JP2003287710A - Image projection system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image projection system in which remote control of a projection means is stably performed for a long period of time. <P>SOLUTION: The image projection system includes a liquid crystal projector 10 and the remote controller 20 of the liquid crystal projector. The remote controller 20 includes a pointing device portion 28, an operating key 22, and a light emitting portion 36 to wirelessly transmit an operation signal. The liquid crystal projector 10 includes a light receiving portion 14 to receive the wirelessly transmitted signal. The remote controller performs sleep operation to stop electric supply to the pointing device portion 28 when the pointing device portion 28 is not operated for predetermined time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video projection system.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART Nowadays, a multimedia presentation system using a personal computer as a main control means is being developed and put into practical use. As one of such systems, there is a system in which a liquid crystal projector is controlled by a personal computer and an image of the computer is projected on a screen by using the liquid crystal projector.

This image projection system displays the same image as the image displayed on the computer display.
Since it can be displayed as a large image using a liquid crystal projector, it is extremely suitable for a presentation to a large number of people.

[0004]

[Patent Document 1] US Pat. No. 5,204,768

[0005]

In the image projection system, the position of the cursor displayed on the projected image is controlled by operating the mouse connected to the computer body. For this reason, the presenter cannot change the cursor position at hand in accordance with the progress of the presentation. That is, when changing the cursor position, the presentation must be interrupted each time and the presenter must move to the mouse installation position of the computer main body, which is a problem in terms of system usability.

In addition to this, display control of the liquid crystal projector, for example, various controls such as page feed and page return,
Similarly, it is necessary to operate a keyboard connected to the computer main body, which is also very inconvenient in this respect.

In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to arrange a dedicated computer operator in the image projection system in addition to the presenter. However, in this case, not only the system operation costs but also the presenter. If the computer operator does not agree with the operator, there is a problem that a smooth presentation cannot be performed.

An object of the present invention is to provide a video projection system capable of performing remote control of projection means stably for a long period of time.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A video projection system of the present invention comprises a projection means for projecting an image including a position mark, and a remote control having a pointing device for controlling the display position of the position mark and an operation section including operation keys. The remote controller performs a sleep operation of stopping the function of the pointing device when the pointing device is not operated for a predetermined time.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Next, embodiments will be described.

(1) The image projection system according to the present embodiment has a projection means for projecting an image onto an arbitrary display area, a main operation section including a main pointing device, an operation signal from the main operation section, and a predetermined operation. Based on the control program of, the main control means for controlling the projection means and displaying the position mark on the projection image, and the remote controller of the projection means, the remote controller, a pointing device, and an operation signal. Wireless transmitting means for transmitting wirelessly, the projection means is formed to include wireless receiving means for receiving the operation signal, and the main control means is configured to transfer the received signal to the main control means. Means for controlling the means, operation signals from the main pointing device, and the pointing device of the remote controller. A determination means for determining a conflict with the operation signal from the pointing device, and when there is a conflict, the display position of the position mark is controlled based on the operation signal of the main pointing device, and when there is no conflict, Controls the display position of the position mark based on the transferred pointing device operation signal.

Further, the control method of the video projection system according to the present embodiment is based on the projection means for projecting an image on an arbitrary display area, the projection means based on the operation signal from the main operation section and a predetermined control program. In a video projection system including a main control unit that controls the display unit to display a position mark on a projection screen projected by the projection unit, and a remote controller that wirelessly transmits a remote control signal to the projection unit. A step of wirelessly transmitting a pointing device operation signal to the projection means, a step of transferring the pointing device operation signal received by the projection means to a main control means, and an operation signal from the main pointing device,
A step of determining a conflict with an operation signal from the pointing device of the remote controller, and in the case of a conflict, the display position of the position mark is controlled based on the operation signal of the main pointing device, and in the case of no conflict Controlling the display position of the position mark based on the transferred pointing device operation signal.

In the present embodiment, the main control means controls the projection means based on the operation signal from the main operation portion and a predetermined control program to project an image on an arbitrary display area.

At this time, the image projected from the projection means is
For example, the image itself calculated by the main control means may be used, or the output video of the video reproduction means for reproducing a video signal of a VTR, a laser disc player or the like may be projected.

At this time, a position mark such as a cursor controlled by the main control means is displayed on the projection image.

In this embodiment, the remote controller is provided with a pointing device, and the operation signal of the pointing device is wirelessly transmitted to the projection means. Then, the projection means transfers the received pointing device operation signal to the main control means, and the main control means controls the display position of the position mark displayed on the projection image based on the pointing device operation signal.

With such a structure, the operator can freely control the display position of the position mark on the projection image only by operating the pointing device of the remote controller at hand.

Therefore, a system is constructed by using a liquid crystal projector as the projection means and a personal computer as the main control means, for example, a presentation is performed while displaying an image of the personal computer on a large screen using the liquid crystal projector. In this case, the presenter can change the display position of the position mark such as the cursor according to the progress of the presentation by controlling the pointing device of the remote controller at hand, and can give a smooth presentation.

Further, in such a system, a main pointing device for changing a display position of a position mark such as a cursor is often connected to the main control means. Therefore, when there is a conflict between the operation of the main pointing device and the operation of the pointing device of the remote controller, which one has priority is a problem. In order to maintain the safety of the system, the present embodiment is configured to give priority to the operation signal of the main pointing device and control the display position of the position mark when the above-mentioned conflict occurs.

(2) Further, in (1), the main control means is installed with an application program for controlling the projection means, and the projection means is based on an operation signal from the application program and the main operation section. You may form so that it may control.

With the above configuration, the presenter can easily control the display position of the position mark on the projected image by using the remote controller at hand even when the multimedia presentation system is constructed by using the commercially available application program. Can be done.

(3) In any one of (1) and (2), the remote controller includes an operation key to which an operation of the main operation section can be assigned, and the main control means operates the remote controller. It is also possible to include an assigning unit that assigns an operation of the main operation unit to a key, and to control the projection unit based on an input signal from the operation key.

With the above arrangement, the user can operate the operation keys provided on the remote controller at hand to perform the same signal input as when the main operation unit is operated. As a result, the usability of the entire system can be made more convenient.

(4) In (3), the main control means receives an input signal from the remote controller,
It may include determination means for determining competition with the input signal from the keyboard, and in the case of competition, the projection means may be controlled based on the input signal from the main operation unit.

An input signal from the remote controller,
When the input signal from the keyboard conflicts, the input signal from the keyboard can be prioritized, and the safety of the entire system can be improved.

(5) Further, in any one of (1) to (4), the main control means is formed as a personal computer having a display and an application program installed, and the main operation section is the personal computer. The projection unit may be formed to include a keyboard and a pointing device connected to a computer, and the projection unit may be formed to project an image supplied from the personal computer or the image reproduction unit, controlled by the personal computer.

With the above-mentioned configuration, a commercially available personal computer and a projector can be combined to construct a multimedia presentation system using a large screen projected by the projector.

(6) Further, this embodiment includes a projection means for projecting an image including a position mark toward an arbitrary display area, a pointing device for controlling the display position of the position mark, a lighting key and an operation key. A remote controller having an operation unit, and a main control unit for controlling the projection unit based on a predetermined control program and an operation signal of the operation unit, and for controlling a display position of the position mark based on an operation signal of the pointing device. And a lighting unit that illuminates an operation unit based on a lighting instruction of the lighting key and a lighting unit that forcibly turns off the lighting unit that is lit while the pointing device is being operated. A control unit may be included.

In the present embodiment, in the remote controller, the illumination unit is turned on based on the lighting instruction of the lighting key, and the operation unit is lighted up. At this time, when the pointing device of the remote controller is operated, the illuminating unit that is on is forcibly turned off.

That is, when the pointing device is operated, the power consumption is temporarily increased to detect the operation of the pointing device, and the voltage of the power supply circuit is lowered. As a result, the operation of the circuit inside the remote controller becomes unstable, and the remote control operation may become unstable.

In the present embodiment, in order to solve such a problem, at the same time as the operation of the pointing device,
By forcibly turning off the illumination unit, instability of the power supply circuit is eliminated, and stable remote control can be realized.

In the present embodiment, the illuminating unit that is lit is forcibly turned off during the operation of the pointing device, and the illuminating unit is turned on again after the operation of the pointing device is completed. It is preferable.

(7) Further, in (6), the lighting control unit may perform a sleep operation in which a lighting instruction from the lighting key is not accepted when the pointing device is not operated for a predetermined time. .

That is, when the pointing device of the remote controller does not operate at all for a certain period of time, it is determined that the remote controller itself is not operating,
Even if there is a lighting instruction from the lighting key, the lighting unit is forcibly turned off.

With such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the power consumption of the remote controller even when the lighting key is turned on for some reason when the remote controller is not used. As a result, it is possible to realize a video projection system capable of performing stable remote control operation for a long period of time.

In particular, in this embodiment, the light-up function of the remote controller using the illumination unit is forcibly turned off in conjunction with the operation of the pointing device, or the sleep operation is performed, thereby consuming the remote controller. It is possible to save electric power, realize stable operation for securing a circuit, and realize stable remote control.

(8) Further, in the present embodiment, a projection means for projecting an image including a position mark toward an arbitrary display area, and an operation unit including a pointing device for controlling the display position of the position mark and an operation key are provided. A remote controller provided, and a main control unit that controls the projection unit based on a predetermined control program and an operation signal of the operation unit, and controls the display position of the position mark based on an operation signal of the pointing device. In addition, the remote controller may perform a sleep operation of stopping power supply to the pointing device when the pointing device is not operated for a predetermined time.

That is, when the pointing device of the remote controller does not operate at all for a certain period of time, it is determined that the remote controller itself is not operating,
The power supply to a pointing device that consumes a lot of power is forcibly turned off.

With such a configuration, even when the pointing device is operated for some reason when the remote controller is not used, the power consumption of the remote controller can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to realize a video projection system capable of performing stable remote control operation for a long period of time.

(9) Further, in the present embodiment, a projection means for projecting an image including a position mark toward an arbitrary display area, and an operation unit including a pointing device for controlling the display position of the position mark and an operation key are provided. A remote controller provided, and a main control unit that controls the projection unit based on a predetermined control program and an operation signal of the operation unit, and controls the display position of the position mark based on an operation signal of the pointing device. In addition, the remote controller transmits an adjustment signal of the projection unit by a combination operation of the pointing device and the key.

According to this embodiment, it is possible to transmit the adjustment signal of the projection means from the remote controller and perform the adjustment of the projection means from a remote position by the combined operation of the pointing device and the operation key.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the remote controller sends the adjustment signal of the projection means by the combination operation of the pointing device and the key. Therefore, the projection means can be effectively adjusted by using the limited number of keys assigned to the remote controller.

(10) Further, in the present embodiment, in (9), the operation unit may display the grouping pointing device and the key to be operated in combination in association with each other.

(11) Further, in the present embodiment, in (10), the operation unit may be configured such that the pointing devices and keys to be operated in combination are group-displayed in the same color.

As described above, the pointing device and the key to be combined and operated are displayed in the group setting in association with each other on the operation unit of the controller, so that the user can understand that the combination of these devices has the adjusting function of the projection means. It can be easily transmitted, and the usability during use becomes extremely good.

In particular, as in the embodiment (11), the pointing device and the key to be operated in combination are group-displayed in the same color so that the user can easily and easily perform the combination display. be able to.

(12) Further, the present embodiment includes projection means for projecting an image on an arbitrary display area, and a remote controller of the projection means, and the remote controller wirelessly transmits an operation signal. It is characterized in that it includes a wireless transmission means, and the projection means is formed to include a plurality of wireless reception means for receiving the operation signals transmitted from different directions.

With such a configuration, no matter how the relative position between the projection means and the remote controller changes, the signal from the remote controller is reliably transmitted to the projection means, and stable remote control is achieved. Control can be realized.

In particular, when giving a presentation to other people while controlling the projection means using a remote controller, the presenter often gives a presentation while moving from place to place. In such a case, even if the relative position between the remote controller in the presenter's hand and the projection means changes from time to time, according to the present embodiment, the remote control signal is reliably transmitted to the projection means for stable operation. It is possible to perform the remote control.

Next, an embodiment showing the best mode of the present invention will be described.
It will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, a liquid crystal projector 10 as a projection means is used, and an arbitrary display area is displayed from a projection port 12 of the liquid crystal projector 10.
For example, a state in which a predetermined image is projected on the screen 16 is shown. At this time, the liquid crystal projector 1
0 is formed so that it can be connected to a plurality of video sources.

In the embodiment, it is formed so as to be connectable to two video sources, the first video source terminal is formed so as to be connected to a computer which supplies a video signal, and the second video source terminal is formed. It is formed so as to be connected to a video reproducing device such as a VCR, a video camera, a video disc player. Then, by switching the video source, the video signal from the computer or the video reproducing device can be selected and projected on the screen 16 as a large screen.

The liquid crystal projector 10 is operated by operating various operation units provided in the projector main body.
Although the basic operation can be performed, in the present embodiment, the remote controller 20 for the projector is used to remotely operate the liquid crystal projector 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the remote controller 2
At the tip of 0, an infrared light emitting unit 36 is provided as a wireless transmission means, and transmits an operation signal to the projector 10.

On the front surface and the back surface of the liquid crystal projector 10, infrared light receiving portions 14a and 14b having horizontal light receiving ranges of 30 degrees each set to 60 degrees in total are installed as wireless receiving means. Therefore, the operator can remotely operate the projector 10 by using the remote controller 20 from either the front side or the rear side of the projector 10.

FIG. 3 shows the remote controller 20.
A schematic plan view of is shown.

The remote controller 20 is used to remotely operate the liquid crystal projector 10 whose power is turned on.
Is provided with an operation unit 400 in which a key group 22 composed of a plurality of buttons is arranged.

The key group 22 is a standby button 22.
a, source switching button 22b, volume control button 22c,
It includes a mute button 22d, a freeze button 22e, a brightness adjustment button 22f, a light-up button 22g, a synchronization adjustment button 22h, and other buttons 24a, 24b, 24c.

When the standby button 22a is pressed, the lamp of the liquid crystal projector 10 is turned on to start warming up. When the source switching button 22b is operated, the display image is selectively switched between the first source and the second source. By operating the volume adjustment button 22c, the volume of the video / audio output from the speaker provided in the liquid crystal projector 10 can be adjusted. When the mute button 22d is operated, the voice can be erased, and when the mute button 22d is operated again, the voice output is restored. When the freeze button 22e is operated, the displayed image is frozen. By operating this button again, the stationary state is released. The brightness of the image can be adjusted by operating the brightness adjustment button 22f. When the light-up button 22g is operated, the operation unit 4 of the remote controller 20
00 lights up for about 10 seconds, facilitating operation in the dark.
By operating the synchronization adjustment button 22h, the flicker screen or the blurred screen can be adjusted to be the clearest.

The structure of the illumination mechanism that lights up the operation section 400 based on the operation of the light-up button 22g will be described later.

The operation section similar to the key group 22 is
Except for the light-up button 22g, all are also provided on the liquid crystal projector body.

The remote controller 20 performs the same operations as those of these operation units provided in the liquid crystal projector 10.
It is possible to do it from a remote place.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the liquid crystal projector 10 and its remote controller 20 are provided.
In combination with the personal computer 40 functioning as a main control unit, a video projection system for multimedia presentation is constructed which controls the liquid crystal projector 10 using the personal computer 40.

The personal computer 40 comprises a computer main body 42, the above-mentioned display 44, and a keyboard 46 and a mouse 48 which are connected to the computer main body 42 and function as a main operation unit. The liquid crystal projector 10 and the main body 42 of the personal computer 40 are connected by a serial communication line (RS-
235C) 50 and is configured to serially communicate digital data.

By constructing a system for operating the liquid crystal projector 10 directly from the computer 40 in this way, for example, when giving a presentation using the system of the embodiment, various types of the projector 10 can be performed without interrupting the presentation. It is possible to perform not only various adjustments such as screen brightness and volume adjustments, but also control of the presentation display image such as screen page forward, page backward, page open, and window close.

An operating system 100 and driver software 110 for the projector 10 are installed in advance in the computer main body 42.
It is stored in the built-in memory. Further, various application software is installed in the computer main body 42. In the embodiment, it is assumed that application software for presentation is installed.

The driver software 110 is a kind of device driver. The driver software 110 causes the computer 40 to perform actual detailed processing and information exchange with the liquid crystal projector 10 in accordance with a command issued by the operating system 100 and application software 120.

In particular, the driver software 1 of the embodiment
10 is formed so as to completely control and manage the liquid crystal projector 10 via the serial communication line 50. Specifically, the display 44 of the computer 40 displays an adjustment screen completely different from the image of the projector 10.
It is formed so that it can be displayed above and the brightness and volume of the liquid crystal projector 10 and other projector operations by the remote controller 20 and operations using the operation unit set in the main body of the projector 10 can be performed. Specifically, such an operation is performed by the operator operating the mouse 48 or the keyboard 46 to give a desired command to the computer 40.

When the presentation application software 120 is installed in the computer main body 42 and the image for the presentation is displayed on the screen 16 by using the projector 10 as described above, a personal computer is used for the presentation. An operator of the computer 40 operates a keyboard 46 to perform a predetermined key input or a mouse 48 functioning as a pointing device to control a display position of a cursor or the like.

In particular, when giving a presentation by pointing the cursor to a part of the screen, moving the cursor to the display position of the desired icon and selecting a command, or enlarging or reducing a certain display area in the screen. In such a case, or when another window is opened on the screen, the mouse 48 is usually used to control the display position of the cursor.

When various commands are input or characters or the like are input to the personal computer 40, the operator operates the keyboard 46 as necessary to input desired keys.

Therefore, when an image projection system combining the personal computer 40 and the projector 10 as shown in FIG. 4 is adopted, the mouse 4 described above is used.
8 and the keyboard 46 cannot be operated unless the operator is near the personal computer 40. Therefore, the presenter who is making a presentation using the projector 10 must give various instructions to the operator of the personal computer 40 each time, and when there is no operator, the presenter personalizes each time. Computer 4
Move to the installation position of 0, mouse 48 or keyboard 4
6 must be operated, and there is a problem that the presentation cannot be performed smoothly.

In order to solve such a problem, in the system of this embodiment, the remote controller 20 has a function as a pointing device such as the mouse 48 connected to the main body of the personal computer 40 and the mouse 4.
8 and input functions such as various commands input from the keyboard 46 and data input.

As shown in FIG. 3, the operation unit 400 of the remote controller 20 of the embodiment has a trackball unit 28 functioning as a pointing device unit and the key group 2 described above.
2 and another button group 24.

The trackball portion 28 includes a trackball 28a, a drag button 28b and a pair of adjust buttons 28c.

As described above, the computer main body 42 in which the driver software 110 is installed puts the projector 10 under control and management. Then, the computer main body 42 transfers an operation signal wirelessly transmitted from the remote controller 20 to the projector 10 to the computer main body via the serial communication line 50 by using infrared rays 200. Furthermore, this computer main body 42
Assigns various functions to the trackball portion and the key group of the remote controller 20, and when an operation signal is input from the remote controller 20, performs various arithmetic processing according to the function assigned to the input signal to control the projector 10. Also, image display control and other necessary calculations and controls are performed.

FIG. 5 shows a functional block diagram of the image projection system of the embodiment.

As described above, the remote controller 2
0 includes a trackball portion 28 and an operation key group 22,
These operation signals are converted into digital signals using the signal processing unit 34, and wirelessly transmitted to the projector 10 using the infrared light 200 via the infrared light emitting unit 36.

The projector 10 includes a main projector mechanism 64 which performs a basic operation as a projector,
An arithmetic control unit 62 configured by using a CPU, a memory, and the like and in charge of control of the main projector mechanism 64, and a signal from the remote controller received by the infrared light receiving unit 14 is processed and converted into an electric signal to perform the arithmetic control unit 62. It is configured to include a signal processing unit 60 for outputting to and from, and an I / O interface 66 for connecting to an external device.

Then, the arithmetic control unit 62 uses the projector 1
When 0 is under the control of the personal computer 40, the operation signal received from the infrared light receiving unit 14 from the remote controller 20 is directed to the personal computer 40 via the I / O interface 66 and the serial communication line 50. Transfer and further communication line 50, I
The main projector mechanism 64 and other parts are controlled based on various control signals input from the personal computer 40 via the / O interface 66.

The computer main body 42 of the personal computer 40 is composed of a main operation control circuit 70 composed of a CPU and the like, RAM, R0M and the like, and the application software 120, driver software 110 and operating system 100. Memory 7 that stores each program and other necessary data
6 and an I / O interface 7 for connecting to the outside
2, 74 are included.

The main operation control circuit 70 is the remote controller 2 transferred via the projector 10.
The mouse 48 constituting the main control unit 52 receives each operation signal of 0.
Also, various arithmetic control operations are performed in the same manner as the operation signal of the keyboard 46.

In an embodiment, the trackball portion 2
The operation signal 8 is handled in the same manner as the operation signal of the mouse 48. The various commands and key operations assigned to the operation key group 22 are handled in the same manner as corresponding commands input from the mouse 48 and the keyboard 46 and corresponding key inputs from the keyboard 46.

When the operation signal from the remote controller 20 and the operation signals from the keyboard 46 and the mouse 48 forming the main operation section 52 compete with each other (for example, the operation of the trackball section 28 and the operation of the mouse 48 are different from each other). In the case of a conflict, the signal from the remote controller 20 is ignored, and the operation signal from the main operation unit 52 is preferentially handled. This is because the application software for presentation is mainly a mouse 48 directly connected to the personal computer 40.
This is because it is configured assuming the operation of the main operation unit 52 such as the keyboard 46 and the like, and does not assume any operation based on a signal from the remote controller 20. Therefore, by giving priority to the operation signal from the main operation section 52, the safety of the entire system can be improved.

As described above, according to the system of this embodiment, the operation which could not be performed without operating the mouse 48 and the keyboard 46 directly connected to the personal computer 40 is operated by the operation of the remote controller 20 at hand. It can be easily performed, and a multimedia presentation using a system including the projector 10 and the personal computer 40 can be efficiently and smoothly performed.

In particular, the role of the pointing device for controlling the position of the cursor or the like is extremely important in various application software. By providing the remote controller 20 with such a function as a pointing device, a presentation using the projector 10 can be performed extremely smoothly.

FIG. 6 shows a functional block diagram of the computer main body 42 which is constructed by using the memory 76 and the main operation control circuit 70. Main computer 4 of the embodiment
2 is configured to function as an allocating unit 80, a determining unit 86, and a calculation control unit 88.

The allocating section 80 is composed of an allocation setting section 82 to which the operation signal of the remote controller 20 is input, and an allocation data storage section 84 for storing the data allocated to each operation signal.

FIG. 7 schematically shows a flow chart of the allocation setting operation for the trackball portion 28 and each operation key group 22 of the remote controller 20.

First, the programmable mode for allocation can be set by operating the keyboard 46 or mouse 48 connected to the computer main body 42 (step S10).

When the programmable mode is set, a layout setting screen as shown in FIG. 8 is displayed on both the display 44 of the personal computer 40 and the projection screen projected from the projector 10. At the top of this screen, a key record button 310, a key help button 312, an execute button 314, and a button test button 3 are displayed.
16 icons are displayed.

Further, below the screen, a display 320 of the operation unit of the remote controller and a program allocation screen 330 showing the function currently being allocated to each operation unit are displayed.

In this state, move the cursor on the screen to the icon display position representing the key record button 310,
When this is clicked, it is set to the allocatable state (step S12). In this state, when the cursor is moved to a desired operation button on the operation unit display 320 and clicked, the button is identified and displayed on the screen, and the button is displayed in the allocation screen 330. In the screen shown in FIG. 8, a page return button 24c, a page forward button 24d, a drag button 28b, and a pair of adjust buttons 28c are selected and displayed as buttons to be assigned.

After the target button is selected in this way, various functions are assigned to each selected button. Here, the mouse 48
Functions such as clicking and dragging are assigned.

If necessary, page-forwarding, page-returning, other commands, macros (a sequence of up to 32 keystrokes and mouse commands), and other key inputs may be assigned to the other buttons. You can In this way, the required program can be opened by simply pressing the corresponding button of the remote controller 20 during the presentation.

The allocation of such functions is performed using, for example, the keyboard 46 or the like.

After the allocation is completed, the execute button 314
If you move the cursor to the display position of and select it,
The computer main body 42 is switched to the confirmation mode (step s14), whereby the remote controller 20
Using, the various functions allocated in the allocation mode (step S12) can be executed.

After that, when the test button 16 is selected,
On the display and the projector screen, a text screen showing the keystrokes etc. assigned to each button of the remote controller 20 is displayed, and the user confirms whether or not the assignment is performed correctly while looking at this display screen. (Step S16).

At this time, if an erroneous setting or the like is found, the process returns to step S10 again and the same allocation operation is performed. If it is confirmed that the allocation is performed correctly (step S18), the test button 316
By again operating and canceling the test mode, the allocation operation for the remote controller 20 is completed.

At this time, the data assigned to each key is stored in the assigned data storage section 84.
After that, the allocation setting unit 82 converts the input signal into a signal representing the corresponding allocation function based on the signal input from the remote controller, and outputs the signal to the determination unit 86.
For example, when an operation signal of the button 24c, the button 24b, or the like is input, the operation signal is converted into a click signal or a drag signal of the mouse 48 and output to the determination unit 86.
The trackball unit 2 of the remote controller 20
For 8a, the allocation function corresponding to the operation of the mouse 48 is stored in advance in the allocation data storage unit 84. Therefore, when the trackball portion 28a is moved vertically and horizontally and a signal corresponding thereto is input from the remote controller 20 to the assignment setting portion 82, the assignment setting portion 82 converts this operation signal into an operation signal for the mouse 48. Output to the determination unit 86. By doing so, by operating the remote controller 20, it becomes possible to output an operation signal similar to the operation of the mouse 48 or the keyboard 46 to the computer main body 42 and control the computer main body 42. .

Next, the function of the determination unit 86 shown in FIG. 6 will be described. The determination unit 86 compares the signal input from the allocation setting unit 82 with the signal input from the mouse 48 and the keyboard 46, and inputs from the main control unit 52 such as the mouse 48 and the keyboard 46 and the remote controller 20.
It is determined whether or not there is a conflict with the input from. And
When it is determined that there is no conflict, the currently input signal is directly output to the arithmetic control unit 88. For example,
There is no input signal from the mouse 48 and the keyboard 46,
When only the signal from the remote controller 20 is input, this input signal is directly input to the arithmetic control unit 88.
Output to. When the signal from the main control unit 52 and the signal from the remote controller 20 compete with each other, only the input signal from the main control unit 52 is input to the arithmetic control unit 8.
It outputs to 8 and refuses the reception of the signal from the remote controller 20. As a result, the safety of the entire system can be improved as described above.

The arithmetic control unit 88 arithmetically operates the control signal on the basis of the signal thus selectively input through the determination unit 86 and the arithmetic control programs 100, 110 and 120 described above, and outputs the control signal to the projector 10. Along with the output to the display 44, various video signals are calculated and output to the display 44 and the projector 10. In addition to the above, the arithmetic control unit 88 is also configured to arithmetically output the projector control signal described above based on the input signal from the projector 10.

As described above, according to the system of this embodiment, as in the case where the remote control signal from the remote controller 20 originally formed for the projector is used and each signal is input from the mouse 48 or the keyboard 46, By operating the computer main body 42, the computer main body 42 can be caused to control the projector 10.

In particular, in the system of this embodiment, various functions for controlling the personal computer 40 are assigned to the remote controller 20 used for controlling the projector 10, and the operation of the computer is directly performed using the remote controller 20. With such a configuration, the image projection system for multimedia presentation, which is configured using the projector 10 and the personal computer 40, can be made extremely convenient.

Next, the structure of the lighting mechanism of the remote controller 20 will be described in detail.

As described above, in the remote controller 20 of the embodiment, when the light-up button 22g is turned on, the operation section 400 is lighted up for a certain period of time. Therefore, in the operation unit 400 of the embodiment, various buttons and the trackball unit 28 are arranged on the semitransparent substrate 402, and a plurality of lighting LEs arranged on the back surface side of the substrate 402.
The operation unit 400 is configured to be lighted up by the D group 450.

FIG. 9 shows the remote controller 20
The circuit configuration of the lighting mechanism is shown.

The remote controller 20 includes a replaceable battery 410, an operation detecting section 420 for detecting the operation of the trackball section 28, an operation switch matrix 430 for detecting the operation of each button group 24, 28, and a remote controller. A microcomputer 440 for controlling the whole and an operation unit 400 arranged on the back side of the substrate 402.
The LED 450 for illumination for illuminating the LED and the LED 36a for transmission constituting the light emitting unit 36 are included.

Then, the microcomputer 440 is
LED for transmission by controlling transistor Q1
36 a is driven, and a remote control signal is wirelessly transmitted from the light emitting unit 36 to the projector 10 using infrared rays 200.

Further, the microcomputer 440 is
The ON operation of the light-up button 22g is detected based on the signal from the operation switch matrix 430, the transistor Q2 is turned on, and the lighting LED group 450 is controlled to be lit for a certain time.

Further, the trackball portion motion detector 420 detects the motion of the trackball 28a and outputs this detection signal to the microcomputer 440. As a result, the microcomputer 440 wirelessly transmits the operation signal of the trackball 28 to the projector via the transmission LED 36a.

By the way, the trackball motion detector 4
The power consumption of No. 20 is large when detecting the movement of the trackball 28a. For this reason, in each part of the circuit of the remote controller 20 using the small-capacity battery 410, the voltage is temporarily reduced, and the operation of the entire circuit tends to be unstable. In order to prevent such a situation from occurring, the microcomputer 440 forcibly turns off the transistor Q2 when the trackball motion detector 420 detects the motion of the trackball 28a, and the lighting LE is activated.
The D group 450 is configured to be extinguished. As a result, instability of the power supply circuit due to the operation of the trackball 28a is eliminated, and stable remote control operation can be realized.

Further, the microcomputer 440
Is configured to perform a sleep operation in which a lighting command from the light-up button 22g is not accepted when an operation signal is not input from the trackball part operation detection unit 420 for a certain time (15 minutes in the embodiment). There is. That is, when the trackball 28a does not operate at all for 15 minutes, it is determined that the remote controller 20 is not operating, and the lighting function is set to sleep so that the power consumption of the remote controller 20 is reduced. There is.

Further, the microcomputer 440
When no motion signal is input from the trackball motion detection unit 420 for a certain period of time, the battery 410 is forcibly turned off to supply the power to the trackball motion detection unit 420 to put the trackball to sleep. Is configured. Then, when any of the operation keys is operated, the power supply is restarted. Thereby, even if the trackball 28a is erroneously operated for some reason while the remote controller 20 is not operating, it is possible to prevent the battery power of the remote controller from being unnecessarily consumed.

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart of the write-up operation of the circuit of the embodiment.

First, when the light-up button 22g of the remote controller 20 is turned on (step S30),
The transistor Q2 is turned on (step S32), and lighting of the lighting LED group 450 is controlled. As a result, the operation unit 400 is lighted up from the back side of the semitransparent substrate 402, and the operation unit 400 can be favorably operated even in a dark place.

In this way, when the lighting control of the lighting LED group 450 is performed, at the same time, the lighting timer built in the microcomputer 440 is started (step S34), and when 10 seconds have passed. (Step S44), the transistor Q2 is controlled and the lighting L
The ED group 450 is automatically turned off (step S46).

If any of the buttons 24 or 28 is operated while the lighting LED group 450 is lit (step S36), the lighting timer is reset and restarted (step S34). . Thereby, as long as any button is operated during the lighting operation, the lighting unit 400 continues to light.

When the trackball 28 is operated during the lighting operation (step S38), the transistor Q2 is automatically turned off and the lighting LED group 450 is forcibly turned off. Then, when the operation of the trackball 28 is stopped, the transistor Q2 is turned on again, and the lighting LED group 450 is turned on.

In this way, when the trackball 28a which consumes a large amount of power is operated, the voltage of the battery 410 can be prevented from being lowered by forcibly controlling the lighting LED group 450 to be turned off, thereby achieving stable remote control operation. Can be realized.

FIG. 11 shows a flow chart of the above-mentioned sleep operation of the apparatus of this embodiment.

The microcomputer 440 of the embodiment is
When the operation unit 400 is not operated at all, the operation unit 400 is controlled to the standby state (step S50).

At this time, when any one of the buttons is operated (step S52), the transistor Q3 is on-controlled (step S54), and the microcomputer 440 is operated.
The timer is started (step S56).

During this timer operation, the trackball 2
When the operation signal of 8a is input, the microcomputer 440 transmits this operation signal using the transmitting LED 36a (step S60) and restarts the timer (step S56).

After the timer is started,
If no operation signal for the trackball portion 28a is input for 15 minutes (step S62), the transistor Q
3 is forcibly turned off (step S64), and a standby state is entered (step S66). In this standby state, even if the light-up 22g is turned on, the microcomputer 440 sleeps so as not to accept this operation signal.

As described above, when the trackball 28a is not operated at all for 15 minutes, the remote controller 20 of the embodiment determines that the remote controller is not operated and accepts the lighting command of the lighting LED group 450. There is no sleep operation, which can reduce the power consumption of the remote controller 20.

As described above, the remote controller 20 of the embodiment forcibly turns off the light-up function using the lighting LED group 450 in conjunction with the operation of the trackball 28a or causes the sleep operation. This reduces the power consumption of the remote controller 20,
Moreover, it is possible to realize a stable operation for securing a circuit.

Further, the remote controller 2 of the present embodiment.
2 is also provided with an adjusting mechanism for the projector 10.

That is, the projector 10 of the embodiment has an adjusting operation section (not shown), and by operating a menu button, a select button or the like of this adjusting operation section, a desired operation is performed according to the operation flow shown in FIG. Is configured to selectively display the menu screen of. Then, while an arbitrary menu screen is displayed, a desired adjustment button of the adjustment mechanism is operated to adjust the items displayed on the screen.

Here, the computer menu screen is a screen for adjusting the brightness and contrast of the screen, the video menu screen is a screen for adjusting red, green, blue, etc., and the display menu screen is for tracking, It is an adjustment screen such as signal format, the audio menu screen is an adjustment screen for volume, left and right balance, etc., the option menu screen is an adjustment screen for input source switching, display language, etc. This is a screen for assigning functions to program buttons, switching, etc.

Another feature of this embodiment is that the operation unit 400 of the remote controller 20 has the adjusting function of the projector 10. In the present embodiment, adjustment of the projector 10 using the remote controller 20 is basically performed by a combination operation of the menu button 22j, the select button 22e, and the trackball portion 28. Each of these buttons 22
In order for the user to visually recognize that j, 22e and the trackball portion 28 have such an adjusting function,
As shown in FIG. 3, on the substrate 402, areas 402j, 402e, and 404 in which the buttons 22j and 22e and the trackball portion 28 are provided are colored in the same color.

Next, using the remote controller 20,
The operation of adjusting the projector 10 will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.

First, when adjusting the projector 10, the menu button 22 of the remote controller 20 is used.
After operating j, the select button 22e is operated to select any one of the four menu screens.
At this time, the menu button 22j and the select button 22e
The operation signal of is transmitted wirelessly from the remote controller 20 to the projector 10,
Operates in the same manner as when the adjusting mechanism provided in the projector body is operated based on this received signal.

Here, in order to simplify the explanation, FIG.
A case where the computer menu screen shown in 5 is selected will be described as an example.

FIG. 13 shows a remote controller operation procedure for selecting an arbitrary item from this menu screen and adjusting the function of the item, and FIG. 14 shows a flowchart showing the procedure. Has been done.

When the computer menu screen shown in FIG. 15 is selected, the function item representing "brightness" is first highlighted on the screen. This is the item currently selected.

When the operator selects another function item, he or she operates the trackball 28a as shown in FIG. The projector 10 that receives this operation signal
The function items selected according to the operation of the trackball are moved one after another (steps S70 and S72). When the desired item is selected, the operator stops the operation of the trackball, and then adjusts the function using a pair of left and right adjust buttons 28c, 28c as shown in FIG. 13B. At this time, when the plus side button is operated, the adjustment amount is increased, and when the minus side button is operated, the adjustment amount is decreased (step S).
74, S78).

Thus, the desired function item is selected,
By repeatedly adjusting the functions of the selected items,
It is possible to sequentially adjust each function item displayed on the menu screen shown in FIG.

When the next menu screen is selected when the adjustment on this menu screen is completed, the select button 22e may be operated (step S8).
0, S82). By repeatedly operating this select button any number of times, a desired menu screen is selected and displayed according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Then, the selection of each function item in the selected menu screen and the function adjustment are performed in step S7 shown in FIG.
It may be performed in the same manner as 0 to step S78.

Then, when the menu button 22j of the remote controller 20 is operated (step S84) at the time when all such function adjustments are completed, the display of the menu is completed (step S86).

In this way, the system of this embodiment is
The remote controller 20 can be used to adjust the functions of the projector 10. In particular, the remote controller 20 according to the present embodiment is easy to use because the buttons to be operated in combination and the trackball portion 28 are formed on the same color substrate so that the relationship between the two can be visually recognized. It will be extremely good.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the system for presentation has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and in addition to this, for example, a teacher gives a lecture to students. A system for learning if
The present invention can be applied to systems for various purposes, such as a system for various classes, a demonstration system for sales, and the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where infrared rays are used for wireless transmission between the remote controller 20 and the projector 10 has been described as an example, but other methods such as various radio waves are used as necessary. You can also

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the projector 10 is used as the projection means has been described as an example.
The present invention is not limited to this, and is also applicable to the case where various other projection means such as an overhead projector is used.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the trackball is used as the pointing device of the remote controller 20 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various pointing devices other than this can be used as needed. It is also applicable when it is provided in the controller.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where a user operates a liquid crystal projector using a remote controller.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a correspondence relationship between a light emitting unit for wireless transmission provided in a remote controller and a light receiving unit for wireless reception provided in a liquid crystal projector.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a remote controller according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a remote controller to which the present invention is applied,
It is a schematic explanatory drawing of the image projection system which combined the liquid crystal projector and the personal computer.

5 is a functional block diagram of the system shown in FIG.

6 is a functional block diagram of a main part of the system shown in FIG.

7 is an operation flowchart of the functional block diagram shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of an allocation setting screen displayed on the display.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a circuit built in the remote controller.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a lighting control operation of the remote controller.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a remote controller lighting control operation.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a function adjusting operation of the projector.

FIG. 13 is an operation explanatory diagram showing a procedure for adjusting the function of the projector using the remote controller.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a function adjusting operation using a remote controller.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a function adjustment screen displayed using a projector.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 projector, 14 light receiving part, 20 remote controller, 22 switch group, 28 trackball part, 36 light emitting part, 40 personal computer, 46 keyboard, 48 mouse

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A remote controller comprising: a projection unit that projects an image including a position mark; and a remote controller that includes a pointing device for controlling a display position of the position mark and an operation unit that includes an operation key. A video projection system, which performs a sleep operation for stopping the function of the pointing device when the pointing device is not operated for a predetermined time. 2. The operating unit of the remote controller according to claim 1, further comprising: a lighting key, the remote controller illuminating the operating unit based on a lighting instruction of the lighting key, and the pointing device of the pointing device. An image projection system comprising: a lighting control unit for forcibly turning off the lighting unit during lighting during operation. 3. The video projection system according to claim 2, wherein the lighting control unit does not accept a lighting instruction from the lighting key when the pointing device is not operated for a predetermined time. 4. The pointing device according to claim 1, wherein the pointing device includes a trackball portion and a trackball movement detecting means for detecting movement of the trackball portion. An image projection system characterized by performing the sleep operation for forcibly stopping the power supply to the trackball motion detecting means when there is no operation detection signal from the device for a predetermined time. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein when any one of the operation keys is operated during the sleep operation, power supply to the trackball operation detecting means is restarted and the sleep operation is ended. Characteristic video projection system. 6. A remote controller for a video projection system, which transmits an operation signal to a projection means for projecting an image including a position mark, comprising a pointing device for controlling the display position of the position mark and an operation key, wherein the pointing device. A remote controller for a video projection system, which performs a sleep operation for stopping the function of the pointing device when is not operated for a predetermined time.