Projection system, projector apparatus, and projection method

A projection method in which a plane parallel to a line connecting a left eye viewpoint and a right eye viewpoint is set as a projection plane and an image is projected such that geometric image distortion is reduced as viewed from a user's viewpoint, the projection method comprising:

• (a) projecting an image onto the projection plane, and the step of projecting including projecting a test image;
• (b) measuring a three-dimensional shape of the projection plane;
• (c) generating a control signal based on operation of the user;
• and
• (d) (1) performing correction processing, which is image conversion processing, on the test image based on the three-dimensional shape data measured by the step (b) such that geometric image distortion is reduced as viewed from a first point, which is a point that passes through a projection center point, which is an intersection of a projection axis for the step (a) and the projection plane, the first point being on a normal line of the projection plane, and (2) determining a rotation angle in accordance with the control signal and performing rotation processing, which is image conversion processing, on the test image after the correction processing, such that the image projected on the projection plane, which is obtained by projecting the test image after the correction processing by the step (a), appears to be an image obtained by rotating the projected image by the rotation angle around the projection center point as viewed from the first point to the projection plane.

A projection system in which an inclined plane with respect to a plane that is parallel to a plane including a left eye viewpoint and a right eye viewpoint and is a common tangent plane of the right eye cornea and the left eye cornea is set as a projection plane and an image is projected such that geometric image distortion is reduced as viewed from a user's viewpoint, the projection system comprising:

• a projection circuitry configured to project an image on the projection plane, the projection circuitry projecting a first test image including a vertical reference line for defining a vertical direction in the image and projecting a second test image including a horizontal reference line for defining a horizontal direction in the image;
• a three-dimensional shape measurement circuitry configured to measure a three-dimensional shape of the projection plane;
• a controller configured to generate a control signal based on operation of the user;
• and
• a projected image adjustment circuitry configured to:
• (1A) perform correction processing, which is image conversion processing, on the first test image based on the three-dimensional shape data measured by the three-dimensional shape measurement circuitry such that geometric image distortion is reduced as viewed from a first point, which is a point that passes through a projection center point, which is an intersection of a projection axis of the projection circuitry and the projection plane, the first point being on a normal line of the projection plane,
• (2A) determine a first rotation angle in accordance with the control signal and perform rotation processing, which is image conversion processing, on the first test image after the correction processing such that the image projected on the projection plane, which is obtained by projecting the first test image after the correction processing by the projection circuitry, appears to be an image obtained by rotating the projected image by the first rotation angle around the projection center point as viewed from the first point to the projection plane,
• (1B) perform correction processing, which is image conversion processing, on the second test image based on the three-dimensional shape data measured by the three-dimensional shape measurement circuitry such that geometric image distortion is reduced as viewed from a first point, which is a point that passes through a projection center point, which is an intersection of a projection axis of the projection circuitry and the projection plane, the first point being on a normal line of the projection plane,
• (2B) determine a second rotation angle in accordance with the control signal and perform rotation processing, which is image conversion processing, on the second test image after the correction processing such that the image projected on the projection plane, which is obtained by projecting the second test image after the correction processing by the projection circuitry, appears to be an image obtained by rotating the projected image by the second rotation angle around the projection center point as viewed from the first point to the projection plane, and
• (3) identify, based on a first straight line that is a straight line including the vertical reference line, on the projection plane, that is in the first test image after the first rotation processing and a second straight line that is a straight line including the horizontal reference line, on the projection plane, that is in the second test image after the first rotation processing, a viewpoint candidate point from which the first straight line appears to be orthogonal to the second straight line, and perform viewpoint identification processing that converts an image to be projected on the projection plane such that geometric distortion of the image is reduced as viewed from the identified viewpoint candidate point.

A projection method in which an inclined plane with respect to a plane that is parallel to a plane including a left eye viewpoint and a right eye viewpoint and is a common tangent plane of the right eye cornea and the left eye cornea is set as a projection plane and an image is projected such that geometric image distortion is reduced as viewed from a user's viewpoint, the projection method performed using a controller that generates a control signal in accordance with a user's operation, the projection method comprising:

• (a) projecting an image on the projection plane, the step of projecting including projecting a first test image including a vertical reference line for defining a vertical direction in the image and projecting a second test image including a horizontal reference line for defining a horizontal direction in the image;
• (b) measuring a three-dimensional shape of the projection plane;
• (c) (1A) performing correction processing, which is image conversion processing, on the first test image based on the three-dimensional shape data measured by the step (b) such that geometric image distortion is reduced as viewed from a first point, which is a point that passes through a projection center point, which is an intersection of a projection axis for projecting the image in the step (a) and the projection plane, the first point being on a normal line of the projection plane,
• (2A) determining a first rotation angle in accordance with the control signal and perform rotation processing, which is image conversion processing, on the first test image after the correction processing such that the image projected on the projection plane, which is obtained by projecting the first test image after the correction processing by the step (a), appears to be an image obtained by rotating the projected image by the first rotation angle around the projection center point as viewed from the first point to the projection plane,
• (1B) performing correction processing, which is image conversion processing, on the second test image based on the three-dimensional shape data measured by the step (b) such that geometric image distortion is reduced as viewed from a first point, which is a point that passes through a projection center point, which is an intersection of a projection axis for projecting the image in the step (a) and the projection plane, the first point being on a normal line of the projection plane,
• (2B) determining a second rotation angle in accordance with the control signal and perform rotation processing, which is image conversion processing, on the second test image after the correction processing such that the image projected on the projection plane, which is obtained by projecting the second test image after the correction processing by the step (a), appears to be an image obtained by rotating the projected image by the second rotation angle around the projection center point as viewed from the first point to the projection plane, and
• (3) identifying, based on a first straight line that is a straight line including the vertical reference line, on the projection plane, that is in the first test image after the first rotation processing and a second straight line that is a straight line including the horizontal reference line, on the projection plane, that is in the second test image after the first rotation processing, a viewpoint candidate point from which the first straight line appears to be orthogonal to the second straight line, and performing viewpoint identification processing that converts an image to be projected on the projection plane such that geometric distortion of the image is reduced as viewed from the identified viewpoint candidate point.