Image processor, image processing method, and image projector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9716870-B2
Application number	US-201514704247-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 5, 2015
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an image processor includes a setter and a corrector. The setter sets correction information to cause an entirety of an object image to be viewable when an image projected onto a projection surface is viewed from a viewpoint. The object image is projected from a projection position. The setting is performed based on information relating to a configuration of the projection surface where the object image is projected, information relating to the projection position, and information relating to a position of the viewpoint. The corrector corrects the object image based on the correction information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processor, comprising:
a setter and a corrector implemented using hardware circuitry,
the setter being configured to set correction information to cause an entirety of an object image to be viewable when an image projected onto a projection surface is viewed from a viewpoint, the object image being projected from a projection position, the correction information being generated based on first information relating to a configuration of the projection surface where the object image is projected, second information relating to the projection position, and third information relating to a position of the viewpoint, the setter being configured to receive the first information and the second information acquired by a calculator based on distance information, the distance information being obtained by a distance sensor by measuring a distance between the projection surface and the distance sensor, the setter being configured to receive the third information acquired by a viewpoint acquisition unit; and
the corrector being configured to correct the object image based on the correction information,
wherein the setter is configured to set the viewpoint to be a virtual projection position from which a virtual object image is projected, set the virtual projection position to be a virtual viewpoint, and set the correction information to cause an entirety of the virtual object image projected from the virtual projection position to be viewable when a virtual projected image is projected onto the projection surface and viewed from the virtual viewpoint.

2. An image projector, comprising:
an image processor including a setter and a corrector implemented using hardware circuitry,
the setter being configured to generate correction information to cause an entirety of an object image to be viewable when an image projected onto a projection surface is viewed from a viewpoint, the object image being projected from a projection position, the setting being based on first information relating to a configuration of the projection surface where the object image is projected, second information relating to the projection position, and third information relating to a position of the viewpoint, and
the corrector being configured to correct the object image based on the correction information;

a projector configured to project the corrected object image toward the projection surface; and
an acquisition unit including
a distance sensor configured to measure a distance between the projection surface and the distance sensor and to generate distance information,
a calculator configured to acquire the first information and the second information based on the distance information and to transmit the first information and the second information to the setter, and

a viewpoint acquisition unit configured to acquire the third information and transmit the third information to the setter,
wherein the setter is configured to set the viewpoint to be a virtual projection position from which a virtual object image is projected, set the projection position to be a virtual viewpoint, and set the correction information to cause an entirety of the virtual object image projected from the virtual projection position to be viewable when a virtual projected image is projected onto the projection surface and viewed from the virtual viewpoint.

3. The projector according to claim 2 , wherein the setter is configured to generate the correction information to maximize a size of the object image when the image projected onto the projection surface is viewed from the viewpoint.

4. The projector according to claim 2 , wherein the setter is configured to perform clustering based on distances between the projection position and a plurality of points on the projection surface, and generate the correction information to cause the object image to be projected onto a region of cluster having the highest number of points.

5. The projector according to claim 4 , wherein the setter is configured to perform the clustering based on the points of the distances nearest each other.

6. The projector according to claim 5 , wherein the setter is configured to select the cluster having the highest number of points, and generate the correction information to cause a centroid of the selected cluster to correspond to a center of the projection of the object image.

7. The projector according to claim 2 , wherein the setter is configured to perform clustering based on vectors normal to the projection surface at a plurality of points on the projection surface, and based on distances between the projection position and the plurality of points, and the setter is configured to generate the correction information to cause the object image to be projected onto a region of the cluster having the highest number of points.

8. The projector according to claim 7 , wherein the setter is configured to perform the clustering based on the points of the normal vectors nearest each other and the points of the distances nearest each other.

9. The projector according to claim 8 , wherein the setter is configured to select the cluster having the highest number of points, and generate the correction information to cause a centroid of the selected cluster to correspond to a center of the projection of the object image.

10. The projector according to claim 2 , wherein the corrector is configured to set a virtual viewed image viewed from the virtual viewpoint to be a corrected image when the virtual object image corrected based on the correction information is projected onto the projection surface from the virtual projection position.

11. The projector according to claim 2 , wherein the setter is configured to generate the correction information based on a two-dimensional coordinate of a pixel of the object image corresponding to a three-dimensional coordinate of a point on the projection surface and based on a two-dimensional coordinate of a pixel corresponding to the three-dimensional coordinate in the case where the image projected onto the projection surface is viewed from the viewpoint.

12. The projector according to claim 11 , wherein the setter is configured to calculate the two-dimensional coordinate of the pixel of the viewed image corresponding to a pixel of an edge of the image projected onto the projection surface.

13. The projector according to claim 11 , wherein the three-dimensional coordinate is calculated based on a coordinate of a pixel of an image of a pattern of light projected onto the projection surface and based on a coordinate of a pixel of an image of a pattern of light reflected from the projection surface.

14. The projector according to claim 2 , wherein the information relating to the viewpoint is acquired from a lookup table, predetermined positions of the viewpoint being recorded in the lookup table.

15. The projector according to claim 2 , wherein the information relating to the viewpoint is acquired based on a viewing angle and based on a distance between the projection position and the projection surface.

16. An image processing method, comprising:
generating correction information to cause an entirety of an object image to be viewable when an image projected onto a projection surface is viewed from a viewpoint, the object image being projected from a projection position, the correction information being generated based on first information relating to a configuration of the projection surface where the object image is projected, second information relating to the projection position, and third information relating to a position of the viewpo

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Sano Yuma
• Watanabe Wataru
• Baba Masahiro

Classifications

• G03B21/147

  Optical correction of image distortions, e.g. keystone · CPC title

• H04N9/3194 Primary

  including sensor feedback · CPC title

• H04N9/3188

  Scale or resolution adjustment (scaling in general G06T3/40; resolution modifying circuits for displays in general G09G5/391) · CPC title

• H04N9/3185

  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