the plurality of second markers K2.

[0039] The first marker K1 and the second marker K2 have distinguishable appearances from each other. In an example such as FIG. 7, the first marker K1 and the second marker K2 have the same dimensions and shapes as each other, but have different colors from each other. Different hatchings mean having different colors from each other. This makes it possible to distinguish that they are a plurality of main markers projected from different projectors, and thus it becomes easy to adjust each position of the main marker in step S104.

[0040] The plurality of first identifiers are 1 to 4 and 8 to 11. The plurality of second identifiers are 4 to 7 and 11 to 14. The plurality of first identifiers and the plurality of second identifiers have consecutive numbers assigned along the first direction D1 when the main markers are arranged on the screen SC. Thereby, the process of arranging the main markers is simplified. The marker number information includes the number P of main markers arranged in a row along the edge of the screen SC along the first direction D1. That is, the number P is the number of main markers arranged on one side along the first direction D1 of the contour of the entire image. In the examples shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the number P is 7.

[0041] Here, each of the first marker K1 having the first identifier of 4 and 11 and the second marker K2 having the same second identifier is an overlapping marker that overlaps with each other. For example, the first marker K1 having the first identifier of 4 and the second marker K2 having the second identifier of 4 can be regarded as one main marker. The overlapping markers serve to align the positions of the first image 301 and the second image 302 on the screen SC in order to blend the first image 301 and the second image 302 in the blend region B. The overlapping markers are composed of the first marker K1 located on the second image 302 side most in the first direction D1 among the plurality of first markers K1 and the second marker K2 located on the first image 301 side most in the first direction D1 among the plurality of second markers K2.

[0042] For example, each of the plurality of first identifiers is arranged such that the distance from the corresponding first marker K1 is shorter than the distance from other first markers K1. Similarly, each of the plurality of second identifiers is arranged such that the distance from the corresponding second marker K2 is shorter than the distance from other second markers K2. Thereby, the first identifier and the second identifier are projected so as to be easily recognized by the user.

[0043] In step S104, each input I / F11 of projectors 101 to 10 N determines the positions of the plurality of main markers by detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the plurality of main markers on the screen SC. For example, the processing unit 25 of the control device 20 prompts the user to adjust the positions of the main markers by displaying a message on the display unit 23 requesting that the main markers be arranged at equal intervals. When the input I / F11 detects the user's input to the input unit 22, the marker processing circuit 121 adjusts the positions of the plurality of main markers. After the adjustment, when the input I / F11 detects an input for determining the positions of the plurality of main markers, the processing circuit 123 determines that the positions of the plurality of main markers have been determined, and proceeds to step S105.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 and the plurality of second markers K2 are determined such that one or more of the plurality of first markers K1 and one or more of the plurality of second markers K2 overlap each other as overlapping markers. All of the plurality of first markers K1 excluding the overlapping markers are located closer to the first image 301 side than the plurality of second markers K2 in the first direction D1. Also, all of the plurality of second markers K2 excluding the overlapping markers are located closer to the second image 302 side than the plurality of first markers K1 in the first direction D1.

[0045] Specifically, the first marker K1 having first identifiers 1 to 3, the duplicate marker having the identifier 4, and the second marker K2 having second identifiers 5 to 7 are arranged at equal intervals along the upper edge of FIG. 9 of the screen SC in the first direction D1. The upper edge means the edge located on the reverse side of the second direction D2. The first marker K1 having first identifiers 8 to 10, the duplicate marker having the identifier 11, and the second marker K2 having second identifiers 12 to 14 are arranged at equal intervals along the lower edge of FIG. 9 of the screen SC in the first direction D1. The lower edge means the edge located on the second direction D2 side. The duplicate marker is arranged, for example, on the center line along the second direction D2 of the blend region B and on the boundary of the blend region B. Here, the equal intervals may be determined by the user's visual perception, and strict equal intervals are not required.

[0046] In this way, via the input I / F11, the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 and the plurality of second markers K2 on the screen SC are determined. Using the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 and the plurality of second markers K2, the general shapes of the contours of the first image 301 and the second image 302 are determined, and the general shape of the contour of the entire image is determined.

[0047] In step S105, each of the projection devices 13 of the projectors 101 to 10 N projects a plurality of sub-markers that define both the right and left edges of FIG. 9 of the blend region B. Here, the right side means the first direction side. The left side means the reverse side of the first direction. The processing circuit 123 determines a plurality of sub-markers and a plurality of identifiers corresponding to the sub-markers based on the basic information input in step S101. The marker processing circuit 121 displays the plurality of sub-markers and identifiers determined by the processing circuit 123 on the display panel 132. The number of sub-markers is determined based on the marker number information input in step S101.

[0048] Each of the plurality of sub-markers has an appearance different from that of the main marker. For example, when the plurality of main markers have the same dimensions as each other, the plurality of sub-markers have dimensions smaller than those of the plurality of main markers. The difference in appearance between the main marker and the sub-markers is not limited to dimensions, and may be a difference in shape, color, etc.

[0049] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the first projector 101 projects a plurality of first sub-markers L1, which are part of the plurality of sub-markers, onto the screen SC. The first projector 101 projects a plurality of first sub-identifiers corresponding to the plurality of first sub-markers L1 onto the screen SC together with the plurality of first sub-markers L1. Similarly, the second projector 102 projects a plurality of second sub-markers L2, which are part of the plurality of sub-markers, onto the screen SC together with a plurality of second sub-identifiers corresponding to the plurality of second sub-markers L2.

[0050] The first sub-marker L1 and the second sub-marker L2 have distinguishable appearances from each other. In an example such as FIG. 11, the first sub-marker L1 and the second sub-marker L2 have the same dimensions and shape as each other, but have different colors from each other. The first marker K1 and the first sub-marker L1 have the same color as each other. Similarly, the second marker K2 and the second sub-marker L2 have the same color as each other.

[0051] The plurality of first sub-identifiers are 3_1, 4_4, 4_5, 10_1, 11_4, 11_5. The plurality of second sub-identifiers are 3_2, 3_3, 4_6, 10_2, 10_3, 11_6. The plurality of first sub-identifiers and the plurality of second sub-identifiers have consecutive numbers assigned along the first direction D1 when the sub-markers are arranged on the screen. Thereby, the process of arranging the sub-markers is simplified.

[0052] The marker number information includes the number Q of sub - markers arranged in a row along the edge of the screen SC in the first direction D1 between adjacent main markers. That is, the number Q is the number of sub - markers arranged between adjacent main markers on one side along the first direction D1 of the contour of the entire image. The number Q is equal to the number of first sub - markers L1 arranged in a row and is also equal to the number of second sub - markers L2 arranged in a row. In the examples shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the number Q is 3.

[0053] For example, sub - identifiers for identifying sub - markers, such as the first sub - identifier and the second sub - identifier, are described in the form of "(main number)_(sub - number)". The main number is equal to the younger number among the identifiers of a pair of main markers sandwiching the sub - marker. The sub - number has a consecutive number assigned along the first direction D1 when the sub - marker is arranged between a pair of main markers.

[0054] Each of the plurality of first sub - identifiers is arranged so that the distance from the corresponding first sub - marker L1 is shorter than the distance from other first sub - markers L1. Similarly, each of the plurality of second sub - identifiers is arranged so that the distance from the corresponding second sub - marker L2 is shorter than the distance from other second sub - markers L2. Thereby, the first sub - identifier and the second sub - identifier are projected so as to be easily recognized by the user.

[0055] In step S106, each input I / F11 of projectors 101 to 10 N determines the positions of the plurality of sub - markers by detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the plurality of sub - markers on the screen SC. For example, the processing unit 25 of the control device 20 prompts the user to adjust the positions of the sub - markers by displaying a message on the display unit 23 requesting that the sub - markers be arranged at equal intervals. When the input I / F11 detects the user's input to the input unit 22, the marker processing circuit 121 adjusts the positions of the plurality of sub - markers.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 13, a first sub-marker L1 having a first sub-identifier of 3_1 and two second sub-markers L2 having second sub-identifiers of 3_2 and 3_3 are arranged at equal intervals between a first marker K1 having a first identifier of 3 and an overlapping marker on the upper edge of the screen SC. A first sub-marker L1 having a first sub-identifier of 10_1 and two second sub-markers L2 having second sub-identifiers of 10_2 and 10_3 are arranged at equal intervals between a first marker K1 having a first identifier of 10 and an overlapping marker on the lower edge of the screen SC. In this case, in the example shown in FIG. 13, the second sub-marker L2 having second sub-identifiers of 3_2 and 10_2 is adjacent to the second edge E2.

[0057] Two first sub-markers L1 having first sub-identifiers of 4_4 and 4_5 and a second sub-marker L2 having a second sub-identifier of 4_6 are arranged at equal intervals between an overlapping marker and a second marker K2 having a second identifier of 5 on the upper edge of the screen SC. Two first sub-markers L1 having first sub-identifiers of 11_4 and 11_5 and a second sub-marker L2 having a second sub-identifier of 11_6 are arranged at equal intervals between an overlapping marker and a second marker K2 having a second identifier of 12 on the lower edge of the screen SC. In this case, in the example shown in FIG. 13, a pair of first sub-markers L1 having first sub-identifiers of 4_5 and 11_5 is adjacent to the first edge E1.

[0058] The blending amount of the blend region B is defined as the distance between the first edge E1 and the second edge E2 of the blend region B. The first edge E1 forms part of the contour of the first image 301 after geometric correction. Among the plurality of first sub-markers L1 sandwiched between a pair of main markers, the first sub-marker L1 located closer to the center of the second image 302 than the blend region B in the first direction D1 and closest to the blend region B functions as the first interpolation marker. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the two first sub-markers L1 having first sub-identifiers of 4_5 and 11_5 respectively correspond to the first interpolation markers.

[0059] The positions of the plurality of first markers K1 and the first interpolation marker are determined such that the first interpolation marker is located closer to the second image 302 than the plurality of first markers K1 in the first direction D1. For this reason, the initial position of the first interpolation marker in step S105 can be an area on the second image 302 side within the maximum range where the first image 301 can be projected. If the first sub-identifier of the first interpolation marker is the first interpolation identifier, the first interpolation identifier has information corresponding to the first identifier of the first marker K1 closest to the first interpolation marker. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 13, the first interpolation identifiers are 4_5 and 11_5. That is, the main numbers of the first interpolation identifiers are 4 and 11, which are equal to 4 and 11, which are the first identifiers of the first markers K1 closest to the first interpolation marker.

[0060] When arranging a plurality of sub-markers at equal intervals between a pair of main markers, the sub-markers located closer to the second image 302 than the first interpolation marker may be arranged outside the maximum projection range of the first projector 101. In this case, the sub-markers located closer to the second image 302 than the first interpolation marker are projected from the second projector 102 as the second index markers. Thereby, it becomes possible to arrange a plurality of sub-markers at equal intervals between a pair of main markers.

[0061] The second edge E2 forms a part of the contour of the second image 302 after geometric correction. Among the plurality of second sub-markers L2 sandwiched between a pair of main markers, the second sub-marker L2 located closer to the center of the first image 301 than the blend region B and closest to the blend region B in the first direction D1 functions as the second interpolation marker. In the example shown in FIG. 13, each of the two second sub-markers L2 having the sub-identifiers 3_2 and 10_2 corresponds to the second interpolation marker. 2 The sub-identifiers of the two second sub-markers L2 having the sub-identifiers 3_2 and 10_2 each correspond to the second interpolation marker.

[0062] The positions of the plurality of second markers K2 and the second interpolation markers are determined such that the second interpolation markers are located closer to the first image 301 than the plurality of second markers K2 in the first direction D1. For this reason, the initial position of the second interpolation marker in step S105 may be a region on the first image 301 side within the maximum range where the second image 302 can be projected. If the second sub-identifier of the second interpolation marker is the second interpolation identifier, the second interpolation identifier has information corresponding to the second identifier of the second marker K2 closest to the second interpolation marker. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 13, the second interpolation identifiers are 3_2 and 10_2. That is, the main numbers of the second interpolation identifiers are 3 and 10, and are equal to the values obtained by subtracting 1 from 4 and 11, which are the second identifiers of the second markers K2 closest to the second interpolation marker, respectively.

[0063] When arranging a plurality of sub-markers at equal intervals between a pair of main markers, the sub-markers located closer to the first image 301 than the second interpolation marker may be arranged outside the maximum projection range of the second projector 102. In this case, the sub-markers located closer to the first image 301 than the second interpolation marker are projected from the first projector 101 as the first index markers. Thereby, it becomes possible to arrange a plurality of sub-markers at equal intervals between a pair of main markers.

[0064] In step S107, each processing circuit 123 of projectors 101 to 10 N determines whether the positions of the plurality of sub-markers have been determined. For example, depending on the relationship between the overlapping region R and the number Q of sub-markers, if the first interpolation marker or the second interpolation marker is not realized by the plurality of sub-markers arranged at equal intervals, it is determined that the positions of the plurality of sub-markers have not been determined.

[0065] For example, the processing unit 25 of the control device 20 requests the user to input an answer by displaying on the display unit 23 a message that asks whether the sub - markers are arranged at equal intervals. When the input I / F 11 detects the user's input to the input unit 22, the processing circuit 123 determines whether the positions of the plurality of sub - markers have been determined. In step S107, when the processing circuit 123 determines that the positions of the plurality of sub - markers have been determined, the process proceeds to step S109; when it determines that the positions of the plurality of sub - markers have not been determined, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0066] If, as shown in FIG. 14, the overlapping region R is insufficient for the number Q of sub - markers and the blend region B, for example, the first sub - marker having the first sub - identifier of 4_5 cannot be projected from the first projector 101. The same applies to the two second sub - markers having the second sub - identifiers of 3_2, 10_2. Therefore, in step S107, the processing circuit 123 determines that the positions of the plurality of sub - markers have not been determined, and the process proceeds to step S108.

[0067] In step S108, each processing circuit 123 of the projectors 101 to 10 N increments the number Q of sub - markers and proceeds to step S105. For example, the processing unit 25 of the control device 20 guides the user via the display unit 23 through the procedure of incrementing the number Q according to the determination of the processing circuit 123 in step S107. The processing circuit 123 increments the number Q when the input I / F 11 detects the procedure of incrementing the number Q. The number Q may be incremented by 1 each time, or may be incremented by 2 or more each time. In the example shown in FIG. 14, since the number Q was 3, by incrementing the number Q by 1 in step S108, the number Q in the next step S105 becomes 4.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 15, the intervals between a plurality of sub - markers are adjusted in step S105 and step S106. By narrowing the intervals between adjacent sub - markers, it becomes possible to project and position - adjust all the sub - markers. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 15, all the first sub - markers L1 are located within the maximum projection range of the first image 301, and all the second sub - markers L2 are located within the maximum projection range of the second image 302. As described above, until it can be determined that the positions of the plurality of sub - markers are determined by arranging the plurality of sub - markers at equal intervals, the processing from step S105 to step S108 is repeated.

[0069] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13, when the number Q remains 3 and the sub - markers are arranged at equal intervals, the processing circuit 123 determines in step S107 that the positions of the plurality of sub - markers are determined, and proceeds to step S109.

[0070] In step S109, each processing circuit 123 of projectors 101 - 10 N determines the contour of the partial image using the basic information input in step S101, the positions of the plurality of main markers, and the positions of the plurality of sub - markers. Specifically, the processing circuit 123 determines the outline of the partial image based on the positions of the plurality of main markers determined in step S104. The processing circuit 123 determines the contour of the partial image by determining both edges of the blend region B based on the positions of the plurality of sub - markers determined in step S107. By determining the contours of the plurality of partial images, the contour of the entire image is determined.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 16, the processing circuit 123 determines two first lines T1 that form part of the contour of the first image 301 by passing through each of a plurality of first markers K1 and a plurality of first sub - markers L1. Specifically, the processing circuit 123 determines the upper first line T1 that passes through the first marker K1 having first identifiers from 1 to 4 and the first sub - marker L1 having first sub - identifiers of 3_1, 4_4, 4_5. The upper first line T1 is a curve from the first marker K1 having a first identifier of 1 to the first sub - marker L1 having a first sub - identifier of 4_5. The processing circuit 123 determines the lower first line T1 that passes through the first marker K1 having first identifiers from 8 to 11 and the first sub - marker L1 having first sub - identifiers of 10_1, 11_4, 11_5. The lower first line T1 is a curve from the first marker K1 having a first identifier of 8 to the first sub - marker L1 having a first sub - identifier of 11_5.

[0072] Also, the processing circuit 123 determines two second lines T2 that form part of the contour of the second image 302 by passing through each of a plurality of second markers K2 and a plurality of second sub - markers L2. Specifically, the processing circuit 123 determines the upper second line T2 that passes through the second marker K2 having second identifiers from 4 to 7 and the second sub - marker L2 having second sub - identifiers of 3_2, 3_3, 4_6. The upper second line T2 is a curve from the second sub - marker L2 having a second sub - identifier of 3_2 to the second marker K2 having a second identifier of 7. The processing circuit 123 determines the lower second line T2 that passes through the second marker K2 having second identifiers from 11 to 14 and the second sub - marker 2 L2 having second sub - identifiers of 10_2, 10_3, 11_6. L The lower second line T2 is a curve from the second sub - marker L2 having a second sub - identifier of 10_2 to the second marker K2 having a second identifier of 14.

[0073] The processing circuit 123 determines two first lines T1 and two second lines T2 by calculating functions, boundary conditions, etc. representing the two first lines T1 and the two second lines T2 using an interpolation method. As the interpolation method by the processing circuit 123, various interpolation methods such as cubic interpolation, spline interpolation, and polynomial interpolation can be adopted according to the projection plane. A pair of the first line T1 and the second line T2 shown in FIG. 16 each of corresponds to the edge of the screen SC in FIG. 13 connected and form continuous lines that follow.

[0074] The processing circuit 123 determines a first interpolation point U1, which is a point located between the first marker K1 closest to the first interpolation marker among a plurality of first markers K1 on the first line T1 and the first interpolation marker, based on the blend amount. That is, on the upper first line T1, the first interpolation point U1 is located between the first marker K1 having the first identifier 4, which is a duplicate marker, and the first sub-marker L1 having the first sub-identifier 4_5. On the lower first line T1, the first interpolation point U1 is located between the first marker K1 having the first identifier 11, which is a duplicate marker, and the first sub-marker L1 having the first sub-identifier 11_5.

[0075] The two first interpolation points U1 are points that define the first edge E1 of the blend region B. That is, the first edge E1 is a line connecting the upper first interpolation point U1 and the lower first interpolation point U1. The first edge E1 is determined based on, for example, a line connecting two duplicate markers having identifiers 4 and 11 and the blend amount. The processing circuit 123 determines the contour of the first image 301 by determining a line connecting the first markers K1 having the first identifiers 1 and 8, which are the starting points of the two first lines T1, respectively, and the first edge E1.

[0076] The processing circuit 123 determines a second interpolation point U2, which is a point located between the second marker K2 closest to the second interpolation marker among the plurality of second markers K2 on the second line T2 and the second interpolation marker. That is, on the upper second line T2, the second interpolation point U2 is located between the second sub-marker L2 having a second sub-identifier of 3_2 and the second marker K2 having a second identifier of 4, which is a duplicate marker. On the lower second line T2, the second interpolation point U2 is located between the second sub-marker L2 having a second sub-identifier of 10_2 and the second marker K2 having a second identifier of 11, which is a duplicate marker.

[0077] The two second interpolation points U2 are points that define the second edge E2 of the blend region B. That is, the second edge E2 is a line connecting the upper second interpolation point U2 and the lower second interpolation point U2. The processing circuit 123 determines the contour of the second image 302 by determining the line connecting the second markers K2 having second identifiers of 7 and 14, which are the end points of the two second lines T2 respectively, and the second edge E2.

[0078] In step S110, each of the processing circuits 123 of projectors 101 to 10 N calculates correction parameters to be used for geometric correction of the partial image. The processing circuit 123 calculates the correction parameters necessary for geometric correction to realize the contour of the partial image determined in step S109. The processing circuit 123 outputs the calculated correction parameters to the geometric correction circuit 122.

[0079] In step S111, projectors 101 to 10 NEach geometric correction circuit 122 performs geometric correction of the partial image using the correction parameters calculated in step S110. That is, the geometric correction circuit 122 performs a geometric correction process that realizes the contour of the partial image determined in step S109. The geometric correction can be performed by various two-dimensional coordinate transformations. Thereby, the projection device 13 projects the corrected partial image. By each projection device 13 projecting the geometrically corrected partial image onto the screen SC, the geometrically corrected entire image is projected onto the screen SC.

[0080] That is, the geometric correction circuit 122 of the first projector 101 performs geometric correction of the first image 301 using at least the first line T1 and the first edge E1. Similarly, the geometric correction circuit 122 of the second projector 102 performs geometric correction of the second image 302 using the second line T2 and the second edge E2. Thereby, the first projector 101 and the second projector 10 2 project the first image 301 and the second image 302 onto the screen SC so as to include the blend area B having the blend amount set in the basic information of the multi-projection.

[0081] As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, the first image 301 and the second image 302 are corrected so as to realize the contour of the entire image determined in step S109 and projected onto the screen SC. The blend amount of the blend area B has a value set in the basic information and is defined as the distance between the first edge E1 and the second edge E2. Thus, by projecting the first image 301 and the second image 302, which are respectively geometrically corrected partial images, onto the screen SC, the geometrically corrected entire image is projected onto the screen SC.

[0082] As described above, according to the projection system 1 according to the present embodiment, the sub-markers used for determining the contour of the partial image have an appearance different from that of the main markers used for determining the outline of the partial image. Therefore, the plurality of main markers and the plurality of sub-markers can be easily distinguished in terms of their uses, and the convenience in determining the contour of the partial image is improved.

[0083] If, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the first edge E1 and the second edge E2 of the blend region B are determined without using sub-markers, first, a plurality of main markers including overlapping markers are arranged at equal intervals along the edge of the screen SC. As shown in FIG. 20, two first lines T1 are determined based on the positions of the plurality of first markers K1, and two second lines T2 are determined based on the positions of the plurality of second markers K2.

[0084] Here, each processing circuit 123 of the first projector 101 and the second projector 102 needs to determine two first lines T1 and two second lines T2 by extrapolation. That is, in the first direction D1, the two first extrapolation points V1 that define the first edge E1 are located on the side of the second image 302 from the plurality of first markers K1. Similarly, the two second extrapolation points V2 that define the second edge E2 are located on the side of the first image 301 from the plurality of second markers K2.

[0085] Then, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22, the contour of the assumed overall image, that is, the edge of the screen SC and , the first edge E1 and the second edge E2 each of , of between the deviation may increase. When the deviation between the first image 301 and the second image 302 in the blend region B increases, a situation may occur where an appropriate overall image is not projected. Thus, the extrapolation method has a lower prediction accuracy compared to the interpolation method. In particular, the error in extrapolation for a free curve may be significantly large. This error can be reduced by increasing the number of main markers. However, since it is difficult to estimate in advance the number of main markers at which the error becomes an acceptable level, the man-hours and difficulty for adjusting the basic information may increase.

[0086] On the other hand, according to the projection system 1 according to the present embodiment, since the two points that define the first edge E1 and the second edge E2 are determined by the interpolation method instead of the extrapolation method, an increase in the deviation between the partial images in the blend region B can be suppressed.

[0087] Next, with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24, a method for determining the identifier of each of a plurality of main markers and the sub-identifier of each of a plurality of sub-markers will be described.

[0088] First, as basic information of the multi-projection, the following information is input in advance. That is, the basic information is the dimension W of the partial image in the first direction D1 P , the blending amount W B , the number N of projectors 101 to 10 N , the number P of main markers in the first direction D1, and the number Q of sub-markers between adjacent main markers. At this time, the interval INT M between the main markers and the interval INT Msub between the sub-markers are obtained by Expressions (1) and (2). INT M = W P × N - W B × (N - 1) …(1) INT Msub = INT M / (Q + 1) …(2)

[0089] First, a method for determining the X-th sub-identifier of a plurality of X-th sub-markers L X will be described. Here, from the start position of the first image 301 in the first direction D1, the X-th edge E X of the blend area B between the X-th image 30 X+1 and the (X + 1)-th image 30 X has a dimension W X obtained by Expression (3). W X = X × W P - W B × (X - 1) …(3)

[0090] The X-th sub-identifier of the X-th interpolation marker included in a plurality of X-th sub-markers L X is defined as the X-th interpolation identifier, and the upper X-th interpolation identifier is denoted as "P AXt _Q AX ", and the lower X-th interpolation identifier is denoted as "P AXb _Q AX ". In this case, the main number PAXt and P AXb , and sub-number Q AX is obtained by formulas (4) to (6). Note that, "W P %INT M " means the remainder when W P is divided by INT M . P AXt = W X / INT M + 1...(4) P AXb = W X / INT M + 1 + P...(5) Q AX = (W P %INT M ) / INT Msub + 1...(6) If the sub-number Q AX exceeds the number Q of the set sub-markers, the processing circuit 123 determines that the position of the sub-marker is not determined in step S107, and may proceed to step S108. them

[0091] Regarding the plurality of X-th sub-markers L X , use the X-th sub-identifier of the X-th index marker included in it as the X-th index identifier, and describe the upper X-th index identifier as "P BXt _Q BX ", and the lower X-th index identifier as "P BXb _Q BX ". In this case, the main numbers P BXt and P BXb are obtained by formulas (7) and (8). P BXt = P A(X+1)t ...(7) P BXb = P A(X+1)b ...(8)

[0092] The sub-number Q BX is determined according to the case division using the sub-number Q A(X+1) of the (X + 1)-th interpolation identifier. First, when Q A(X+1) - 1 < 0, since there is no X-th index marker, the sub-number Q of the X-th index identifier​BX also does not exist. Next, Q A(X+1) When Q - 1 = 1, the sub - number Q BX is obtained by Equation (9). Q BX = Q A(X+1) - 1 …(9) Finally, when Q A(X+1) - 1>1, the sub - number Q BX is obtained by Equation (10). Q BX ={1,…,Q A(X+1) - 2 , Q A(X+1) - 1} …(10) That is, when Q A(X+1) - 1>1, the number of the X - th index markers is equivalent to the number of Q BX obtained by Equation (10).

[0093] Next, a method for determining the (X + 1) - th sub - identifiers of a plurality of (X + 1) - th sub - markers L X+1 will be described. From the start position of the first image 301 in the first direction D1 to the (X + 1) - th edge E X of the blend region B between the X - th image 30 X+1 and the (X + 1) - th image 30 X+1 The dimension W X+1 is obtained by Equation (11). W X+1 = X×(W P - W B ) …(11)

[0094] Regarding a plurality of (X + 1) - th sub - markers L X+1 the (X + 1) - th sub - identifier of the (X + 1) - th interpolation marker included therein is defined as the (X + 1) - th interpolation identifier, and the upper (X + 1) - th interpolation identifier is denoted as "P A(X+1)t _Q A(X+1) ", and the lower (X + 1) - th interpolation identifier "P A(X+1)b _Q A(X+1) ". In this case, the main numbers P A(X+1)t and P A(X+1)b , as well as the sub - number Q A(X+1) are obtained by Equations (12) to (14). P A(X+1)t = W X+1 / INT M +1 …(12) P A(X+1)b =W X+1 / INT M +1+P …(13) Q A(X+1) =(W X+1 %INT M ) / INT Msub …(14)

[0095] The (X + 1) sub-identifier of the (X + 1) index marker included in the plurality of (X + 1) sub-markers L is defined as the (X + 1) index identifier, and the upper (X + 1) index identifier is "P" X+1 _Q B(X+1)t ", and the lower (X + 1) index identifier is "P" B(X+1) _Q B(X+1)b ". In this case, the main numbers P B(X+1) and P B(X+1)t and P B(X+1)b are obtained by formulas (15) and (16). P B(X+1)t =P AXt …(15) P B(X+1)b =P AXb …(16)

[0096] The sub-number Q B(X+1) is determined according to the case division using the sub-number Q AX of the X-th interpolation identifier. First, when Q AX +1 > Q, since the (X + 1) index marker does not exist, the sub-number Q B(X+1) of the (X + 1) index identifier also does not exist. Next, when Q AX +1 = Q, the sub-number Q B(X+1) is obtained by formula (17). Q B(X+1) =Q AX +1 …(17) Finally, when Q AX +1 < Q, the sub-number Q B(X+1) is obtained by formula (18). Q B(X+1) ={Q AX +1 , Q AX +2,…,Q} …(18) That is, Q AX +1 <Qのとき、第(X+1)指標マーカーの数は、式(18)により求められるQ B(X+1) corresponds to the number of

[0097] In the example shown in FIG. 23, the first marker K1, the Xth marker K X , the (X+1) marker K X+1 , Nth marker K N Identifiers from 1 to 2P are assigned to the main markers such as the Xth image 30. X and (X+1) Image 30 X+1 The identifier of a pair of overlapping markers in the blend region B of AXt and P AXb and can be obtained by equations (4) and (5), etc. In this way, by calculating the identifiers of the overlapping markers for all blending regions B in the entire image, it is possible to assign an identifier to each of the multiple main markers.

[0098] Specifically, a pair of Xth markers K having overlapping marker identifiers X Each of the start positions is used as a starting position, and each time the identifier of the start position is subtracted by 1, the subtracted value is assigned to the next main marker adjacent in the opposite direction of the first direction D1. Similarly, a pair of (X+1) Marker K X+1 Each of these is set as a starting position, and each time 1 is added to the identifier of the starting position, the added value is assigned to the next main marker adjacent in the first direction D1. Identifiers can be assigned to all main markers by repeating this process until the subtracted values ​​become 1 and P+1 and the added values ​​become P and 2P, or the value becomes the identifier of the next overlapping marker.

[0099] As described above, the image projection method described in the embodiment includes projecting a plurality of first markers K1 onto the screen SC, projecting one or more first sub - markers L1 having an appearance different from each of the plurality of first markers K1 onto the screen SC, determining the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 on the screen SC, determining the positions of the first sub - markers L1 on the screen SC, using the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 to determine the general shape of the contour of the first image 301, using the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 and the first sub - markers L1 to determine a first line T1 forming the contour of the first image 301 and a first edge E1 forming the contour of the first image 301, where the first edge E1 is the first edge of a blend region B that blends the first image 301 and a second image 302 different from the first image 301, and projecting the first image 301 onto the screen SC so as to include the blend region B. According to this image projection method, the first sub - marker L1 used for determining the contour of the first image 301 has an appearance different from that of the first marker K1 used for determining the general shape of the contour of the first image 301. Therefore, the plurality of first markers K1 and the plurality of first sub - markers L1 can be easily distinguished in terms of their uses, and the convenience in determining the contour of the first image 301 is improved.

[0100] According to the image projection method described in the embodiment, the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 are determined by detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the plurality of first markers K1, and the positions of the first sub - markers L1 are determined by detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the first sub - markers L1. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 and the positions of the first sub - markers L1.

[0101] According to the image projection method described in the embodiment, geometric correction of the first image 301 is performed using the first line T1 and the first edge E1. Therefore, geometric correction of the first image 301 can be easily performed based on the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 and the first sub - markers L1.

[0102] According to the image projection method described in the embodiment, after determining the positions of a plurality of first markers K1, the projection of the first sub-marker L1 is started. Therefore, after determining the positions of the plurality of first markers K1, it is only necessary to determine the position of the first sub-marker L1, so that the complexity of these determination steps can be suppressed, and the convenience is improved.

[0103] According to the image projection method described in the embodiment, projecting a plurality of second markers K2 onto the screen SC, projecting one or more second sub-markers L2 having appearances different from those of the respective plurality of second markers K2 onto the screen SC, determining the positions of the plurality of second markers K2 on the screen SC, determining the position of the second sub-marker L2 on the screen SC, using the positions of the plurality of second markers K2 to determine a rough outline of the second image 302, and using the positions of the plurality of second markers K2 and the second sub-markers L2 to determine a second line T2 and a second edge E2 of the blend region B that respectively form a part of the outline of the second image 302. Therefore, the second sub-marker L2 used to determine the outline of the second image 302 has an appearance different from that of the second marker K2 used to determine the rough outline of the second image 302. Therefore, the plurality of second markers K2 and the plurality of second sub-markers L2 are easily distinguishable in terms of their uses, and the convenience in determining the outline of the second image 302 is improved.

[0104] According to the image projection method described in the embodiment, after determining the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 and the plurality of second markers K2, the projection of the first sub-marker L1 and the second sub-marker L2 is started. Therefore, after determining the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 and the plurality of second markers K2, it is only necessary to determine the positions of the first sub-marker L1 and the second sub-marker L2, so that the complexity of these determination steps can be suppressed, and the convenience is improved.

[0105] According to the image projection method described in the embodiment, the number of the second sub-markers L2 is equal to the number of the first sub-markers L1. Therefore, the position of the second sub-marker L2 can be determined by the same procedure as the determination of the position of the first sub-marker L1, and the convenience is improved.

[0106] According to the image projection method described in the embodiment, it further includes projecting a plurality of first identifiers corresponding to a plurality of first markers K1 onto the screen SC together with the plurality of first markers K1, and projecting a first sub-identifier corresponding to the first sub-marker L1 onto the screen SC together with the first sub-marker L1. Therefore, it becomes easier to distinguish the first marker K1 and the first sub-marker L1 projected on the screen SC.

[0107] According to the image projection method described in the embodiment, the first sub-identifier has information corresponding to the first identifier of the first marker K1 that is closest to the first sub-marker L1 among the plurality of first markers K1. Therefore, it is possible to present information regarding the position where the first sub-marker L1 should be arranged, and the convenience is improved.

[0108] According to the image projection method described in the embodiment, an input for determining the number Q of the first sub-markers L1 is detected. Therefore, the user can determine the number Q of the first sub-markers L1 desired.

[0109] According to the image projection method described in the embodiment, the initial position where the first sub-marker L1 is projected is an area on the side of the second image 302 within the maximum range where the first image 301 can be projected. Therefore, since the first sub-marker L1 is projected in a state where it is arranged in advance in the area near the position where the first sub-marker L1 should be arranged, the convenience is improved.

[0110] As described above, the first projector 101 described in the embodiment projects a plurality of first markers K1 onto the screen SC, projects one or more first sub-markers L1 having an appearance different from that of the plurality of first markers K1 onto the screen SC, and projects the first image 301 onto the screen SC so as to include a blend area B in which the first image 301 is mixed with a second image 302 different from the first image 301; an input I / F11 that detects an input for determining the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 on the screen SC and an input for determining the position of the first sub-marker L1 on the screen SC; a processing circuit 123 that determines a rough outline of the first image 301 using the positions of the plurality of first markers K1, and determines a first line T1 that forms part of the outline of the first image 301 and a first edge E1 that forms part of the outline of the first image 301, and determines the first edge E1 of the blend area B, using the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 and the first sub-markers L1. According to this first projector 101, the first sub-marker L1 used for determining the outline of the first image 301 has an appearance different from that of the first marker K1 used for determining the rough outline of the first image 301. Therefore, the plurality of first markers K1 and the plurality of first sub-markers L1 can be easily distinguished in terms of their uses, and the convenience in determining the outline of the first image 301 is improved.

[0111] [Other Embodiments] Although the embodiments have been described as above, the present invention is not limited to these disclosures. The configuration of each part may be replaced with any configuration having the same function, and within the technical scope of the present invention, any configuration in each embodiment may be omitted or added. Thus, various alternative embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from these disclosures.

[0112] For example, the plurality of sub - markers may have an appearance that enables the discrimination of the interpolation marker. For example, by highlighting only the first interpolation marker among the plurality of first sub - markers L1, the user can determine the position of the first interpolation marker, so that the positions of the plurality of first sub - markers L1 can be easily adjusted. Alternatively, the first sub - identifier may have an appearance that enables the discrimination of the first interpolation identifier. Further, each identifier such as the first identifier and the first sub - identifier may have other characters such as alphabets and Greek letters instead of consecutive numbers. For example, when the number Q of sub - markers is 3, the three sub - numbers of the sub - identifier may be "L", "C", and "R" which mean left, middle, and right.

[0113] Also, the plurality of main markers and the plurality of sub - markers are not limited to being arranged along the contour of the entire image, and may be arranged to form lattice points. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 9, the plurality of main markers are arranged in a 2×7 matrix, but may be arbitrarily arranged such as 3×5 or 4×8 according to the basic information of the multi - projection. That is, the plurality of partial images by projectors 101 to 10 N may be arranged not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction.

[0114] As step S105 of the flowchart in FIG. 4, after determining the positions of the plurality of first markers K1 and the plurality of second markers K2, starting the projection of the plurality of first sub - markers L1 and the plurality of second sub - markers L2 was explained, but this is an example. The projection of the plurality of first sub - markers L1 and the plurality of second sub - markers L2 may be started simultaneously with the plurality of first markers K1 and the plurality of second markers K2.

[0115] As step S107 of the flowchart in FIG. 4, it has been described that when the interpolation marker is not realized, it is determined that the positions of a plurality of sub-markers are not determined by user input or the like, but this is an example. For example, when the position of the first interpolation marker adjusted via the input I / F11 reaches the boundary line indicating the maximum range where the first image 301 can be projected, the processing circuit 123 may determine that the positions of the plurality of sub-markers are not determined. In this case, in step S108, a procedure for incrementing the number Q of sub-markers may be guided to the user, or the number Q of sub-markers may be automatically incremented. Thereby, the process of determining the number Q can be simplified.

[0116] In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the edge of the screen SC and the contour of the entire image are slightly shifted from each other for simplicity of explanation, but they can actually be made to coincide. The same applies to the overlapping markers in FIG. 9 and the like. In addition, part of the functions of the processing unit 25 may be realized by the processing circuit 123, and part of the functions of the processing circuit 123 may be realized by the processing unit 25.

[0117] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the dimensions W N for each resolution of the projectors 101 to 10 P and the blend amount W B which is the dimension of the blend region B have been described as single values respectively. However, the dimension W P and the blend amount W B do not have to be single values. In this case, for example, W P ×N in Equation (1) may be replaced with the sum of W P , and W B ×(N - 1) in Equation (1) may be replaced with the sum of W B . X×W P in Equation (3) is the sum of W X from the first image 301 to the Xth image 30 P , and W B ×(X - 1) is the sum of W X-1 from the first image 301 to the (X - 1)th image 30 BIt may be replaced by their respective sums.

[0118] As described above, in the image projection method described in other embodiments, when the position of the first sub-marker L1 reaches the boundary line indicating the maximum range within which the first image 301 can be projected, the user is guided through a procedure of incrementing the number Q of the first sub-markers L1 projected onto the screen SC. According to this image projection method, since the user can increment the number Q of the first sub-markers L1 according to the guidance, the process of determining the number Q of the first sub-markers L1 can be simplified, improving convenience.

[0119] According to the image projection method described in other embodiments, when the position of the first sub-marker L1 reaches the boundary line indicating the maximum range within which the first image 301 can be projected, the number Q of the first sub-markers L1 projected onto the screen SC is automatically incremented. Therefore, the process of determining the number Q of the first sub-markers L1 can be simplified, improving convenience.

[0120] In addition, the present invention naturally includes various embodiments not described above, such as configurations in which any of the configurations described in the above embodiments are applied to each other. The technical scope of the present invention is defined only by the invention-specific matters according to the legitimate claims based on the above description.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0121] 1…Projection system, 101…First projector, 102…Second projector, 11…Input I / F, 12…Control circuit, 13…Projection device, 20…Control device, 21…Communication unit, 22…Input unit, 23…Display unit, 24…Control unit, 25…Processing unit, 26…Memory unit, 301…First image, 302…Second image, 41…First panel image, 42…Second panel image, 112…Input device, 121…Marker processing circuit, 122…Geometric correction circuit, 123…Processing circuit, 124…Memory medium, 131…Light source, 132…Display panel, 133…Optical system, 111…Communication I / F, D1…First direction, D2…Second direction, K1…First marker, K2…Second marker, L1…Plurality of first sub - markers, L2…Plurality of second sub - markers.

Claims

1. Projecting a plurality of first markers onto a screen; Projecting one or more first sub - markers having an appearance different from each of the plurality of first markers onto the screen; Projecting the one or more first sub - markers onto the screen; Determining the positions of the plurality of first markers on the screen by detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the plurality of first markers; Determining the positions of the plurality of first markers on the screen; Determining the positions of the first sub - markers on the screen by detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the first sub - markers; Determining the positions of the first sub - markers on the screen; Determining a rough outline of the contour of a first image projected onto the screen based on the positions of the plurality of first markers; Determining a rough outline of the contour of the first image; Based on the positions of the plurality of first markers and the first sub - markers, determining a first line forming the contour of the first image and a first edge forming the contour of the first image, the first edge being the first edge of a blend region for mixing the first image and a second image different from the first image; Based on the positions of the plurality of first markers and the first sub - markers, determining a first line forming the contour of the first image and a first edge forming the contour of the first image, the first edge being the first edge of a blend region for mixing the first image and a second image different from the first image; Determining a first line forming the contour of the first image and a first edge forming the contour of the first image, the first edge being the first edge of a blend region for mixing the first image and a second image different from the first image; And; Projecting the first image onto the screen so as to include the blend region; An image projection method comprising the above steps.

2. Performing geometric correction of the first image based on the first line and the first edge, the image projection method according to Claim 1. The image projection method according to Claim 1.

3. Starting the projection of the first sub - markers after determining the positions of the plurality of first markers, the image projection method according to Claim 1 or 2. The image projection method according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. Projecting a plurality of second markers onto the screen; Projecting one or more second sub - markers having an appearance different from each of the plurality of second markers onto the screen; Projecting the one or more second sub - markers onto the screen; Determining the positions of the plurality of second markers on the screen by detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the plurality of second markers; Determining the positions of the plurality of second markers on the screen; Determining the positions of the second sub - markers on the screen by detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the second sub - markers; Determining the positions of the second sub - markers on the screen; Determining a rough outline of the contour of the second image based on the positions of the plurality of second markers; And; Based on the positions of the plurality of second markers and the second sub - markers, determining a second line forming a part of the contour of the second image and a second edge of the blend region respectively; Based on the positions of the plurality of second markers and the second sub - markers, determining a second line forming a part of the contour of the second image and a second edge of the blend region respectively; The image projection method according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, further comprising the above steps.

5. After determining the positions of the plurality of first markers and the plurality of second markers, the first Starting the projection of the sub-marker and the second sub-marker, the image projection method according to claim 4 Method.

6. The number of the second sub-markers is equal to the number of the first sub-markers, according to claim 4 or 5 The image projection method described.

7. Projecting a plurality of first identifiers corresponding to the plurality of first markers onto the screen together with the plurality of first markers, Projecting a first sub-identifier corresponding to the first sub-marker onto the screen together with the first sub-marker, The image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: The image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: The image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising:

8. The first sub-identifier has information corresponding to the first identifier of the first marker closest to the first sub-marker among the plurality of first markers, the image projection method according to claim 7 Method.

9. When the position of the first sub-marker reaches the boundary line indicating the maximum range within which the first image can be projected, further guiding the user through a procedure for incrementing the number of the first sub-markers projected onto the screen, the image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 When the position of the first sub-marker reaches the boundary line indicating the maximum range within which the first image can be projected, further guiding the user through a procedure for incrementing the number of the first sub-markers projected onto the screen, the image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 When the position of the first sub-marker reaches the boundary line indicating the maximum range within which the first image can be projected, further guiding the user through a procedure for incrementing the number of the first sub-markers projected onto the screen, the image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 When the position of the first sub-marker reaches the boundary line indicating the maximum range within which the first image can be projected, further guiding the user through a procedure for incrementing the number of the first sub-markers projected onto the screen, the image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 The image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:

10. When the position of the first sub-marker reaches the boundary line indicating the maximum range within which the first image can be projected, automatically incrementing the number of the first sub-markers projected onto the screen, the image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 When the position of the first sub-marker reaches the boundary line indicating the maximum range within which the first image can be projected, automatically incrementing the number of the first sub-markers projected onto the screen, the image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 The image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising: 。

11. Detecting an input for determining the number of the first sub-markers, the image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 The image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising:

12. The initial position where the first sub-marker is projected is the area on the second image side within the maximum range within which the first image can be projected, the image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 The initial position where the first sub-marker is projected is the area on the second image side within the maximum range within which the first image can be projected, the image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 The image projection method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising:

13. Projecting a plurality of first markers and a first interpolation marker having an appearance different from that of the plurality of first markers onto a screen, Projecting a plurality of first markers and a first interpolation marker having an appearance different from that of the plurality of first markers onto a screen, In a first direction in which the first image projected onto the screen and the second image projected onto the screen and different from the first image are arranged in order, detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the plurality of first markers and an input for adjusting the position of the first interpolation marker, whereby the first interpolation marker is located closer to the second image side than the plurality of first markers In a first direction in which the first image projected onto the screen and the second image projected onto the screen and different from the first image are arranged in order, detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the plurality of first markers and an input for adjusting the position of the first interpolation marker, whereby the first interpolation marker is located closer to the second image side than the plurality of first markers In a first direction in which the first image projected onto the screen and the second image projected onto the screen and different from the first image are arranged in order, detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the plurality of first markers and an input for adjusting the position of the first interpolation marker, whereby the first interpolation marker is located closer to the second image side than the plurality of first markers In a first direction in which the first image projected onto the screen and the second image projected onto the screen and different from the first image are arranged in order, detecting an input for adjusting the positions of the plurality of first markers and an input for adjusting the position of the first interpolation marker, whereby the first interpolation marker is located closer to the second image side than the plurality of first markers Determine the positions of the plurality of first markers and the first interpolation marker on the screen and Determine a first line that forms part of the contour of the first image, passing through each of the plurality of first markers and the first interpolation marker and Determine a first edge that is a line connecting a point located between the first marker closest to the first interpolation marker among the plurality of first markers on the first line and the first interpolation marker, and is an edge of a blend region that mixes the first image and the second image and Perform geometric correction of the first image based on the first line and the first edge and Project the first image onto the screen so as to include the blend region An image projection method comprising the above steps Project a plurality of first markers onto a screen, project one or more first sub - markers having an appearance different from that of the plurality of first markers onto the screen, and project a first image onto the screen so as to include a blend region that mixes the first image with a second image different from the first image A projection device An input interface that detects an input for determining the positions of the plurality of first markers on the screen and an input for determining the positions of the first sub - markers on the screen A processing circuit that determines a general shape of the contour of the first image based on the positions of the plurality of first markers, and determines a first line that forms part of the contour of the first image and a first edge that forms part of the contour of the first image and is the first edge of the blend region, based on the positions of the plurality of first markers and the first sub - markers A projector comprising the above components Project a plurality of first markers and a first interpolation marker having an appearance different from that of the plurality of first markers onto a screen, and project a first image onto the screen so as to include a blend region that mixes the first image with a second image different from the first image A projection device An input interface that detects an input for determining the positions of the plurality of first markers and the first interpolation marker on the screen such that the first interpolation marker is located closer to the second image side than the plurality of first markers in a first direction in which the first image and the second image are arranged in sequence A processing circuit that determines a first line that forms part of the contour of the first image, passing through each of the plurality of first markers and the first interpolation marker ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Determine a first line forming part of the contour, and among the plurality of first markers on the first line, between the first marker closest to the first interpolation marker and the first interpolation marker A line connecting to a point located therebetween, and determining a first edge that is an edge of the blend region A processing circuit; A geometric correction circuit that performs geometric correction of the first image based on the first line and the first edge; And a projector comprising the same. ​ ​

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