Image projection apparatus, image projection method, and computer-readable storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9621820-B2
Application number	US-201414536717-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2014
Priority date	Nov 22, 2013
Publication date	Apr 11, 2017
Grant date	Apr 11, 2017

Abstract

An image projection apparatus includes a projection unit that projects a pattern image on a projection surface; an image capturing unit that captures the projected pattern image; and a corrector that corrects the captured image so that an imaging distortion caused due to image capturing and a projection distortion caused due to projection are corrected. The projection unit projects the corrected captured image at a predetermined position on the projection surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image projection apparatus comprising
a projection unit to project a pattern image on a projection surface;
an image capturing unit to capture the projected pattern image;
a corrector to correct the captured image so that an imaging distortion, caused due to image capturing, and a projection distortion, caused due to projection, are corrected; and
a combiner to generate a composite image by combining the pattern image and the corrected captured image,
wherein the projection unit is further configured to project the corrected captured image at a position on the projection surface and is further configured to project the composite image so that the corrected captured image locates at the position, and
wherein the position is a center of a lower part of the projection surface, and the combiner is further configured to generate the composite image in which the corrected captured image is combined at the center of the lower part of the pattern image.

2. The image projection apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a detector to detect a movement of a position of the image projection apparatus, wherein
the projection unit is further configured to project the pattern image again when the movement of the position is detected, and
the image capturing unit is further configured to capture the pattern image projected again.

3. The image projection apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the corrector includes an imaging distortion corrector to correct the imaging distortion of the captured image and a projection distortion corrector to correct the projection distortion of the captured image whose imaging distortion has been corrected.

4. The image projection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a focal point distance of the image projection apparatus is less than a width of a human person.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium with an executable program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a computer to execute:
projecting a pattern image on a projection surface;
capturing the projected pattern image;
correcting the captured image so that an imaging distortion caused due to image capturing and a projection distortion caused due to projection are corrected;
generating a composite image by combining the pattern image and the corrected captured image; and
projecting the corrected captured image at a position on the projection surface, the position being a center of a lower part of the projection surface and the composite image being projected such that the corrected captured image locates at the position,
wherein the generating of the composite image includes combining the corrected captured image at the center of the lower part of the pattern image.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the program further instructs the computer to execute at least the following:
detecting a movement of a position of the image projection apparatus, wherein
projecting the pattern image again when the movement of the position is detected, and
capturing the pattern image projected again.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the correcting includes correcting the imaging distortion of the captured image and correcting the projection distortion of the captured image whose imaging distortion has been corrected.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein a focal point distance of the image projection apparatus is less than a width of a human person.

9. An image projection method comprising:
projecting a pattern image on a projection surface;
capturing the projected pattern image;
correcting the captured image so that an imaging distortion caused due to image capturing and a projection distortion caused due to projection are corrected;
generating a composite image by combining the pattern image and the corrected captured image; and
projecting the corrected captured image at a position on the projection surface, the position being a center of a lower part of the projection surface and the composite image being projected such that the corrected captured image locates at the position,
wherein the generating of the composite image includes combining the corrected captured image at the center of the lower part of the pattern image.

10. The image projection method of claim 9 , further comprising:
detecting a movement of a position of the image projection apparatus, wherein
projecting the pattern image again when the movement of the position is detected, and
capturing the pattern image projected again.

11. The image projection method of claim 9 , wherein the correcting includes correcting the imaging distortion of the captured image and correcting the projection distortion of the captured image whose imaging distortion has been corrected.

12. The image projection method of claim 9 , wherein a focal point distance of the image projection apparatus is less than a width of a human person.

Assignees

• Ehara Mikinori
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ehara Mikinori

Classifications

• H04N9/3194

  including sensor feedback · CPC title

• H04N9/3185 Primary

  Geometric adjustment, e.g. keystone or convergence (optical or mechanical adjustment of convergence H04N9/317; using scanning means H04N3/22; optical or mechanical adjustments of projectors not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14) · CPC title

• H04N5/265 Primary

  Mixing · CPC title

• G03B17/54

  with projector · CPC title