JP2013020058A - Projector and method for controlling projector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a projector in which authentication operation of the projector is performed in an invisible manner from a third party to put the projector into a usable state.SOLUTION: After the success of authentication by authentication means 201, an authenticated flag 21a is set to start time counting by a time counting unit 32. At the time of power-ON operation, if the authenticated flag 21a is set and the time counted by the time counting unit 32 exceeds a use standby time T1, the projection of an input image by image projection means 10 is started.

Description

  The present invention relates to a projector and a projector control method.

  In order to prevent unauthorized use of a projector, a method is known in which a password is entered at the start of use and authentication is performed. According to such a projector, it is possible to prevent unauthorized use by a third party who does not know the password. Patent Document 1 discloses a projector that performs authentication by a predetermined key operation when the power is turned on.

JP 2005-338604 A

  However, when the projector is used in an environment where an audience other than the user is present, a password input operation for authentication or an authentication operation that is a predetermined key operation for authentication as in the projector of Patent Document 1 is performed. There is a risk that it may be seen by a third party other than the user, and the password for authentication or a predetermined key operation may be known. Since the authentication operation cannot be seen, there is a method to activate and authenticate the projector when there is only the user before the audience gathers, just before starting use, but until the actual start of using the projector Since it is necessary to keep the projector in the projection state in the meantime, there is a problem that the light source of the projector is consumed.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  [Application Example 1] A projector that modulates and projects light emitted from a light source according to image information, based on an input operation unit that receives a user's input operation, and an authentication operation that is received by the input operation unit An authentication unit that performs authentication of the projector, a use reservation unit that sets a use waiting time until the use of the projector is started, and the authentication set by the authentication unit after the authentication by the authentication unit is successful. And a control unit that enables the projector to be used after the use waiting time has elapsed.

  According to this application example, after the authentication of the projector is successful, the use waiting time until the actual use of the projector is set in advance, and the projector can be used after the set use waiting time has elapsed. In other words, by performing authentication in advance when there is no other audience just before starting to use the projector, it is not necessary to see the authentication operation before starting use, and it prevents the authentication operation from leaking to a third party. It becomes possible to do. In addition, it is possible to prevent a third party from using the projector after the authentication is successful and before the use waiting time elapses.

  Application Example 2 In the projector according to the application example described above, the control unit is configured such that after the authentication by the authentication unit is successful, the use waiting time set by the use reservation unit elapses. The power is turned off.

  According to this application example, after the projector is successfully authenticated, the power is turned off until a preset use waiting time elapses, so that it is possible to prevent the light source from being consumed before the start of use. Become.

  Application Example 3 In the projector according to the application example described above, an informing unit that informs whether or not the use waiting time set by the use reservation unit has passed after the authentication by the authentication unit is successful. It is characterized by having.

  According to this application example, after successful authentication of the projector, whether the projector can be used after the standby time has passed or whether It is possible for the user to confirm with the notification means before doing this.

  Application Example 4 In the projector according to the application example described above, after the authentication by the authentication unit is successful, the control unit again before the use waiting time set by the use reservation unit elapses. The projector can be used by performing the authentication by the authentication unit.

  According to this application example, after the projector is successfully authenticated, the projector can be used by performing authentication again even if the schedule changes and the user wants to use the device before the use waiting time elapses.

  Application Example 5 A projector control method according to this application example is a projector control method for projecting light emitted from a light source after being modulated in accordance with image information, for obtaining permission to use the projector. An authentication information input step for accepting input of authentication information, an authentication step for authenticating the projector based on an operation accepted by the authentication information input step, and a use waiting time until the use of the projector is started. The use waiting time is determined by a reservation step, a determination step for determining whether or not the use waiting time set by the use reservation step has elapsed after the authentication by the authentication step is successful, and the determination step. A control step for enabling the projector when it is determined that it has passed; Characterized in that it has.

  According to this application example, after the authentication of the projector is successful, the use waiting time until the actual use of the projector is set in advance, and the projector can be used after the set use waiting time has elapsed. In other words, by performing authentication in advance when there is no other audience just before starting to use the projector, it is not necessary to see the authentication operation before starting use, and it prevents the authentication operation from leaking to a third party. It becomes possible to do. In addition, it is possible to prevent a third party from using the projector after the authentication is successful and before the use waiting time elapses.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the projector. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation when the projector 1 receives a power-on operation. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation when a use waiting time T1 has elapsed while the projector 1 is on standby. The figure which shows an example of the confirmation message M1 when the projector 1 succeeds in authentication. The figure which shows an example of the screen P1 when setting use waiting time to the projector. The figure which shows an example of the warning message M2 when the projector 1 fails at authentication.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the scope of claims, and all combinations of features in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution means of the invention.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the projector according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the projector 1 includes an image projection unit 10, a notification unit 15, an OSD processing unit 16, an image signal processing unit 17, an image signal input unit 18, a control unit 20, a storage unit 21, an input operation unit 23, The light source control means 25, the power supply terminal 30, the power supply part 31, the time measuring part 32, etc. are comprised, and these are accommodated in the inside of the housing | casing which is not shown in figure.

  The image projection means 10 includes a light source 11, three liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B as light modulation devices, a projection lens 13 as a projection optical system, a liquid crystal drive means 14, and the like. The image projection unit 10 modulates the light emitted from the light source 11 with the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B and projects the light from the projection lens 13 to display an image on the screen SC or the like.

The light source 11 includes a discharge-type light source lamp 11a made of an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp, a metal halide lamp, or the like, and a reflector 11b that reflects light emitted from the light source lamp 11a toward the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B. ing.
Light emitted from the light source 11 is converted into light having a substantially uniform luminance distribution by an integrator optical system (not shown), and red (R), green (G), and blue, which are the three primary colors of light, by a color separation optical system (not shown). After being separated into each color light component of (B), it enters the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B, respectively.

The liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B are configured by a liquid crystal panel in which liquid crystal is sealed between a pair of transparent substrates. The liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B are formed with a plurality of pixels (not shown) arranged in a matrix, and a driving voltage can be applied to the liquid crystal for each pixel.
When the liquid crystal driving unit 14 applies a driving voltage corresponding to the input image information to each pixel, each pixel is set to a light transmittance corresponding to the image information. For this reason, the light emitted from the light source 11 is modulated by transmitting through the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B, and image light corresponding to image information is formed for each color light.
The formed image light of each color is synthesized for each pixel by a color synthesis optical system (not shown) to become color image light, and then enlarged and projected onto the screen SC or the like by the projection lens 13.

  In the above embodiment, the projector 1 that projects using the light source lamp 11a as the light source 11 is exemplified, but the present invention is also applied to a projector that projects using an LED (Light Emitting Diode) light source or a laser light source as the light source. be able to. In the present embodiment, the image projection unit 10 is exemplified by a transmissive liquid crystal type projection optical system using the light source 11 and three liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B as light modulation devices. You may employ | adopt the light modulation apparatus of other display systems, such as a display system and a micromirror device system (light switch display system).

  The control means 20 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), a RAM (Random Access Memory) used for temporary storage of various data, and the like, according to a control program (not shown) stored in the storage means 21. By operating, the overall operation of the projector 1 is controlled. That is, the control unit 20 functions as a computer together with the storage unit 21.

The control unit 20 includes an authentication unit 201 and a use reservation unit 202.
The authentication unit 201 authenticates the projector 1 based on the authentication operation (for example, input of a password) received by the input operation unit 23.
The use reservation unit 202 sets a use waiting time T1 until the projector 1 actually starts using after successful authentication.

The storage means 21 is composed of a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory or FeRAM (Ferroelectric RAM). The storage unit 21 stores a control program for controlling the operation of the projector 1, various setting data for defining operation conditions of the projector 1, and the like.
In the present embodiment, an authenticated flag 21a indicating that the projector 1 has been successfully authenticated by the authentication unit 201 is stored as setting data.

  Although not shown in the figure, the input operation means 23 includes a plurality of operation keys for the user to give various instructions to the projector 1. The operation keys provided in the input operation means 23 include a power key for alternately switching on / off the power supply, an input switching key for switching a plurality of image input terminals of the image signal input means 18, and various settings. There are a menu key for superimposing and displaying a setting menu, a cursor key for selecting a setting item from the menu, a determination key, an escape key, a number key, and the like.

When the user operates various operation keys of the input operation unit 23, the input operation unit 23 outputs an operation signal corresponding to the operation content of the user to the control unit 20. The input operation means 23 may have a configuration including a remote controller (remote control) signal receiving means (not shown) and a remote controller (not shown) capable of remote operation. In this case, the remote controller emits an operation signal such as an infrared ray corresponding to the operation content of the user, and the remote control signal receiving means receives this and transmits it to the control means 20 as control information.
Further, the input operation unit 23 performs an authentication operation for obtaining permission to use the projector 1 by using the key described above, and inputs the authentication operation 201 to the authentication unit 201.

  As described above, the image signal input means 18 includes a plurality of image input terminals. From each image input terminal, image information is input from an external image output device such as a video reproduction device or a personal computer via a cable (not shown). Is entered.

  The image signal processing unit 17 converts the image information input from the image signal input unit 18 into image information representing the gradation of each pixel of the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B. Here, the converted image information is for each color light of R, G, and B, and is composed of a plurality of pixel values corresponding to all the pixels of the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B. The pixel value defines the light transmittance of the corresponding pixel, and the intensity (gradation) of light transmitted through each pixel and emitted is defined by this pixel value.

The OSD processing unit 16 performs processing for superimposing and displaying an OSD (on-screen display) image such as a menu image or a message image on the projection image based on an instruction from the control unit 20. The OSD processing unit 16 includes an OSD memory (not shown), and stores OSD image information representing graphics, fonts, and the like for forming an OSD image.
When the control unit 20 instructs to superimpose the OSD image, the OSD processing unit 16 reads necessary OSD image information from the OSD memory, and outputs an image signal so that the OSD image is superimposed at a predetermined position on the projected image. The OSD image information is synthesized with the image information input from the processing means 17. The image information combined with the OSD image information is output to the liquid crystal driving means 14. When there is no instruction to superimpose the OSD image from the control unit 20, the OSD processing unit 16 outputs the image information input from the image signal processing unit 17 to the liquid crystal driving unit 14 as it is.

  When the liquid crystal driving unit 14 drives the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B in accordance with the image information input from the OSD processing unit 16, the liquid crystal light valves 12R, 12G, and 12B form images according to the image information. An image is projected from the projection lens 13.

  The notification unit 15 includes an LED or the like, and notifies various states of the projector 1. In the present embodiment, the projector 1 is in a use standby state before the use waiting time T1 elapses after successful authentication by the authentication unit 201, or in a usable state in which the use wait time T1 elapses after the authentication unit 201 succeeds in authentication. To the user.

  The light source control unit 25 controls the supply and stop of power to the light source 11 based on an instruction from the control unit 20 and switches between turning on and off the light source 11.

  The power supply unit 31 is supplied with electric power such as AC 100V from the outside via the power supply terminal 30. The power supply unit 31 converts input power (AC power) into predetermined DC power and supplies the power to each unit of the projector 1. In addition, the power supply unit 31 stops supplying power (operating power) necessary for image projection to each unit (power-on state) and operating power supply based on an instruction from the control unit 20. Can be switched between a standby state and a standby state.

  The time measuring unit 32 is a time measuring unit configured by a real time clock or the like, and performs a time measuring operation even when the power is turned off by a backup power source (not shown).

  Next, the operation of the projector 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[Operation when power-on operation is accepted]
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation when the projector 1 receives a power-on operation.
As shown in FIG. 2, when the projector 1 receives a power-on operation from the input operation unit 23 (step S101), the control unit 20 checks whether the authenticated flag 21a is set (step S102). When the authenticated flag 21a is set (step S102: Y), the process proceeds to step S111. If the authenticated flag 21a is not set (step S102: N), the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S103, authentication is performed by the authentication unit 201 (execution), and the process proceeds to step S104.

  In step S104, the authentication unit 201 checks whether the authentication in step S103 is successful. If the authentication is successful (step S104: Y), the process proceeds to step S105. When the authentication is not successful (failed) (step S104: N), the process proceeds to step S106.

In step S105, the control unit 20 causes the image projection unit 10 to project the confirmation message M1 (see FIG. 4), and causes the user to select whether to use the projector 1 immediately or after the use waiting time T1 has elapsed.
When the user selects “Immediately use” based on the confirmation message M1 (step S105: Y), the process proceeds to step S112. If the user selects “use after use waiting time T1 has elapsed” (step S105: N), the process proceeds to step S107.

  In step S106, the control unit 20 causes the image projection unit 10 to project the warning message M2 (see FIG. 6) for a predetermined time, and the process proceeds to step S110.

  In step S107, the use reservation unit 202 causes the image projection unit 10 to project the screen P1 (see FIG. 5) for setting the use standby time T1, and sets the use standby time T1 to place the projector 1 in the use standby state. Transition to.

  In step S108, the control means 20 sets the authenticated flag 21a, and proceeds to step S109.

  In step S <b> 109, the control unit 20 starts timing by the timer unit 32, and notifies the use unit 15 of the use standby state. Next, the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S110, the control unit 20 turns off the power supply of the projector 1, shifts to the standby state, and ends the operation flow.
In this standby state, it is assumed that the timer unit 32 generates an interrupt process (described later in FIG. 3) when the use waiting time T1 has elapsed.

  In step S111, the control means 20 checks whether or not the time measured by the time measuring unit 32 has passed the use standby time T1. When the use waiting time T1 has elapsed (step S111: Y), the process proceeds to step S112. If the use waiting time T1 has not elapsed, the process proceeds to step S103.

  In step S112, the control means 20 clears the authenticated flag 21, and proceeds to step S113.

  In step S113, the control unit 20 ends the notification by the notification unit 15, and transitions to step S114.

  In step S114, the control unit 20 starts projecting an input image from the image signal input unit 18 to the image projection unit 10, and ends the operation flow.

[Operation when standby time T1 elapses during standby]
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation in the case where the timer 1 is in the standby state, the timer 32 has passed the use waiting time T1, and an interrupt process is generated.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the time counting unit 32 passes the use waiting time T1 while the projector 1 is on standby (step S201), the control unit 20 notifies the notification unit 15 that the projector 1 is in a usable state. (Step S202), the process proceeds to Step S203.

  In step S203, the control means 20 ends the time measurement by the time measuring unit 32, and transitions to step S204.

  In step S204, the control means 20 ends this operation flow and returns to the standby state.

  As described above, according to the projector 1 of the present embodiment, the projector 1 can be used after the use standby time T1 has elapsed after the authentication by the authentication unit 201 is successful. Accordingly, by performing authentication in advance at the start of use of the projector 1, it is possible to prevent the authentication operation from being seen by a third party and to prevent the authentication operation from leaking to the third party. Further, after the authentication is successful, the projector 1 cannot be used unless a predetermined use waiting time T1 elapses. Therefore, the use of the projector 1 by a third party can be prevented before the use waiting time T1 elapses.

  Further, after the authentication by the authentication unit 201 is successful, until the use waiting time T1 elapses, the projector 1 is turned off without any operation by the user, so that the light source 11 of the projector 1 is prevented from being consumed. it can.

  Further, after the authentication by the authentication unit 201 is successful, the use waiting time T1 has passed and the projector 1 is in a usable state, or the use waiting time T1 has not passed and the projector 1 cannot be used yet. Before operating the power supply, the user can confirm by the notification by the notification means 15.

  In addition, after the authentication by the authentication unit 201 is successful, when the schedule is changed and the projector 1 is used before the use waiting time T1 elapses, the authentication by the authentication unit 201 is performed again so that the projector 1 can be used. Become.

(Modification 1)
Moreover, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the embodiment described above, after successful authentication by the authentication unit 201, the projector 1 can be used after the use waiting time T1 has elapsed. However, after the projector 1 becomes usable, a predetermined time further elapses. If the power-on operation is not performed before the authentication, the authenticated flag may be cleared so that the authentication operation needs to be performed again.
This makes it possible to prevent the projector 1 from being used by another third party when the authentication is successful and the power-on operation is forgotten and left after the use waiting time T1 has elapsed. Become.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Projector, 10 ... Image projection means, 11 ... Light source, 12R, 12G, 12B ... Liquid crystal light valve, 13 ... Projection lens, 14 ... Liquid crystal drive means, 15 ... Notification means, 16 ... OSD processing means, 17 ... Image signal Processing means 18 ... Image signal input means 20 ... Control means 201 ... Authentication means 202 ... Use reservation means 21 ... Storage means 21a ... Authenticated flag 23 ... Input operation means 25 ... Light source control means 30 ... Power terminal, 31 ... Power supply part, 32 ... Time measuring part.

Claims (5)

A projector that modulates and projects light emitted from a light source according to image information,
Input operation means for accepting user input operations;
Authentication means for authenticating the projector based on an authentication operation received by the input operation means;
Use reservation means for setting a use waiting time until the projector starts to be used;
Control means for enabling use of the projector after the use standby time set by the use reservation means has elapsed after the authentication by the authentication means is successful;
A projector comprising: The projector according to claim 1.
The control unit turns off the power of the projector until the use waiting time set by the use reservation unit elapses after the authentication by the authentication unit is successful. The projector according to claim 1 or 2,
The projector according to claim 1, further comprising a notification unit that notifies whether or not the use waiting time set by the use reservation unit has elapsed after the authentication by the authentication unit is successful. The projector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The control unit performs the authentication by the authentication unit again after the authentication by the authentication unit succeeds and before the use waiting time set by the use reservation unit elapses. A projector characterized by enabling use. A method of controlling a projector that modulates and projects light emitted from a light source according to image information,
An authentication information input step for receiving input of authentication information for obtaining permission to use the projector;
An authentication step of authenticating the projector based on the operation received in the authentication information input step;
A use reservation step for setting a use waiting time until the projector starts to be used;
A determination step of determining whether or not the use waiting time set by the use reservation step has elapsed after the authentication by the authentication step is successful;
A control step of enabling the projector when it is determined by the determination step that the use waiting time has elapsed;
A projector control method characterized by comprising:

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