JP2000231444A - Coordinate inputting device and coordinate value outputting method for the same and storage medium for storing computer readable program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact and inexpensive device for specifying a coordinate input position with high resolution and high performance from an instructed coordinate based on spot lights from an instructing tool on a coordinate input screen in an environment affected by diffused external light. SOLUTION: Spot light emitted from an instructing tool 4 on a screen are detected by plural sensors 20X and 20Y, and the peak value of the spot light is specified from among detected pixel data which are a prescribed value or more, and the coordinate arithmetic processing of the instructed position is executed by a coordinate arithmetic means 32. Thus, when the coordinate is instructed by the spot light from the instructing tool 4, the instructed coordinate value can be obtained with high precision and high resolution in a state that any influence of diffused external light is suppressed, and the compact, light, and inexpensive device can be realized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coordinate input position by illuminating a coordinate input screen with light emitted from a light emitting element and detecting light emitted from a coordinate input pointing device for inputting a coordinate position. And a method of outputting a coordinate value of the coordinate input device, and a storage medium storing a computer-readable program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional coordinate input device, a light spot on a screen is imaged using a CCD area sensor or a linear sensor, and image processing such as using barycentric coordinates or pattern matching is performed to calculate coordinate values. And a device using a position detecting element called PSD (an analog device that can obtain an output voltage corresponding to the position of the spot) are known.

[0003] For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-76902 discloses an apparatus for detecting a coordinate by imaging a light spot with a parallel beam of visible light with a video camera and simultaneously transmitting and receiving a control signal with infrared diffused light. ing. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-274266 discloses an apparatus for detecting coordinates using a linear CCD sensor and a special optical mask.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent No. 2503182 discloses that PS
Regarding an apparatus using D, a configuration and a method of correcting output coordinates are disclosed.

[0005]

In recent years, the brightness of the screen of a large-screen display has been improved, and it has become possible to use it even in a brightly illuminated environment, and the demand is expanding. The coordinate input device is increasingly required to be resistant to disturbance light so that it can be used in an environment combined with such a large-screen display.

In recent years, devices using infrared rays have been increasing as wireless communication means. Since disturbance light has been increasing in both infrared and visible light, it is important for a device to be strong against disturbance light. One of the characteristics.

However, the aforementioned Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-76902
As can be seen from JP-A-6-274266 and JP-A-6-274266, in a device using a conventional CCD sensor, disturbance light can be suppressed only by an optical filter.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent No.
As shown in the figure, in the device using the PSD, the light intensity is frequency-modulated and the modulated wave is synchronously detected, so that the influence of the disturbance light can be suppressed. Has strong characteristics.

[0009] In addition, the resolution of the large-screen display has been increased as well as the brightness. For this reason, it is necessary to improve the resolution of the coordinate input device, but there is a problem in this respect in a device using a PSD that is strong against disturbance light.

That is, since the dynamic range of the sensor output voltage directly corresponds to the input range, for example, when the whole is decomposed into 1000 coordinates, at least 6
Since an S / N ratio of 0 dB or more is required, and digital correction of linearity error is indispensable, as described in the above-mentioned Patent No. 2503182, a high-precision analog circuit and a multi-bit AD converter are required. And an arithmetic circuit are required.

Further, since the S / N ratio of the sensor output signal depends on the amount of light and the sharpness of the light spot, suppression of disturbance light alone is not sufficient, and a bright and highly accurate optical system is also required. For this reason, the device itself is very expensive and large.

Further, as a technique for increasing the resolution by using a CCD sensor, Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-76902 discloses that a plurality of video cameras are used at the same time. become. Also,
In the case of a single video camera having a large number of pixels, the size and cost are further increased as compared with the case of using a plurality of cameras.

Further, in order to achieve a resolution higher than the number of pixels by image processing, high-speed processing of enormous image data is required, and it is very large and expensive for real-time operation. .

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 6-274266, a high resolution is obtained by a special optical mask and signal processing.
If the N ratio can be secured, high resolution can be achieved.

However, in actuality, the linear sensor forms an image in a linear manner and cannot separate the light from disturbance light in a plane as compared with an area sensor that forms a point image. There is a problem that it is practical only in a special environment with little light.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to detect a spot light emitted from a pointing tool on a coordinate input screen by a plurality of sensors, and detect the spot light. By specifying the peak value of the spot light from the pixel data having the predetermined threshold value or more and executing the coordinate calculation processing, the spot light from the pointing tool on the coordinate input screen in an environment affected by disturbance light can be obtained. Of a coordinate input device, a coordinate value output method of the coordinate input device, and a storage medium storing a computer-readable program capable of providing a small and inexpensive device capable of specifying a high-resolution and high-performance coordinate input position of designated coordinates based on a computer It is to be.

[0017]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a light emitted from a pointing device (a pointing device 4 shown in FIG. 4) including a light emitting device (a light emitting device 41 shown in FIG. 2) is coordinated. A coordinate input for irradiating a predetermined position on an input screen (screen 10 shown in FIG. 1) to generate a light spot and detecting the light spot to generate a coordinate output signal corresponding to the predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A plurality of sensors (linear sensors 20X and 20Y shown in FIG. 4) for detecting corresponding spot lights blinking at predetermined positions on a coordinate input screen at a predetermined cycle by a sensor array arranged in a straight line.
And storing the electric charge corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected by each sensor via a sensor array while synchronizing with a predetermined cycle of the light spot when the spot light is turned on and off. An image pickup means (integrating unit 22 shown in FIG. 8, an accumulation unit 22 shown in FIG. 8) for obtaining and outputting a difference signal from each signal when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not lit while transferring the charge of each pixel by separately integrating the signals. Part 23, ring CCD2
6, an amplifier 29) and a detecting means (FIG. 4) for detecting a maximum pixel indicating the maximum value of the difference signal output from the imaging means.
, A selecting means (coordinate calculating means 32 shown in FIG. 4) for selecting each of m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detecting means, And a coordinate calculation means (coordinate calculation means 32 shown in FIG. 4) for performing a coordinate calculation using the output data and calculating a coordinate value designated by the pointing tool.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, light emitted from an indicator 4 having a light emitting element (a light emitting element 41 shown in FIG. 2) is placed at a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen (screen 10 shown in FIG. 1). A coordinate input device that generates a light spot by irradiating and detects the light spot to generate a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen,
A plurality of sensors (linear sensors 20 shown in FIG. 4) that detect a corresponding spot light that blinks at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen by a sensor array arranged on a straight line.
X, 20Y), and the electric charge corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected by each sensor is stored in the sensor array through the sensor array while synchronizing with the predetermined cycle of the light spot, and the time when the spot light is turned on and off. An imaging means (integration shown in FIG. 8) which integrates the signals for lighting and separately transfers the charge of each pixel, and obtains and outputs a difference signal from the signals for lighting and non-lighting of the spotlight. Unit 22, storage unit 23, ring CCD 26, amplifier 29), detection means (coordinate calculation means 32 shown in FIG. 4) for detecting the maximum pixel indicating the maximum value of the difference signal output from the imaging means, and Selecting means (coordinate calculating means 32 shown in FIG. 4) for selecting each of m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the means, and determining means for determining the validity of 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting means And coordinate calculating means 32) shown in FIG. 4,
Coordinate calculation means (coordinates shown in FIG. 4) for performing a coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected by the selection means based on the determination result by the determination means and calculating a coordinate value designated by the pointing device. Computing means 32).

In a third aspect according to the present invention, the determining means compares a predetermined threshold level with 2m + 1 pixel data to determine the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting means. It is to judge.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the determining means determines the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting means by comparing a total value of 2m + 1 pixel data with a predetermined value. Is what you do.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, light emitted from an indicator (instruction unit 4 shown in FIG. 4) having a light emitting element (light emitting element 41 shown in FIG. 2) is displayed on a coordinate input screen (FIG. 1). A coordinate input device for generating a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen by generating a light spot by irradiating a predetermined position on the screen 10) shown in FIG. A plurality of sensors (linear sensors 20X and 20Y shown in FIG. 4) for detecting a corresponding spot light blinking at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of the input screen by a linearly arranged sensor array, A signal corresponding to the light amount of the spot light is stored separately through a sensor array while synchronizing with a predetermined cycle of the light spot, and signals for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light are respectively separated. Integrating the imaging means obtains and outputs a difference signal from the signal of the time of lighting of the spot light and the non-lit while transferring the charge of each pixel (integrator 2 shown in FIG. 8
2, storage unit 23, ring CCD 26, amplifier 29),
A pixel selection means (coordinate calculation means 32 shown in FIG. 4) for selecting a specific effective pixel from difference data based on the difference signal output from the imaging means; First and second coordinate calculation means (coordinate calculation means 32 shown in FIG. 4) for performing different coordinate calculation processing based on the difference data, and the respective coordinate values calculated by the first and second coordinate calculation means. Determining means (coordinate calculating means 32 shown in FIG. 4) for judging the validity of the coordinate values calculated by comparison, and outputting the output data of the pixel selected by the selecting means based on the judgment result by the judging means. And a coordinate output means (coordinate calculation means 32 shown in FIG. 4) for calculating a coordinate value designated by the pointing tool and outputting the calculated coordinate value.

In a sixth aspect according to the present invention, the pixel selection means detects a maximum pixel indicating a maximum value of a differential signal output from the imaging means, and the pixel selection means detects the maximum pixel. The maximum pixel before and after each
First extraction means for extracting a total of 2m + 1 pieces of valid data, and second extraction means for extracting m + 1 pieces of data before and after the maximum pixel detected by the peak detection means, ie, a total of 2m + 3 pieces of valid data. Is provided.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the first coordinate calculation means and the second coordinate calculation means execute coordinate value calculation processing according to different calculation processes.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a light receiving element (light receiving element 6 shown in FIG. 4) for detecting a corresponding spot light flickering at a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen at a predetermined period, and the light receiving element. Detecting means (frequency detecting means 71 shown in FIG. 4) for detecting a signal of a specific frequency from a corresponding spot light blinking at a predetermined cycle detected by the detecting means, and a signal of the specific frequency detected by the detecting means. Control means (sensor control means 31 shown in FIG. 4) for controlling the timing of the integration operation by the image pickup means.

In a ninth aspect according to the present invention, the imaging means has a removing means (skim section 28 shown in FIG. 8) for removing a fixed amount of charges from the transferred charges.

In a tenth aspect according to the present invention, the coordinate calculation means detects that a peak level in the difference signal exceeds a predetermined value, thereby stopping the integration operation of the imaging means. Means.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the width of the image of the light spot formed on the image pickup means is adjusted to be larger than the width of the pixel of each sensor (the cylindrical lens shown in FIG. 7). 90X, 90Y).

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, light emitted from a pointing device (a pointing device 4 shown in FIG. 4) having a light emitting device (a light emitting device 41 shown in FIG. 2) is displayed on a coordinate input screen (FIG. 1). A coordinate value output method of a coordinate input device that generates a light spot by irradiating a predetermined position on a screen 10) shown in FIG. 1 and detects the light spot to generate a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A plurality of sensors (linear sensors 20X, 20 shown in FIG. 4) for detecting a corresponding spot light blinking at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of the coordinate input screen by a sensor array arranged in a straight line.
Y) A signal corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected from step (A) is stored in the sensor array via a sensor array, and a signal for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light is generated in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot. An imaging step (not shown) of integrating and separately transferring a charge of each pixel to obtain and output a difference signal from each signal when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not illuminated; A detection step (step (3) in FIG. 16) for detecting the maximum pixel indicating the maximum value of the difference signal obtained, and a selection step for selecting m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected in the detection step (FIG. 16) Step (3)) and a coordinate calculation step of performing a coordinate calculation using the output data of the pixel selected in the selection step to calculate a coordinate value designated by the pointing tool (Step (5) in FIG. 16, (7)) And it has a.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, light emitted from an indicator (indicator 4 shown in FIG. 4) having a light emitting element (light emitting element 41 shown in FIG. 2) is displayed on a coordinate input screen (FIG. 1). A coordinate value output method of a coordinate input device that generates a light spot by irradiating a predetermined position on a screen 10) shown in FIG. 1 and detects the light spot to generate a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A plurality of sensors (linear sensors 20X and 20 shown in FIG. 7) for detecting corresponding spot lights that blink at a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen at a predetermined cycle by a sensor array arranged in a straight line.
Y) Lighting of the spot light in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot while accumulating the charge corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected from (Y) via a sensor array (sensor array 21 shown in FIG. 8). An imaging step (not shown) in which the signals of the spot light and the non-lighting are separately integrated, and a difference signal is obtained from each signal of the spotlight when the spotlight is lit and the signal when the spotlight is not lit, while transferring the electric charge of each pixel. ), A detecting step (step (3) shown in FIG. 17) for detecting the maximum pixel indicating the maximum value of the difference signal output from the imaging step, and m detecting pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detecting step. A selection step of selecting a pixel (step (3) shown in FIG. 14);
Based on a determination step (step (4) shown in FIG. 17) for determining the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected in the selection step, and a determination result in the determination step,
A coordinate calculation step of performing a coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected in the selection step and calculating a coordinate value designated by the pointing tool (step (5) shown in FIG. 17,
(7)).

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the judging step (step (4) in FIG. 17), a predetermined threshold level is compared with 2m + 1 pieces of pixel data and selected by the selecting means. This is to determine the validity of 2m + 1 pixel data.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, the determining means (step (4) in FIG. 17) compares the sum of 2m + 1 pieces of pixel data with a predetermined value and selects 2m + 1 selected by the selecting means. This is to determine the validity of the pixel data.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen (the screen 10 shown in FIG. 1) is irradiated with light emitted from an indicator having a light emitting element (the light emitting element 41 shown in FIG. 2). And generating a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen by detecting the light spot. A plurality of sensors (linear sensors 20X and 20Y shown in FIG. 4) that detect a corresponding spot light that blinks at a predetermined cycle on a position by a sensor array arranged in a straight line according to the light amount of the spot light While accumulating the electric charges through the sensor array, the signals for the lighting and non-lighting of the spot light are separately integrated in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot, and each pixel is integrated. An imaging step (not shown) for obtaining and outputting a difference signal from each signal of the spot light during lighting and non-lighting while transferring the load; and identifying from difference data based on the difference signal output from the imaging step. Pixel selection step (step (4) in FIG. 18,
(5)) and first and second coordinate calculation processes (steps (4) and (4) in FIG. 18) for performing different coordinate calculation processes based on difference data for each specific effective pixel selected in the pixel selection process. 5)) and a determining step (Step (6) in FIG. 18) of comparing the coordinate values calculated in the first and second coordinate calculating steps to determine the validity of the calculated coordinate values; Based on the result of the determination by the determination step,
Coordinate output step (Steps (6) and (9) in FIG. 18) in which a coordinate calculation is performed using output data of the pixel selected in the selection step, and a coordinate value specified by the pointing tool is calculated and output. And

According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, in the pixel selecting step, a peak detecting step of detecting a maximum pixel indicating a maximum value of a difference signal output from the imaging step (step (4) in FIG. 18). A first extraction step (step (4) in FIG. 18) for extracting m pieces of valid data before and after the maximum pixel detected in the peak detection step, that is, a total of 2m + 1 pieces of valid data; And a second extraction step (step (5) in FIG. 18) of extracting m + 1 pieces of valid data before and after the maximum pixel, that is, a total of 2m + 3 valid data.

According to an eighteenth aspect of the present invention, the first coordinate calculation step and the second coordinate calculation step execute coordinate value calculation processing according to different calculation processes.

According to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a corresponding spot light blinking at a predetermined cycle detected by a light receiving element for detecting a corresponding spot light flickering at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen. A detecting step (not shown) of detecting a signal of a specific frequency from the first step; and a determining step (not shown) of determining the timing of the integration operation by the imaging step based on the signal of the specific frequency detected in the detecting step. Have

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, the imaging step includes a removing step (not shown) for removing a fixed amount of charge from the transferred charge.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, in the coordinate calculation step, a stop step of stopping an integration operation of the imaging step by detecting that a peak level in the difference signal exceeds a predetermined value. (Not shown).

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, the width of the image of the light spot formed in the imaging step is adjusted to be larger than the width of the pixel of each sensor.

The twenty-third invention according to the present invention relates to a coordinate input screen (FIG. 1) in which light emitted from a pointing device (a pointing device 4 shown in FIG. 4) including a light emitting device (a light emitting device 41 shown in FIG. 2) is provided. A computer that controls a coordinate input device that generates a light spot by irradiating a predetermined position on the screen 10) shown in FIG. 1 and detects the light spot to generate a coordinate output signal corresponding to the predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A storage medium storing a readable program, wherein a plurality of sensors (FIG. 4) for detecting a corresponding spot light that blinks at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen by a sensor array arranged in a straight line. Linear sensors 20X, 20 shown
Y) A signal corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected from step (A) is stored in the sensor array via a sensor array, and a signal for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light is generated in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot. An imaging step (not shown) of integrating and separately transferring a charge of each pixel to obtain and output a difference signal from each signal when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not illuminated; A detection step (step (3) in FIG. 16) for detecting the maximum pixel indicating the maximum value of the difference signal obtained, and a selection step for selecting m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected in the detection step (FIG. 16) Step (3)) and a coordinate calculation step of performing a coordinate calculation using the output data of the pixel selected in the selection step to calculate a coordinate value designated by the pointing tool (Step (5) in FIG. 16, (7)) Computer with are those that stores readable program storage medium.

According to a twenty-fourth aspect of the present invention, the light emitted from the pointing device (the pointing device 4 shown in FIG. 4) including the light emitting device (the light emitting device 41 shown in FIG. 2) is set at a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A storage that stores a computer-readable program that controls a coordinate input device that generates a light spot by irradiating and detects the light spot to generate a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. The medium is a coordinate input screen (screen 1 shown in FIG. 1).
0), a plurality of sensors (linear sensors 20X, 20 shown in FIG. 7) for detecting the corresponding spot light flickering at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position by a sensor array arranged on a straight line.
Y) Lighting of the spot light in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot while accumulating the charge corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected from (Y) via a sensor array (sensor array 21 shown in FIG. 8). An imaging step (not shown) in which the signals of the spot light and the non-lighting are separately integrated, and a difference signal is obtained from each signal of the spotlight when the spotlight is lit and the signal when the spotlight is not lit, while transferring the electric charge of each pixel. ), A detecting step (step (3) shown in FIG. 17) for detecting the maximum pixel indicating the maximum value of the difference signal output from the imaging step, and m detecting pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detecting step. A selecting step of selecting a pixel (step (3) shown in FIG. 17);
Based on a determination step (step (4) shown in FIG. 17) for determining the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected in the selection step, and a determination result in the determination step,
A coordinate calculation step of performing a coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected in the selection step and calculating a coordinate value designated by the pointing tool (step (5) shown in FIG. 17,
And (7)) a computer-readable program stored in a storage medium.

According to a twenty-fifth aspect of the present invention, in the judging step (step (4) in FIG. 17), a predetermined threshold level is compared with 2m + 1 pieces of pixel data and selected by the selecting means. A computer readable program for determining the validity of 2m + 1 pixel data is stored in a storage medium.

According to a twenty-sixth aspect of the present invention, in the determination means (step (4) in FIG. 17), the sum value of 2m + 1 pixel data is compared with a predetermined value to select the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selection means. A computer-readable program for determining the validity of the pixel data is stored in a storage medium.

According to a twenty-seventh aspect of the present invention, a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen (screen 10 shown in FIG. 1) is irradiated with light emitted from an indicator having a light emitting element (light emitting element 41 shown in FIG. 2). A storage medium storing a computer-readable program that controls a coordinate input device that generates a light spot and generates a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen by detecting the light spot A plurality of sensors (linear sensors 20X and 20Y shown in FIG. 4) that detect a corresponding spot light blinking at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of the coordinate input screen by a sensor array arranged in a straight line. The electric charge corresponding to the light amount of the spot light is stored in the sensor array via the sensor array and the spot of the spot light is synchronized with a predetermined cycle of the light spot. An imaging step (not shown) in which the signals of the spot light and the non-lighting are separately integrated, and a difference signal is obtained from each signal of the spotlight when the spotlight is lit and the signal when the spotlight is not lit, while transferring the electric charge of each pixel. ) And a pixel selection step of selecting a specific effective pixel from difference data based on the difference signal output from the imaging step (step (4) in FIG. 18,
(5)) and first and second coordinate calculation processes (steps (4) and (4) in FIG. 18) for performing different coordinate calculation processes based on difference data for each specific effective pixel selected in the pixel selection process. 5)) and a determining step (Step (6) in FIG. 18) of comparing the coordinate values calculated in the first and second coordinate calculating steps to determine the validity of the calculated coordinate values; Based on the result of the determination by the determination step,
Coordinate output step (Steps (6) and (9) in FIG. 18) in which a coordinate calculation is performed using output data of the pixel selected in the selection step, and a coordinate value specified by the pointing tool is calculated and output. And

According to a twenty-eighth aspect of the present invention, in the pixel selecting step, a peak detecting step of detecting a maximum pixel indicating a maximum value of a difference signal output from the imaging step (step (4) in FIG. 18). A first extraction step (step (4) in FIG. 18) for extracting m pieces of valid data before and after the maximum pixel detected in the peak detection step, that is, a total of 2m + 1 pieces of valid data; A computer-readable program having a second extraction step (step (5) in FIG. 18) for extracting m + 1 pieces of valid data before and after the maximum pixel, that is, 2m + 3 in total. is there.

According to a twenty-ninth aspect of the present invention, the first coordinate calculation step and the second coordinate calculation step include a computer-readable program for executing a coordinate value calculation process according to different calculation processes. Is stored in.

According to a thirtieth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a corresponding spot light blinking at a predetermined cycle detected by a light receiving element for detecting a corresponding spot light flickering at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen. A detecting step (not shown) of detecting a signal of a specific frequency from the first step; and a determining step (not shown) of determining the timing of the integration operation by the imaging step based on the signal of the specific frequency detected in the detecting step. Computer-readable program stored in a storage medium.

According to a thirty-first aspect of the present invention, in the imaging step, a computer readable program having a removing step (not shown) for removing a fixed amount of charges from the transferred charges is stored in a storage medium. It was done.

In a thirty-second invention according to the present invention, in the coordinate calculation step, a stop step of stopping an integration operation of the imaging step by detecting that a peak level in the difference signal exceeds a predetermined value. (Not shown). A computer-readable program stored in a storage medium.

[0049] A thirty-third invention according to the present invention is a computer readable program for adjusting a width of an image of said light spot formed in said imaging step so as to be larger than a width of a pixel of each said sensor. Is stored in a storage medium.

[0050]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of a coordinate input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. On the other hand, an indicator 4 for forming a light spot and a coordinate detector 1 for detecting the position coordinates and the like of the light spot 5 on the screen 10 are used as an output device to display an image or the above-described position information on the screen 10. A projection type display device (image carrying unit) 8 is described.

In the figure, a coordinate detector 1 comprises a coordinate detection sensor unit 2, a controller 3 for controlling the sensor unit and calculating coordinates, a control signal detection sensor 6, and a signal processing unit 7. The coordinate position of the light spot 5 of the indicator 4 on the screen 10 and a control signal corresponding to the state of each switch of the indicator 4 to be described later are detected, and the controller 3 sends the information to an external connection device (not shown). To communicate.

The projection display device 8 includes an image signal processing unit 81 to which an image signal from a display signal source, which is an external connection device such as a computer (not shown), is input, a liquid crystal panel 82 controlled by the image signal processing unit 81, An illumination optical system including a lamp 83, a mirror 84, and a condenser lens 85, and a projection lens 86 for projecting an image of the liquid crystal panel 82 onto the screen 10.
The desired image information can be displayed on the screen 10. Since the screen 10 has an appropriate light diffusing property in order to widen the observation range of the projected image, the light beam emitted from the pointing tool 4 is also diffused at the position of the light spot 5, and the position on the screen and A part of the light diffused at the position of the light spot 5 is incident on the coordinate detector 1 irrespective of the direction of the light beam.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the details of the pointing tool 4 shown in FIG. 1. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. A light-emitting element 41 composed of a semiconductor laser that emits a beam, a light-emission control unit 42 for driving and controlling the light emission, a power supply unit 44, and four operation switches 43A to 43D are built in.

In the figure, the light emission control means 42 controls the emission of light by changing the state of four operation switches 43A to 43D.
Light emission control in which a control signal is superimposed is performed by N / OFF and a modulation method described later.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an operation mode of the pointing device 4 shown in FIG. 2, and the switches A to D correspond to the switches 43A to 43D in FIG.

In the drawing, "light emission" corresponds to a light emission signal (coordinate signal), and "pen down" and "pen button" correspond to control signals.

The operator holds the pointing device 4 and holds the screen 1
Point its tip at zero. At this time, the switch 43A is arranged at a position where the thumb naturally touches, and when this switch is pressed, the light beam 45 is emitted. Thereby, a light spot 5 (see FIG. 1) is generated on the screen 10, and
The coordinate signal starts to be output by a predetermined process. In this state, the pen down and pen button control signals are “OF”.
F ". For this reason, on the screen 10,
Only the indication of the designated position to the operator by the movement of the cursor or the switching of the highlight of the button is performed.

By pressing the switches 43C and 43D arranged at positions where the index finger and the middle finger naturally touch, the control signals of "pen down" and "pen button" are superimposed on the light emission signal as shown in FIG. Signal.
That is, by pressing the switch 43C, the state becomes “pen down”, and input of characters and line drawings is started,
Screen control such as selecting and deciding a button can be executed.

Similarly, when the switch 43D is pressed, the state becomes a "pen button", and it is possible to correspond to another function such as calling a menu. Thus, the operator can operate lightly and quickly by drawing a character or a figure or selecting a button or a menu at an arbitrary position on the screen 10 with one hand.

A switch 4 is provided at the tip of the pointing device 4.
A switch 3B is provided and operates when the pointing tool 4 is pressed against the screen 10. The operator grips the pointing device 4 and touches the tip of the pointing device 4 on the screen 1.
Since the pen is pressed down to zero, a natural pen input operation can be performed without performing extra button operations. The switch 43A has a role of a pen button. Of course, if the switch 43A is pressed without pressing the screen, only the cursor can be moved.

In practice, the operability and accuracy are much better when the character or figure is directly touched than when the character or figure is input away from the screen. In the present embodiment, even if the user is away from the screen by using the four switches as described above or just before the screen,
It is configured so that natural and comfortable operation is possible and that it can be used properly depending on the case.

Furthermore, if it is only for direct input (not used as a pointer), a diffused light source may be used instead of a light beam, so that it is possible to use an LED which is cheaper and longer in life than a semiconductor laser.

In addition, when two types of pointing tools 4 for proximity and remote use are used in this way, two or more operators operate simultaneously, or a plurality of pointing tools 4 having different attributes such as color and thickness are used. Therefore, the light emission control means 42 is set to transmit a unique ID number together with a control signal.

Then, corresponding to the transmitted ID number,
Attributes such as the thickness and color of the line to be drawn are determined by software or the like on the externally connected device, and the settings can be changed using buttons or menus on the screen 10. For this operation, an operation button or the like may be separately provided on the indicating tool 4 to transmit a change instruction signal, and these settings may be maintained in the indicating tool 4 or the coordinate detector 1. It is also possible to configure so that attribute information, instead of the ID number, is transmitted to the externally connected device.

Further, such additional operation buttons can be set so that other functions such as blinking of a display device, switching of a signal source, operation of a recording device, and the like can be performed. Further, by providing a pressure detecting means in one or both of the switches 43A and 43B, pen pressure detection is performed, and various useful signals such as transmitting this pen pressure data together with a control signal can be transmitted. is there.

When the switch 43A or the switch 43B of the pointing device 4 is turned "ON", light emission is started, and the light emission signal is composed of a reader unit composed of a relatively long continuous pulse train and a code (such as a manufacturer ID) following the reader unit. Is output first, and then the information is sequentially output according to a predefined order and format of a transmission data string including a pen ID and a control signal (LS shown in FIG. 5 described later).
G signal).

In this embodiment, in each data bit, the "1" bit is formed in a modulation format having an interval twice as long as the "0" bit. Various ones can be used.

However, as will be described later, it is desirable that the average amount of light is constant for coordinate detection, and that the clock component is sufficiently large for tuning the PLL. Considering that there is no problem even if the redundancy is relatively high, in this embodiment,
Six bits (64 pieces) of data are allocated to 108 codes of the same number of “1” and “0” and 10 or less consecutive “1” or “0” among 10-bit length codes. Encoding by the method.

By adopting such an encoding system, the average power becomes constant and a sufficient clock component is included, so that a stable synchronization signal can be easily generated at the time of demodulation.

As described above, the pen down and pen button control signals are 2 bits, but other long data such as an ID must also be transmitted. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the first two bits are a control signal, the next two bits are a content identification code (for example, a pen pressure signal is “00”, an ID is “11”, etc.), with 24 bits as one block,
The next two bits are composed of these parities, and subsequently, 16-bit data and 2-bit parities are arranged to form one block of data.

When such data is encoded by the method described above, a signal having a length of 40 bits is obtained. A 10-bit sync code is added to the head of the code. In this sync code, four “0” s and five “1s” continue or an inverted pattern thereof (the end of the immediately preceding block is
Using a special code of "1" or "0"), it is easy to identify the data word, and it is possible to reliably identify the position and restore the data even in the middle of the data string. Has become.

Accordingly, one block becomes a transmission signal having a length of 50 bits, and a control signal and data such as a 16-bit ID or writing pressure are transmitted. In this embodiment,
7.5 kHz of 1/8 of the first frequency of 60 kHz is used as the second frequency.
The average transmission bit rate is 2/3, that is, 5 kHz because the above-described encoding method is adopted. Further, since one block is 50 bits, 24 bits of data are transmitted at 100 Hz.

Therefore, the effective bit rate excluding the parity is 2000 bits / sec. As described above, although the redundancy is high, it is a method that can prevent erroneous detection and facilitate synchronization with a very simple configuration.

Further, by using a phase synchronization signal for sensor control described later and checking the repetition period of the sync code, even if a short dropout occurs in the signal, the signal can be followed. The discrimination from the case where a quick operation such as pen-up or double tap is performed can be surely performed by the presence or absence of the header signal.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the coordinate detector 1 shown in FIG. 1. The same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the figure, a coordinate detector 1 includes a light receiving element 6 for detecting the amount of light with high sensitivity by a condensing optical system, and two linear sensors 20X and 2OY for detecting an arrival direction of light by an imaging optical system. Is provided, and receives the diffused light from the light spot 5 generated on the screen 10 by the light beam from the light emitting element 41 built in the pointing tool 4.

The light receiving element 6 is provided with a condenser lens 6a (see FIG. 1) as a condenser optical system, and detects a light amount of a predetermined wavelength with high sensitivity from the entire range on the screen 10. After the detection output is detected by the frequency detection unit 71, the control signal detection unit 72 demodulates a digital signal including data such as a control signal (a signal superimposed by the light emission control unit 42 of the indicator 4).

FIGS. 5 and 6 show the coordinate detector 1 shown in FIG.
5 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the control signal, and particularly corresponds to a timing chart of the operation of restoring the control signal.

In FIG. 5, a data signal composed of a bit string as described above is converted into a light output signal LSG by the light receiving element 6.
And detected by the frequency detecting means 71. The frequency detecting means 71 is configured to tune to the pulse cycle of the highest first frequency in the optical output signal LSG,
By using it together with an optical filter, the modulation signal CMD is demodulated without being affected by disturbance light.

This detection method is similar to a widely used infrared remote controller, and is a highly reliable wireless communication system. In the present embodiment, the first frequency is set to 60 kHz which is a higher band than that of a generally used infrared remote controller, and is configured so as not to malfunction even when used at the same time. The frequency can be set to the same band as that of a generally used infrared remote controller. In such a case, malfunction is prevented by identifying the frequency with an ID or the like.

The modulated signal CMD detected by the frequency detecting means 71 is interpreted as digital data by the control signal detecting means 72, and the above-mentioned control signals such as pen-down and pen buttons are restored. The restored control signal is sent to the communication control means 33.

The code modulation period, which is the second frequency included in the modulation signal CMD, is detected by the sensor control means 31, and the signal is used to detect the period of the linear sensor 20.
X and 20Y are controlled.

That is, in the sensor control means 31, FIG.
Is reset at the timing of the header section (HEADER) shown in FIG. 1, and then a signal LCK synchronized with the falling edge of the modulation signal CMD is generated. Therefore, the generated signal LCK is a signal of a constant frequency synchronized with the presence or absence of light emission of the pointing device 4.

From the modulation signal CMD, a signal LON indicating the presence or absence of light input and a sensor reset signal RCL activated by the signal LON are generated. While the sensor reset signal RCL is at a high level, the two linear sensors 20X and 20Y are reset, and a synchronous integration operation described later is started at the falling timing of the sensor reset signal RCL synchronized with the rising of the signal LCK.

On the other hand, when the control signal detecting means 72 detects the header portion and confirms that the input from the pointing device 4 has been started instead of other equipment or noise, a signal indicating this confirmation is transmitted to the communication control means 33. Is transmitted to the sensor control means 31 and the signal CON indicating the validity of the operation of the linear sensors 20X and 20Y is set to a high level, and the operation of the coordinate calculation means 32 is started.

FIG. 6 is a timing chart at the end of a series of operations when the light output signal LSG is lost. When the modulation signal CMD detected from the light output signal LSG keeps the low level for a certain period of time, the presence or absence of light input is determined. Becomes low level, and the signal CON showing validity of the sensor operation also becomes low level. As a result, the output operation of the coordinates by the linear sensors 20X and 20Y ends.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship between two linear sensors 20X and 20Y provided in the coordinate detector 1 shown in FIG. 4, and the same components as those in FIGS. The code is attached.

In the drawing, the image of the light spot 5 is formed as linear images 91X and 91Y on the photosensitive portions 21X and 21Y of the sensors by the cylindrical lenses 90X and 90Y as the image forming optical system.

The two linear sensors 20X and 20Y
Are arranged at right angles to obtain an output having a peak at a pixel reflecting the X coordinate and the Y coordinate, respectively. These two sensors are controlled by a sensor control means 31 shown in FIG. 4, and an output signal is sent to a coordinate calculation means 32 as a digital signal by an AD conversion means 31A connected to the sensor control means 31. Is calculated, and the result is transmitted to an external control device (not shown) by a predetermined communication method via the communication control means 33 together with data such as a control signal from the control signal detection means 72.

In order to perform an unusual operation (for example, setting of a user calibration value) such as adjustment, the communication control unit 33 sends a command to the sensor control unit 31 and the coordinate calculation unit 3.
A mode switching signal is sent to 2.

In the present embodiment, the focus is adjusted so that the image of the light spot 5 has an image width several times as large as the pixel of each sensor, and blur is intentionally caused. 1.5mm diameter
Plastic cylindrical lens and pixel pitch of about 15μ
According to experiments using a linear CCD with an effective pixel of 64 pixels and an infrared LED, the sharpest image was about 4
The image width becomes 15 μm or less over the entire angle of view of 0 °,
In such a state, it has been found that the pixel division calculation result is distorted in a stepwise manner.

Then, the image width is changed from “30” to “60” μm.
When the position of the lens was adjusted to the degree, very smooth coordinate data was obtained. Of course, if the image is largely blurred, the peak level will be reduced. Therefore, an image width of about several pixels is optimal.

Further, the use of a CCD having a small number of pixels and a moderately blurred optical system is one of the points of the present embodiment. By using such a combination, the amount of operation data is small and small. An extremely high-resolution, high-accuracy, high-speed, and low-cost coordinate input device can be realized with a sensor and an optical system.

The linear sensor 20X for detecting the X coordinate and the linear sensor 20Y for detecting the Y coordinate, which are arranged in an array, have the same configuration, and the internal configuration is shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the linear sensor 20X for detecting the X coordinate and the linear sensor 20Y for detecting the Y coordinate shown in FIG.

In the figure, a sensor array 2 serving as a light receiving section is shown.
1 is composed of N pixels (64 pixels in this embodiment),
The charge corresponding to the amount of received light is stored in the integration unit 22. The N integrating units 22 can be reset by applying a voltage to the gate ICG, so that the electronic shutter operation can be performed. The electric charge stored in the integrating section 22 is applied to the electrode S
By applying a pulse voltage to T, the signal is transferred to the storage unit 23.

The storage section 23 is composed of 2N pieces, and charges are separately stored corresponding to H (high level) and L (low level) of the signal LCK synchronized with the light emission timing of the indicator 4. .

Thereafter, the electric charges separately accumulated in synchronism with the blinking of the light are transferred to the 2N linear CCD sections via the 2N shift sections 24 provided for simplifying the transfer clock. 25.

Thus, the linear CCD section 25 has N
The electric charges corresponding to the blinking of the light output from the sensor output of the pixel are stored adjacent to each other. These linear CCDs
The charges arranged in the part 25 are 2N ring CCs.
The data is sequentially transferred to the D unit 26. This ring CCD section 26
Is emptied in the CLR unit 27 by the signal RCL,
The charges from the linear CCD unit 25 are sequentially accumulated.

The charges thus accumulated are read out by the amplifier 29. The amplifier 29 is non-destructive and outputs a voltage proportional to the accumulated charge amount. In practice, the difference between the adjacent charge amounts, that is, the light emitting element 4
A value of a difference obtained by subtracting the charge amount at the time of non-lighting from the charge amount at the time of lighting 1 is amplified and output.

The linear sensors 20X, 20 obtained at this time
An example of the Y output waveform is shown in FIGS.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are characteristic diagrams showing an example of output waveforms of the linear sensors 20X and 20Y shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, wherein the vertical axis indicates the output level.

In FIG. 9, the waveform B is a waveform when only the signal when the light emitting element 41 is turned on is read, and the waveform A is a waveform when the light emitting element 41 is not turned on, that is, only the disturbance light. (As shown in FIG. 8, charges of pixels corresponding to the waveforms of A and B are arranged adjacent to each other on the ring CCD section 26).

The amplifier 29 non-destructively amplifies the difference value (the waveform of B-A) between adjacent charge amounts and outputs the amplified signal. Thus, an image signal of only the light from the indicator 4 is obtained. This allows stable coordinate input without being affected by disturbance light (noise).

If the maximum value of the waveform B-A shown in FIG. 9 is defined as the PEAK value, if the accumulation time during which the sensor functions with respect to light is increased, the PEAK value is changed according to the time.
The value increases.

In other words, if the time corresponding to one cycle of the signal LCK is defined as a unit accumulation time, and the number of accumulations n is defined in units of the unit accumulation time, the PEAK value increases by increasing the number of accumulations n. By detecting that a predetermined magnitude (threshold value TH1 to be described later) has been reached, it is possible to always obtain an output waveform of a constant quality.

On the other hand, when the disturbance light is very strong, the ring CC may be used before the peak of the difference waveform BA becomes sufficiently large.
There is a possibility that the transfer charge of the D section 26 is saturated. In consideration of such a case, the sensor is provided with a skim portion 28 having a skim function.

The skim unit 28 monitors the level of the non-lighting signal. In FIG. 10, when the signal level exceeds a predetermined value at the n-th An (in FIG. 10, a dashed line in FIG. 10), a predetermined amount of electric charge is generated. A pixel is extracted from each of A and B pixels.

As a result, at the next (n + 1) -th time, An +
The waveform shown in FIG. 1 is obtained. By repeating this waveform, signal charges can be continuously stored without saturation even when extremely strong disturbance light is present.

Therefore, even if the amount of the blinking light is weak,
By continuing the integration operation many times, a sufficiently large signal waveform can be obtained.

In particular, when a light source in the visible light range is used for the pointing device 4, a signal of a display image is superimposed. Therefore, by using the above-described skim function and difference output, a sharp waveform with very little noise is obtained. It becomes possible.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a first data processing procedure in the coordinate input device according to the present embodiment.
This corresponds to a series of operation procedures of sensor control of 0X and 20Y. Note that (1) to (11) indicate each step.

When the sensor control means 31 starts the sensor control operation, in step (1), the signal CO shown in FIG.
Monitor N. When the signal CON goes high, the flag pon is set to "1" in step (2), the number of accumulations n is reset to "0", and step (3)
It is determined whether or not the PEAK value (peak level) of the sensor output is larger than a predetermined value (threshold value TH1). If it is smaller than the threshold value TH1, it is determined in step (4) that the number of accumulations n Is determined to have exceeded the first predetermined number n0. If it is determined that the number has not exceeded the predetermined number n0, the process proceeds to step (5), the number of accumulations n is incremented by "1", and the process returns to step (3).

On the other hand, in step (3), when the PEAK value is T
Judged to be greater than H1, or step (4)
When it is determined that the accumulation number n exceeds the first predetermined number n0, the process proceeds to step (6), where the integration stop signal RON becomes high level (H), and the integration operation is stopped. . Then, the coordinate value calculation processing by the coordinate calculation means 32 is started.

Thereafter, step (7) and step (8)
If it is determined that the second predetermined number of times n1 has been exceeded in the loop of (2), in step (9), the integration stop signal RON goes low, and at the same time, several times the period of the signal LCK (the example in FIG. 6). During this time, the sensor reset signal RCL goes high, and the process proceeds to step (11), where the signal CON is reset.
Are determined to be at the high level, the operations of steps (2) to (11) are repeated, and the coordinate value calculation is performed in each cycle determined by the predetermined number n1.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step (11) that the signal CON is at the low level, the state is maintained only once even if the signal CON drops due to the influence of dust or the like. In step (10), the process waits for one cycle time and returns to step (1). If it is determined that the signal CON is at the low level for two consecutive periods, the process returns from step (1). Proceed to step (12)
The flag pon is reset to “0”, the state is set to a wait state for a sync signal, and the process returns to step (1).

As shown in step (1), this dropout countermeasure portion can be longer than one cycle, and needless to say, can be eliminated if the disturbance is small.

Note that the same operation can be performed by setting one cycle here as a natural number multiple of the above-described data block cycle and matching the sync code timing, and using a sync code detection signal instead of the signal CON.

The light of the indicator 4 reaching the coordinate detector 1 fluctuates due to the consumption of the power supply unit (battery) 44 built in the indicator 4 and also varies depending on the attitude of the indicator 4. In particular, when the light diffusing property of the screen 10 is small, the front luminance of the displayed image is improved, but the fluctuation of the amount of light input to the sensor due to the posture of the pointing tool 4 is increased.

However, in this embodiment, even in such a case, the number of integrations automatically follows, and a stable output signal can always be obtained, so that an excellent coordinate detection can be performed. The effect is obtained.

When the beam of the laser pointer is incident on the sensor without being scattered, considerably intense light enters, but it is clear that stable coordinates can be detected even in such a case. .

Further, the LE used by directly touching the screen is used.
When a pen type using D and a laser pointer are used together, LEDs with a larger light amount can be used. Therefore, the number of integrations n0 and n1 shown in FIG. It is also possible to switch the sampling speed in the case of a pen and the sampling speed in the case of a pointer.

Actually, it is impossible to draw a delicate drawing operation like a character input by a pointer, but it is more convenient to draw a smooth line by low-speed sampling, and it is effective to provide such a switching.

As described above, the high-frequency carrier is added to the blinking light, and the timing of the integration operation is controlled by the demodulated signal having a predetermined period obtained by frequency-detecting the carrier. And the image transfer unit 8 can be synchronized in a cordless manner, and an easy-to-use coordinate input device can be realized.

Further, by using a laser beam, there is obtained an excellent advantage that an operation can be easily performed at a position away from the screen. Further, since the integration control means for detecting that the peak level in the difference signal from the integration means has exceeded a predetermined level and stopping the integration operation is provided, the signal of the light spot image having a substantially constant level even if the light amount changes. Can be created, whereby a stable and high-resolution coordinate calculation result can always be obtained.

Hereinafter, a coordinate calculation process in the coordinate calculation means 32 shown in FIG. 4 will be described.

The output signals (difference signals from the amplifier 29) of the two linear sensors 20X and 20Y obtained as described above are converted into digital signals by the AD conversion means 31A provided in the sensor control means 31, and are used as coordinate calculation means. 32, and the coordinate values are calculated. First, the calculation of the coordinate value is performed by X
Coordinate values (X1, Y1) on the sensor are obtained for the output data in each direction of the coordinate and the Y coordinate. The arithmetic processing is the same as X and Y, so only X will be described.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a second data processing procedure in the coordinate input device according to the present embodiment, and corresponds to a coordinate calculation processing procedure in the coordinate calculation means 32. Note that (1) to (10) indicate each step.

First, in step (1), the counter con
t is initialized to “0”, and in step (2), difference data Dx which is a difference signal of each pixel at an arbitrary coordinate input point (a predetermined point whose coordinates are known in a reference point setting mode described later).
(N) (in the present embodiment, the number of pixels n = 64) is read and stored in, for example, a buffer memory (not shown) in the coordinate calculation means 32.

Next, in step (3), a data value Ex (n) that is equal to or greater than the threshold value V is derived by comparing the threshold value V with a preset threshold value V. Using this data, the coordinates X1 on the sensor are calculated in step (4).

In this embodiment, the centroid of the output data is calculated by the centroid method, but the output data Ex (n)
Needless to say, there are a plurality of calculation methods such as a method of obtaining the peak value of (for example, by a differentiation method).

Next, in step (5), it is determined whether or not the mode of the coordinate calculation processing is the reference point mode.
If ES, the counter cont is incremented by "1" in step (8), and it is determined in step (9) whether the content of the counter cont is larger than "2".
If YES, the process ends.

On the other hand, if NO is determined in step (9), the obtained barycenter value of the X-direction sensor is derived as X1 _cont in step (10), and the known coordinate value α
is stored in the buffer together with _cont, and returns to step (2) (in the case of the present embodiment, cont = 1,
2).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step (5) that the mode is not the reference point setting mode, in step (6), in step (10), the value should be derived using the value stored in the buffer. The X coordinate of the coordinate input point is calculated based on the following equation (1). And step (7)
In order to provide a high-performance coordinate input device, coordinate values are calibrated as needed (for example, the distortion is corrected by a software operation to correct the lens aberration of the optical system). , Determine the coordinate value, output the coordinate value,
The process ends.

Since normal coordinate output is performed using the data acquired in the above-described reference point setting mode, the operation will be described using the X direction as an example.

First, the pointing tool 4 is positioned at points (α ₁ , β ₁ ) and (α ₂ , β ₂ ) on the screen 10 where the X coordinate and the Y coordinate are known. (4) run respectively, the centroid value of the X-direction sensor obtained at each point, X1 _1, X1 derived as _2, the value and the known coordinate values alpha _1, respectively alpha ₂ step (10), (Similarly, the center-of-gravity values Y1 ₁ and Y1 ₂ of the Y-direction sensor are also derived.) At the time of ordinary coordinate calculation using the stored values, the X coordinate of the coordinate input point is calculated based on the following equation (1).

[0137]

X = (X1−X1 ₁ ) (α ₂ −α ₁ ) / (X1 ₂ −X1 ₁ ) + α ₁ (1) In step (7), a higher-performance coordinate input device is provided. For this purpose, the coordinate values are corrected as necessary (for example, the distortion is corrected by a software operation to correct the lens aberration of the optical system), and the coordinate values are determined.

It is possible to output the determined coordinates as they are in real time, or to thin out data according to the purpose (for example, to output only one data for every ten determined coordinates). Needless to say, this is important when the following specifications are assumed.

When the pointing tool 4 is used like a pen,
When used away from the screen as a pointer, the stability of the user's hand is different. When used as a pointer, the cursor on the screen will tremble finely, so it is easier to use such a fine movement. On the other hand, when used like a pen, it is required to follow as quickly as possible. Especially when writing characters, if a small quick operation is not possible, it becomes impossible to input correctly.

In the present embodiment, since the ID is transmitted by the control signal, it is possible to determine whether or not the pointer is of the pointer type and whether or not the tip switch is pressed. Can be determined.

If the pointer is a pointer, for example, the output coordinate values (X-1, Y-1) and (X-2, Y
By calculating the moving average by using -2) and obtaining the current output coordinate values (X, Y), a configuration with less blur and good operability can be obtained.

In this embodiment, a simple moving average is used, but the function used for such smoothing processing is as follows.
In addition, various methods such as non-linear compression of the absolute value of the difference according to the magnitude, and non-linear compression of the difference from the predicted value by the moving average using the predicted value can be used. In short, when using as a pointer, it is possible to increase the smoothing, otherwise it is possible to switch to a weaker by the control signal, so that it is possible to realize a convenient state for each. The effect of the present invention is great.

Note that, as described above, when the coordinate sampling frequency is 100 Hz,
msec, the original data is 64 pixels x
Since 2 (x and y) × AD conversion means are as small as 8 bits and no convergence operation is required, a low-speed 8-bit one-chip microprocessor can sufficiently perform processing. This is advantageous not only in terms of cost but also in that specifications can be easily changed, development time can be shortened, and development of various derivative products can be facilitated.

In particular, unlike the case of using an area sensor, there is no need to develop a dedicated LSI for performing high-speed image data processing, and the advantages such as development cost and development period are very large.

The data signal indicating the coordinate value (X, Y) obtained by the above-described arithmetic processing is supplied to the coordinate arithmetic means 32.
Is sent to the communication control means 33. This communication control means 3
3, the data signal and the control signal from the control signal detecting means 72 are input. The data signal and the control signal are both converted into a communication signal of a predetermined format and sent to an external display control device. This allows
Various operations such as input of a cursor and menu on the screen 10 and input of characters and line drawings can be performed. As described above, even when a sensor with 64 pixels is used, a resolution of more than 1000 and sufficient accuracy can be obtained, and both the sensor and the optical system can be configured in a small and low-cost configuration, and the arithmetic circuit is very small. A coordinate input device that can have a large-scale configuration can be obtained.

In the case where the sensor is configured as an area sensor, doubling the resolution requires four times the number of pixels and calculation data. Only needs to double the number of pixels in each of the X and Y coordinates. Therefore, it is easy to increase the number of pixels to achieve higher resolution.

As described above, according to the embodiment,
Signals of the light spot blinking at a predetermined cycle by the indicator 4 at the time of lighting and at the time of non-lighting are separately integrated to obtain a difference signal,
Since the position of the peak pixel was determined with high accuracy,
A highly accurate and high-resolution coordinate value can be obtained, and furthermore, the influence of disturbance light can be suppressed, and a compact, lightweight, and low-cost coordinate input device can be realized.

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 13 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram illustrating valid data used for coordinate calculation in the coordinate input device according to the embodiment, in which a vertical axis indicates an output level, and a horizontal axis indicates CCD pixels. (A) corresponds to the sampling state of the output level of the conventional system, and (B) corresponds to the sampling state of the output level of the present embodiment.

When valid data is determined based on the threshold level V shown in FIG. 13A, the threshold level V is set with a sufficient margin from the noise level in a state where a sufficient output signal is obtained. Stable coordinate calculation is possible without being affected by noise.

However, the decrease in the detection signal level due to the shortage of the light quantity described above is assumed depending on the condition of the actual use state. Therefore, it is more preferable that the threshold level is set sufficiently small. For example, if the threshold level is set to _VLOW , the coordinates can be calculated with a smaller level of the output signal, but the calculation accuracy is reduced due to the influence of noise.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a third data processing procedure in the coordinate input device according to the present invention, and corresponds to a coordinate calculation processing procedure in the coordinate calculation means 32. Note that (1) to (10) indicate each step.

First, in step (1), the counter con
t is initialized to “0”, and in step (2), difference data Dx which is a difference signal of each pixel at an arbitrary coordinate input point
(N) (the number of pixels n = 64 in the present embodiment) is read and stored in, for example, a buffer memory provided in the coordinate calculation means 32. Next, in step (3), the pixel n _peak at which the output signal becomes the maximum is detected, and in step (4), the maximum pixel n _peak and the data (data number: 2m + 1) for every m pixels on both sides of the pixel are selected. In step (5), the coordinate X
1 is performed based on the arithmetic expression in the figure. Specifically, the center of gravity X1 on the sensor is calculated using the maximum pixel n _peak and the data (the number of data: 2m + 1) for every m pixels on both sides of the pixel.

FIG. 17 shows an example of valid data used for calculation when m = 3.

Next, in step (6), it is determined whether or not the mode of the coordinate calculation process is the reference point mode.
If S, the counter cont is set to "1" in step (9).
Increment the counter c in step (10).
It is determined whether the content of ont is greater than "2",
If YES, the process ends.

[0155] On the other hand, in step (10), when it is determined that the NO, in step (11), the centroid value of the X-direction sensor obtained at each point, X1 _1, X1 ₂ thus derived value as X1 and the known coordinate values α ₁ and α ₂ are stored in the buffer, and the process returns to step (2).

In the barycenter equation in step (5) shown in FIG. 14, effective data used for calculation when m = 3 is as shown in FIG. 13 (B).

[0157] On the other hand, in step (10), when it is determined that the NO, in step (11), the centroid value of the X-direction sensor obtained, X1 _cont value X _cont derived as
Then, the known coordinate value α _cont is stored in the buffer, and the process returns to step (2).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step (6) that the mode is not the reference point setting mode, in step (7), the value should be derived using the value stored in the buffer in step (11). The X coordinate of the coordinate input point is calculated based on the above-mentioned equation (1). And step (8)
In order to provide a high-performance coordinate input device, coordinate values are calibrated as needed (for example, the distortion is corrected by a software operation to correct the lens aberration of the optical system). , Determine the coordinate value, output the coordinate value,
The process ends. Hereinafter, the function and effect of such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 15 is a characteristic diagram showing the coordinate calculation accuracy in the coordinate input device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
The vertical axis indicates the coordinate calculation accuracy, and the horizontal axis indicates each calculation method.
The measurement conditions were such that the amount of light contained in the indicator 4 was sufficiently reduced (danger side setting), and about 10,000 points of the entire coordinate input effective area were measured in a matrix. Then, the absolute coordinate position of the measurement point is compared with the measurement coordinates calculated at the point, and the difference, that is, the coordinate calculation accuracy is summarized. The horizontal axis shows each calculation method and condition, and the vertical axis shows the accuracy of the calculated coordinates. In FIG. 15, Max is the maximum value of the calculated accuracy (the absolute value of the error is the maximum). Accuracy means the average value Avg of 10,000 measurement samples,
And Avg + 3σ derived from the standard deviation σ.

Further, in FIG.
It was found that if the calculation was performed by the conventional method with the voltage set to 75 V, the maximum value Max of the accuracy in the Y direction was significantly deteriorated, and there was an area where the light quantity was insufficient and even the coordinate calculation could not be performed. Of course, by making the threshold level higher, the coordinate calculation accuracy is improved, but the area where the coordinates cannot be calculated is enlarged.

However, if the value of m is set to about “4” using the calculation method of the present embodiment, the coordinates can be calculated in the entire area, and the coordinates calculation accuracy is a value sufficient for practical use. And an excellent effect can be obtained.

That is, when the threshold voltage is set to “0.75” V, the accuracy is degraded or the coordinates cannot be calculated. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the threshold is further lowered. Even when the voltage is set to “0.50” V, an excellent effect that the coordinate calculation can be accurately performed in all regions is obtained.

When the amount of light is further reduced, the determination means based on the threshold value indicates that the level due to spike noise or the like has a peak value, and the pixel n _{peak at} which the output signal in step (3) in FIG. Is provided to prevent an attempt to start the calculation, and 2m +
The threshold value is set so that the noise level does not exceed in all the pixels, so that erroneous detection due to noise can be prevented.

FIG. 17 is a characteristic diagram illustrating the output level of the sensor in the coordinate input device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The vertical axis indicates the output level, and the horizontal axis indicates the CCD pixels. (A) corresponds to the sampling state of the output level of the conventional system, and (B) corresponds to the sampling state of the output level of the present embodiment. The same components as those in FIG. 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

According to the second embodiment, even if the signal level output from the sensor is low, sufficient performance can be exhibited, and a highly reliable coordinate input device can be provided.

Further, as compared with the first embodiment, it is possible to increase the coordinate sampling rate by shortening the integration time, or to weaken the light emission of the LED to reduce the battery 44 built in the indicator 4. It is also possible to extend the life and realize a configuration that is easy to handle.

[Third Embodiment] In the first embodiment,
The light from the light emitting element 41 incorporated in the indicator 4 can be detected as a stable signal by the integration operation of the sensor 20. However, the linear sensor 20
If the amount of light reaching X, 20Y decreases, the number of integration operations relatively increases in order for the peak level of the detection signal to reach the predetermined level, and at the highest, the coordinate calculation sampling rate (coordinates can be calculated in unit time) Points) decrease.
In order to faithfully reproduce a user's handwriting as a coordinate input device, a sampling rate of about several tens of points / sec is desired, and an ability of preferably about 100 points / sec is required.

On the other hand, when an LED is used as the light emitting element 41 in the configuration of the present embodiment, an actual use state is assumed, or an experiment is conducted in consideration of mass production (considering the difference between individuals). Only about several percent of the emitted light amount can reach the linear sensors 20X and 20Y.

On the other hand, as one method of increasing the amount of light,
Increasing the LED emission amount by increasing the LED forward current increases the consumption of the power supply (battery) 44 built in the indicator 4 and reduces the battery life. There is also a breakthrough that allows the power supply unit to be charged, but it cannot be said that the user is in a practically preferable state, such as an increase in the number of times of charging,
There is naturally a limit to measures taken to increase the amount of light of the light emitting element 41.

Therefore, in order to achieve a predetermined integration operation (for example, to achieve a coordinate sampling rate of 100 points / sec,
When the number of integrations n0 and n1 is set so that the maximum integration time per sample is 10 m / sec), even if the PEAK value of the signal output from the sensor does not reach the threshold value TH1, The configuration may be such that coordinate calculation can be performed with high accuracy. Hereinafter, the embodiment will be described.

Therefore, in this embodiment, coordinate information processing is performed according to the procedure shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a fourth data processing procedure in the coordinate input device according to the present invention, and corresponds to a coordinate calculation processing procedure in the coordinate calculation means 32. Note that (1) to (10) indicate each step.

First, in step (1), the counter con
t is initialized to “0”, and in step (2), difference data Dx which is a difference signal of each pixel at an arbitrary coordinate input point
(N) (the number of pixels n = 64 in the present embodiment) is read and stored in, for example, a buffer memory provided in the coordinate calculation means 32. Next, in step (3), a pixel n _peak at which the output signal is maximum is detected. Next, in step (4), the coordinates X1 are calculated based on the calculation formula in the figure. Specifically, the center of gravity X1 on the sensor is calculated using the maximum pixel n _peak and the data (the number of data: 2m + 1) for every m pixels on both sides of the pixel.

Then, in a step (5), it is determined whether or not the mode of the coordinate calculation processing is the reference point mode.
If YES, the counter cont is incremented by "1" in step (8), and it is determined in step (9) whether or not the content of the counter cont is larger than "2". If YES, the process is terminated.

On the other hand, if NO is determined in step (9), in step (11), the obtained center of gravity value of the X-direction sensor is calculated as X1 _cont.
cont and the known coordinate value α _cont are stored in the buffer,
Return to step (2).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step (5) that the mode is not the reference point setting mode, in step (6), in step (10), the value should be derived using the value stored in the buffer. The X coordinate of the coordinate input point is calculated based on the above-mentioned equation (1). And step (7)
In order to provide a high-performance coordinate input device, coordinate values are calibrated as needed (for example, the distortion is corrected by a software operation to correct the lens aberration of the optical system). , Determine the coordinate value, output the coordinate value,
The process ends.

In the center-of-gravity equation in step (5) shown in FIG. 17, valid data used for calculation when m = 3 is as shown in FIG. 13 (B). Is the same as the operation described above, and the description is omitted here.

In the present embodiment, the judgment means based on the threshold value is employed. However, in another embodiment, for example, all the output data of 2m + 1 pixels are added and the values are compared. Thus, the validity can be determined.

Further, the output data of 2m + 1 pixels are monitored, and it is determined that the m output data before the peak value is monotonically increasing and the m output data after the peak value is monotonically decreasing. Thus, the validity can be determined. Furthermore, it goes without saying that a more reliable apparatus can be provided by implementing these methods in combination.

As described above, even if the signal level output from the sensor is smaller than that of the first embodiment, sufficient performance can be exhibited, so that a highly reliable coordinate input device can be provided. is there. In addition, since the coordinate calculation can be performed with a smaller amount of light than the conventional example, it is possible to increase the coordinate sampling rate by reducing the integration time,
Alternatively, by weakening the light emission of the LED, it is possible to extend the life of the battery 44 built in the indicator 4 and to realize a configuration that is easy to handle.

[Fourth Embodiment] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a fifth data processing procedure in the coordinate input device according to the present invention, and corresponds to a coordinate calculation processing procedure in the coordinate calculation means 32. (1) to (12)
Indicates each step.

First, in step (1), the counter con
t is initialized to “0”, and in step (2), difference data Dx which is a difference signal of each pixel at an arbitrary coordinate input point
(N) (in the present embodiment, the number of pixels n = 64) is read and stored in the buffer memory in the coordinate calculation means 32.

Next, in step (3), the pixel n _peak at which the output signal becomes the maximum is detected, and in step (4), the data of the maximum pixel n _peak and m pixels on both sides of the pixel (the number of data: 2m + 1) is selected, and the calculation of the coordinate value X1a is started from the selected pixel data based on the calculation formula shown in step (4) in the figure.

Next, in step (5), the maximum pixel n _peak
And data of m + 1 pixels on both sides of the pixel (the number of data:
2m + 3) is selected, and the coordinate value X1 is calculated from the selected pixel data based on the arithmetic expression shown in step (5) in the figure.
The calculation of b is started.

At this time, that is, each calculation process (FIG. 1)
Effective data used in the calculation in steps (4) and (5) of FIG. 8 are shown in FIGS.

FIG. 19 is a characteristic diagram for explaining effective data used for coordinate calculation in the coordinate input device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals. .

Next, in step (6), the coordinate values X1a and X1a calculated in steps (4) and (5) are obtained.
b is determined to be coincident, specifically, the coordinate value X1
The value a is compared with the coordinate value X1b. If the difference between the two is within a predetermined value, the calculation is validated, and the process proceeds to the next step (7). If it is determined that the value is invalid, the process ends.

Then, in a step (7), it is determined whether or not the mode of the coordinate calculation processing is the reference point mode.
If S, in step (10), the counter cont is incremented by "1". In step (11), it is determined whether or not the content of the counter cont is "2" or more.
If YES, the process ends. The following operation is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and the description is omitted.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 15, when the threshold voltage is set to 0.75 V and the calculation is performed according to the first embodiment, not only the maximum value Max of the accuracy in the Y direction is greatly deteriorated, It was found that there was an area where the light quantity was insufficient and even the coordinates could not be calculated.

As a matter of course, by making the threshold level higher, the coordinate calculation accuracy is improved, but the area where the coordinate calculation is impossible is enlarged.

However, if the value of m is set to about “4” using the calculation method according to the fourth embodiment, the coordinates can be calculated in the entire area, and the coordinates calculation accuracy is a value sufficient for practical use. Was obtained, and an excellent effect was obtained.

That is, in the first embodiment in which the threshold voltage is set to “0.75” V, there may be a case where the accuracy is degraded or the coordinates cannot be calculated. Is further reduced to “0.50” V,
An excellent effect is obtained in which coordinate calculation can be performed with high accuracy in all regions.

At this time, when comparing m = 4 and m = 5, it is understood that almost the same value is obtained in terms of accuracy.

Therefore, when the calculation is executed in a state where m = 4 (first calculation processing), and when the calculation is executed in a state where m = 5 (second calculation processing), they substantially coincide with each other. A value is derived.

Therefore, if the difference between them is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value,
It is determined that the calculation is performed accurately without error, and the following calculation is performed to calculate the coordinates. If the difference is equal to or more than a predetermined value, it is determined that the error is included (erroneous detection). Is stopped so that coordinate output is not performed.

According to the experiment in this embodiment, sufficient measures have been taken against noise received from the coordinate input device itself or an external device (for example, the display device 8 or a personal computer). It is performed in a measurement environment without the influence of

However, according to the configuration of the present invention, the validity of the data can be determined even when it is affected by noise, so that the noise countermeasure can be simplified (cost can be reduced, and the combination of devices can be facilitated). ), And an excellent effect of obtaining highly reliable coordinates can be obtained.

In the experiment, the validity of the data based on the threshold voltage V _Low was determined, and sufficient difference data was obtained for the threshold value. From the second selecting means and the first and second calculating means,
By performing data validity determination), there is no need to set the threshold voltage V _Low , and furthermore, it is possible to calculate coordinates with high reliability even when the amount of light is smaller than the experimental conditions. Is also obtained.

From another viewpoint, since the coordinate calculation can be performed with a smaller amount of light than in the first embodiment, it is possible to increase the coordinate sampling rate by reducing the integration time, or to reduce the light emission of the LED. By making the indicator weak, the life of the battery 44 built in the pointing tool 4 can be extended, and a configuration that can be easily handled can be realized.

[Fifth Embodiment] FIG. 20 shows a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 20 is a characteristic diagram illustrating effective data used for coordinate calculation in the coordinate input device according to the embodiment, and the same components as those in FIGS. 19A and 19B are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the figure, the first selection means detects peak pixels, selects and extracts m = 3 data before and after the peak pixel, extracts the data, and performs coordinate calculation ((A) in FIG. 19). The second selection means similarly detects a peak pixel, selects m-1 data before and after the peak pixel, and selects (m + 1) th data before and after the peak pixel, and calculates valid data ((FIG. 19) B)).

As is clear from this figure, the signal level of each pixel decreases by moving away from the peak pixel. Therefore, when the light amount decreases, whether the output at the pixel away from the peak is a signal or not. It is more likely that noise cannot be distinguished. If the data of the pixels selected by the first and second selecting means are all the arrival signals of the light arriving from the pointing device 4, the output results in the first and second calculation processes substantially match. However, in a state where the m-th data before and after the peak pixel or the (m + 1) th data before and after the peak pixel is greatly affected by the noise level or the light arrival signal is greatly affected by the noise, (A) in FIG. By selecting and calculating a pixel as shown in FIG. 18B, in step (6) shown in FIG. 18, both the coordinate values X1a and X1b do not match, and it is determined that the coordinates are invalid (step (FIG. 18)). 6) is determined as NO), and no coordinate output is performed.

In this embodiment, the noise is superimposed on the m-th pixel, and the (m + 1) -th correct signal is output (usually, the (m + 1) -th pixel is more sensitive to the noise than the (m) -th pixel. Is particularly effective, and the fourth
Compared with the embodiment, the difference between the values calculated by the two calculation methods is large, and the determination can be made easily.

In the first calculation processing and the second calculation processing, calculations are performed by the center of gravity method for obtaining the center of gravity of the output signal. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and means such as a differentiation method may be used. Needless to say, the first arithmetic means may be combined with the center of gravity method, and the second arithmetic means may be combined with the differential method.

According to the above-described embodiment, the difference signal is obtained by separately integrating the light-on and light-off signals of the light spot which blinks at a predetermined cycle by the pointing tool, and the difference signal is digitized and coordinated. Since the arithmetic processing is performed and the coordinate values are output, the influence of disturbance light can be suppressed, high-precision, high-resolution coordinate values can be obtained, and a compact, lightweight, low-cost device can be realized. Now you can.

According to the present embodiment, a high-frequency carrier is added to the blinking light, and the timing of the integration operation is controlled by a demodulated signal having a predetermined period obtained by frequency-detecting the carrier. The tool and the image transfer unit 8 can be cordlessly synchronized, thereby improving the usability and using a laser beam to easily operate even at a position away from the screen.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the integrating means is provided with the skim means for removing a certain amount of electric charge, the saturation of the electric charge in the integrating means can be prevented. Even if there is light, a good light spot image signal can be obtained stably.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the integral control means for detecting that the peak level in the difference signal from the integrating means exceeds a predetermined level and stopping the integrating operation is provided, the light amount is changed. A signal of a light spot image having a substantially constant level can be generated, and thereby a stable and high-resolution coordinate calculation result can be always obtained.

Further, when the integration time set for maintaining the coordinate calculation sampling rate at or above a certain value has been reached, even if the output level does not reach a predetermined peak level, a stable high-resolution coordinate calculation result is obtained. Now you can get it. Further, erroneous detection due to noise can be prevented, and a sufficient margin for the amount of light can be ensured, so that a highly reliable coordinate input device can be provided. Further, in the second to fourth embodiments, the coordinate sampling rate can be increased by reducing the integration time as compared with the first embodiment, or the light emission of the LED can be made weaker, so that the indicator 4 It is also possible to extend the life of the built-in battery 44 and realize a configuration that is easy to handle.

Hereinafter, the configuration of a data processing program readable by the coordinate input device according to the present invention will be described with reference to a memory map shown in FIG.

FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining a memory map of a storage medium for storing various data processing programs readable by the coordinate input device according to the present invention.

Although not shown, information for managing a group of programs stored in the storage medium, for example, version information, a creator, etc. are also stored, and information dependent on the OS or the like on the program reading side, for example, a program is stored in the storage medium. An icon or the like for identification display may also be stored.

Further, data subordinate to various programs is also managed in the directory. Also, a program for installing various programs on a computer, and a program for decompressing a program to be installed when the program to be installed is compressed, may be stored in some cases.

FIGS. 11, 12, and 1 in this embodiment.
4, the functions shown in FIGS. 16 and 18 may be performed by a host computer by a program installed from the outside. And in that case, CD-RO
The present invention is applicable even when a group of information including a program is supplied to an output device from a storage medium such as an M, a flash memory, an FD, or an external storage medium via a network.

As described above, the storage medium storing the program codes of the software for realizing the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to the system or the apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MP or MP) of the system or the apparatus is supplied.
It goes without saying that the object of the present invention is also achieved when U) reads and executes the program code stored in the storage medium.

In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the novel function of the present invention, and the storage medium storing the program code constitutes the present invention.

As a storage medium for supplying the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, C
D-ROM, CD-R, magnetic tape, nonvolatile memory card, ROM, EEPROM, etc. can be used.

When the computer executes the readout program code, not only the functions of the above-described embodiment are realized, but also the OS (Operating System) running on the computer based on the instruction of the program code. ) And the like perform part or all of the actual processing, and the processing realizes the functions of the above-described embodiments.

Further, after the program code read from the storage medium is written into a memory provided on a function expansion board inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer, based on the instructions of the program code, The CPU provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing,
It goes without saying that a case where the function of the above-described embodiment is realized by the processing is also included.

[0220]

As described above, the first embodiment according to the present invention is described.
According to the invention of the above, a light spot is generated by irradiating a light emitted from a pointing tool provided with a light emitting element to a predetermined position of the coordinate input screen, and the light spot is detected, whereby the predetermined position of the coordinate input screen is detected. A coordinate input device for generating a coordinate output signal corresponding to a plurality of sensors for detecting a corresponding spot light blinking at a predetermined period on a predetermined position of the coordinate input screen by a sensor array arranged in a straight line; A signal for turning on and off the spot light in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot while storing a charge corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected by each sensor via a sensor array. And an imaging unit that obtains and outputs a difference signal from each signal when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not lit while transferring the electric charge of each pixel by separately integrating the respective signals, and outputting from the imaging unit. Detection means for detecting a maximum pixel indicating the maximum value of the difference signal, and selection means for selecting each m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by said detecting means,
Coordinate operation means for performing a coordinate operation using the output data of the pixel selected by the selection means and calculating a coordinate value specified by the pointing device. In addition, high-precision, high-resolution designated coordinate values can be obtained while suppressing the influence of disturbance light, and a compact, lightweight, and low-cost apparatus can be realized.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the light emitted from the indicator having the light emitting element is irradiated to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen to generate a light spot, and the light spot is detected, whereby the coordinate is obtained. A coordinate input device for generating a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on an input screen, wherein a corresponding spot light flickering at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen is detected by a sensor array arranged in a straight line. A plurality of sensors, and a charge corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected by each sensor is stored in the sensor array via a sensor array, and is stored in a predetermined cycle of the light spot. An image pickup unit that obtains and outputs a difference signal from each of signals when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not lit while transferring the charge of each pixel by separately integrating the signals at the time of lighting and separately transferring the charge of each pixel; Detecting means for detecting the maximum pixel indicating the maximum value of the difference signal output from the image means, selecting means for selecting each of m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detecting means, Determining means for determining the validity of the 2m + 1 pieces of pixel data, and performing coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected by the selecting means based on the determination result by the determining means, and instructed by the pointing tool. And the coordinate calculation means for calculating the coordinate values that are present, so that when instructed by the spotlight from the pointing device, it is possible to obtain high-precision, high-resolution designated coordinate values while suppressing the influence of disturbance light. A compact, lightweight, and low-cost device can be realized.

[0222] According to the third invention, the judging means judges the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting means by comparing the predetermined threshold level with 2m + 1 pixel data. Therefore, even if desired coordinates are designated by the indicator in an environment affected by disturbance light, the peak value can be specified from the effective pixel data, and the designated coordinate values with high accuracy and high resolution can be obtained.

According to the fourth invention, the judging means comprises:
Since the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting means is determined by comparing the sum value of the m + 1 pixel data with a predetermined value, even if it is affected by noise, its peak value is calculated from the valid pixel data. Is specified, and high-precision, high-resolution designated coordinate values can be obtained.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the light emitted from the indicator having the light emitting element is applied to a predetermined position of the coordinate input screen to generate a light spot, and the light spot is detected, thereby obtaining the coordinate. A coordinate input device for generating a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on an input screen, wherein a corresponding spot light flickering at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen is detected by a sensor array arranged in a straight line. A plurality of sensors, and a charge corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected by each sensor is stored in the sensor array via a sensor array, and is stored in a predetermined cycle of the light spot. An image pickup unit that obtains and outputs a difference signal from each of signals when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not lit while transferring the charge of each pixel by separately integrating the signals at the time of lighting and separately transferring the charge of each pixel; A pixel selection unit for selecting a specific effective pixel from difference data based on a difference signal output from the image unit; and performing a different coordinate calculation process based on the difference data for each specific effective pixel selected by the pixel selection unit. First and second coordinate calculation means;
Determining means for comparing the respective coordinate values calculated by the coordinate calculating means to determine the validity of the calculated coordinate values; and outputting the pixel selected by the selecting means based on the determination result by the determining means. And coordinate output means for calculating coordinate values using the data and calculating and outputting coordinate values specified by the pointing device. Even if the amount of light fluctuates, whether the specified peak pixel is valid or not is determined from the results of each calculation processing without fail. High accuracy and high resolution with the influence of disturbance light suppressed Can be obtained, and a compact, lightweight and low-cost device can be realized.

According to the sixth aspect, the pixel selecting means includes a peak detecting means for detecting a maximum pixel indicating a maximum value of the difference signal output from the imaging means, and the pixel detecting means detecting the maximum pixel. Maximum of m pixels before and after pixel, 2m in total
First extraction means for extracting +1 valid data, and m + before and after the maximum pixel detected by the peak detection means
Since there is provided a second extraction means for extracting a total of 2m + 1 pieces of valid data different from the first extraction means from a total of 2m + 3 data candidates, when an instruction is given by a spotlight from an indicator, Even if the amount of spot light from the pointing device fluctuates, the validity of the specified peak pixel can be reliably determined from the results of different arithmetic processings that determine whether the peak pixel is valid.

According to the seventh aspect, since the first coordinate calculating means and the second coordinate calculating means execute the coordinate value calculating process according to different calculating processes, the first coordinate calculating means and the second coordinate calculating means are instructed by the spotlight from the pointing tool. In such a case, even if the amount of spot light from the pointing device fluctuates, it is possible to reliably determine whether the specified peak pixel is valid from the results of different arithmetic processings that are valid.

According to the eighth aspect, a light receiving element for detecting a corresponding spot light that blinks at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen, and a light receiving element that blinks at a predetermined cycle detected by the light receiving element. A detection means for detecting a signal of a specific frequency from the spot light thus obtained, and a control means for performing timing control of an integration operation by the imaging means based on the signal of the specific frequency detected by the detection means. And the imaging unit can be synchronized cordlessly, and a pixel signal corresponding to a spot light of a substantially constant level can be created even when the light amount changes, and a stable and high-resolution coordinate calculation result can always be obtained. .

According to the ninth aspect, since the imaging means has the removal means for removing a fixed amount of charges from the transferred charges, it is ensured that the charges are saturated during the integration processing by the imaging means. Thus, even if there is extremely strong disturbance light, a signal of a spot image can be stably obtained by a good spot light.

[0229] According to the tenth aspect, the coordinate calculation means detects the peak level in the difference signal exceeding a predetermined value, thereby stopping the integration operation of the imaging means. Accordingly, even if the light amount changes, a pixel signal corresponding to a spot light having a substantially constant level can be created, and a stable and high-resolution coordinate calculation result can be always obtained.

According to the eleventh aspect, the width of the image of the light spot formed on the image pickup means is adjusted to be larger than the width of the pixel of each sensor, so that the coordinate calculation is very smooth. Coordinate data can be obtained, the amount of calculation data is small, and very small-sized sensors and an optical system can realize very high-resolution, high-definition, high-speed and low-cost coordinate input processing.

According to the twelfth and twenty-third aspects, light emitted from the indicator having the light-emitting element is irradiated to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen to generate a light spot, and the light spot is detected. A coordinate output method of a coordinate input device for generating a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen, or irradiating a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen with light emitted from an indicator having a light emitting element. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program that controls a coordinate input device that generates a light spot and generates a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen by detecting the light spot A plurality of sensors for detecting a corresponding spot light flickering at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of a coordinate input screen by a sensor array arranged on a straight line A signal corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected is stored in the sensor array through the sensor array, and signals for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light are separately synchronized in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot. An imaging step of obtaining and outputting a difference signal from each signal when the spotlight is turned on and not emitting while transferring the electric charge of each pixel, and a maximum value of the difference signal output from the imaging step A detection step of detecting a maximum pixel indicating the following, a selection step of selecting m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detection step, and a coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected in the selection step. And a coordinate calculation step of calculating a coordinate value indicated by the indicating tool, so that when instructed by a spotlight from the indicating tool, high accuracy and high resolution in a state where the influence of disturbance light is suppressed. Can be obtained in the indicated coordinate values, it is possible to realize small size, light weight, and low cost device.

According to the thirteenth and twenty-fourth aspects, the light emitted from the indicator having the light emitting element is irradiated to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen to generate a light spot, and the light spot is detected. A coordinate output method of a coordinate input device for generating a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen, or irradiating a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen with light emitted from an indicator having a light emitting element. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program that controls a coordinate input device that generates a light spot and generates a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen by detecting the light spot A plurality of sensors for detecting a corresponding spot light flickering at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of a coordinate input screen by a sensor array arranged on a straight line A signal corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected is stored in the sensor array through the sensor array, and signals for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light are separately synchronized in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot. An imaging step of obtaining and outputting a difference signal from each signal when the spotlight is turned on and not emitting while transferring the electric charge of each pixel, and a maximum value of the difference signal output from the imaging step A detection step of detecting the maximum pixel indicating the following, a selection step of selecting m pixels each before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detection step, and determining the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected in the selection step And performing a coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected in the selection step based on the determination result in the determination step to calculate a coordinate value specified by the pointing tool. Since it has a calculation step, when indicated by the spotlight from the indicating tool, it is possible to obtain high-precision, high-resolution indicated coordinate values in a state where the influence of disturbance light is suppressed. A costly device can be realized.

According to the fourteenth and twenty-fifth aspects, the judging step compares the predetermined threshold level with 2m + 1 pixel data to determine the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting means. Therefore, even if desired coordinates are indicated by the indicator in an environment affected by disturbance light, it is possible to specify the peak value from the effective pixel data and obtain the indicated coordinate values with high precision and high resolution. it can.

According to the fifteenth and twenty-sixth aspects, the determining means compares the sum of the 2m + 1 pixel data with a predetermined value to determine the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting means. Judgment, even if affected by noise,
By specifying the peak value from the effective pixel data, high accuracy,
High-resolution indicated coordinate values can be obtained.

According to the sixteenth and twenty-seventh aspects, a light spot is generated by irradiating a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen with light emitted from an indicator having a light emitting element, and the light spot is detected. A coordinate output method of a coordinate input device for generating a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen, or irradiating a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen with light emitted from an indicator having a light emitting element. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program that controls a coordinate input device that generates a light spot and generates a coordinate output signal corresponding to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen by detecting the light spot A plurality of sensors for detecting a corresponding spot light flickering at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of a coordinate input screen by a sensor array arranged on a straight line A signal corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected is stored in the sensor array through the sensor array, and signals for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light are separately synchronized in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot. An imaging step of obtaining and outputting a difference signal from each of signals when the spotlight is lit and when it is not illuminated while transferring the charge of each pixel, and a difference based on the difference signal output from the imaging step A pixel selection step of selecting a specific effective pixel from the data,
The first and second coordinate calculation steps for performing different coordinate calculation processing based on the difference data for each specific valid pixel selected in the pixel selection step, and the first and second coordinate calculation steps A determination step of comparing each coordinate value to determine the validity of the calculated coordinate value, and performing a coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected in the selection step based on a determination result of the determination step. A coordinate output step of calculating and outputting a coordinate value instructed by the pointing tool, so that when an instruction is given by the spotlight from the pointing tool, even if the light amount of the spotlight from the pointing tool fluctuates. It is possible to reliably determine the validity of the specified peak pixel from the results of different arithmetic processing to determine whether it is valid, and to obtain high-precision, high-resolution designated coordinate values while suppressing the influence of disturbance light. Can, it is possible to realize small size, light weight, and low cost device.

According to the seventeenth and twenty-eighth aspects, the pixel selecting step includes a peak detecting step of detecting a maximum pixel indicating a maximum value of the differential signal output from the imaging step, and a peak detecting step of detecting the maximum pixel. The maximum pixel before and after m
A first extraction step of extracting a total of 2m + 1 valid data, and a total of 2m + 1 different from the first extraction step from a total of 2m + 3 data candidates, m + 1 before and after the maximum pixel detected by the peak detection step. And a second extraction step of extracting the effective data, the peak pixel specified even when the amount of the spot light from the pointing device fluctuates when specified by the spot light from the pointing device is effective. The validity can be reliably determined from the results of different arithmetic processings.

According to the eighteenth and twenty-ninth aspects, the first aspect
In the coordinate calculation step and the second coordinate calculation step, the coordinate value calculation processing is performed according to different calculation processes. Therefore, when an instruction is given by the spot light from the indicator, the light amount of the spot light from the indicator fluctuates. However, whether the specified peak pixel is valid or not can be reliably determined from the results of different arithmetic processing.

According to the nineteenth and thirtieth aspects, the corresponding spot flickers at a predetermined cycle detected by the light receiving element that detects the corresponding spot light that flashes at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. Since it has a detection step of detecting a signal of a specific frequency from light, and a determination step of determining the timing of the integration operation by the imaging step based on the signal of the specific frequency detected by the detection step,
The pointing tool and the imaging unit can be synchronized cordlessly, and even if the light amount changes, a pixel signal corresponding to an almost constant level of spot light can be created, and a stable, high-resolution coordinate calculation result is always obtained. Can be.

According to the twentieth and thirty-first inventions, the imaging step includes the removal step of removing a fixed amount of charge from the transferred charges, so that the charge is saturated during the integration processing in the imaging step. This can be reliably prevented, and even if there is extremely strong disturbance light, it is possible to stably obtain a good spot light signal by the spot light.

According to the twenty-first and thirty-second inventions, the coordinate calculation step is a step of stopping the integration operation of the imaging step by detecting that a peak level in the difference signal exceeds a predetermined value. Since the method includes the step, a pixel signal corresponding to a spot light of a substantially constant level can be generated even if the light amount changes, and a stable and high-resolution coordinate calculation result can be always obtained.

According to the twenty-second and thirty-third aspects, the width of the image of the light spot formed in the imaging step is adjusted so as to be larger than the width of the pixel of each sensor. Extremely smooth coordinate data can be obtained, the amount of operation data is small, and very small resolution and optical system can realize very high resolution, high definition, high speed and low cost coordinate input processing.

Therefore, in an environment affected by disturbance light, it is possible to provide a small and inexpensive device which can specify a high-resolution and high-performance coordinate input position on the coordinate input screen based on the spot light from the pointing tool on the coordinate input screen. Has the effect of

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a coordinate input device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram illustrating details of the pointing device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view showing an operation mode of the pointing device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the coordinate detector shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the coordinate detector shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the coordinate detector shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an arrangement relationship between two linear sensors provided in the coordinate detector shown in FIG. 4;

8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a linear sensor for detecting an X coordinate and a linear sensor for detecting a Y coordinate illustrated in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of an output waveform of the linear sensor shown in FIGS. 4 and 7;

FIG. 10 is a characteristic diagram showing an example of an output waveform of the linear sensor shown in FIGS. 4 and 7;

FIG. 11 illustrates a first example of the coordinate input device according to the present embodiment.
9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a data processing procedure.

FIG. 12 illustrates a second example of the coordinate input device according to the embodiment.
9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a data processing procedure.

FIG. 13 is a characteristic diagram illustrating valid data used for coordinate calculation in the coordinate input device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a third data processing procedure in the coordinate input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a coordinate calculation accuracy in the coordinate input device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a fourth data processing procedure in the coordinate input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a characteristic diagram illustrating an output level of a sensor in the coordinate input device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a fifth data processing procedure in the coordinate input device according to the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a characteristic diagram illustrating valid data used for coordinate calculation in the coordinate input device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a characteristic diagram illustrating valid data used for coordinate calculation in the coordinate input device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a memory map of a storage medium that stores various data processing programs readable by the coordinate input device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coordinate detector 3 Controller 4 Pointer 6 Sensor 7 Signal processing part

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Isao Kobayashi 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Jun Tanaka 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inside (72) Inventor Katsuhide Hasegawa 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Masaaki Kinpu 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Inside Canon Inc. F term (reference) 5B068 AA04 AA36 BB19 BC03 BD09 BD21 BD22 BE06 CC11 5B087 AA02 AC02 AC09 AC12 BC03 BC17 BC26 CC09 DD02 DD16

Claims (33)

[Claims] 1. A light spot emitted from a pointing device having a light emitting element is radiated to a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen to generate a light spot, and the light spot is detected, so that the light spot is detected at a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A coordinate input device that generates a corresponding coordinate output signal, a plurality of sensors that detect a corresponding spot light that blinks at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of the coordinate input screen by a sensor array arranged on a straight line, A signal corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected by each sensor is stored in the sensor array through a sensor array, and a signal for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light is synchronized with a predetermined cycle of the light spot. An imaging unit that obtains and outputs a difference signal from each of signals when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not illuminated while transferring the charge of each pixel by separately integrating each pixel; and Detecting means for detecting a maximum pixel indicating the maximum value of the obtained difference signal; selecting means for selecting m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detecting means; and output of the pixel selected by the selecting means A coordinate calculation means for performing a coordinate calculation using the data and calculating a coordinate value specified by the pointing device. 2. A light spot is generated by irradiating light emitted from an indicator provided with a light emitting element to a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen, and detecting the light spot, the light spot is detected at a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A coordinate input device that generates a corresponding coordinate output signal, a plurality of sensors that detect a corresponding spot light that blinks at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of the coordinate input screen by a sensor array arranged on a straight line, A signal corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected by each sensor is stored in the sensor array through a sensor array, and a signal for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light is synchronized with a predetermined cycle of the light spot. An imaging unit that obtains and outputs a difference signal from each of signals when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not illuminated while transferring the charge of each pixel by separately integrating each pixel; and Detecting means for detecting a maximum pixel indicating the maximum value of the obtained difference signal; selecting means for selecting m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detecting means; and 2m + 1 selected by the selecting means Judgment means for judging the validity of the pixel data, and based on the judgment result by the judgment means, performs a coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected by the selection means, and specifies a coordinate value indicated by the indicating tool. And a coordinate calculating means for calculating the coordinate value. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the determining unit compares a predetermined threshold level with 2m + 1 pixel data to determine validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting unit. Item 3. The coordinate input device according to Item 2. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting unit by comparing a total value of 2m + 1 pixel data with a predetermined value. Item 3. The coordinate input device according to Item 2. 5. A light spot generated by irradiating a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen with light emitted from a pointing device having a light emitting element, and detecting the light spot, the light spot is generated at a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A coordinate input device that generates a corresponding coordinate output signal, a plurality of sensors that detect a corresponding spot light that blinks at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of the coordinate input screen by a sensor array arranged on a straight line, A signal corresponding to the light amount of the spot light detected by each sensor is stored in the sensor array through a sensor array, and a signal for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light is synchronized with a predetermined cycle of the light spot. An imaging unit that obtains and outputs a difference signal from each of signals when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not illuminated while transferring the charge of each pixel by separately integrating each pixel; and Pixel selection means for selecting a specific effective pixel from the difference data based on the obtained difference signal; and first and second pixels for performing different coordinate calculation processing based on the difference data for each specific effective pixel selected by the pixel selection means. 2 coordinate calculating means, determining means for comparing the coordinate values calculated by the first and second coordinate calculating means to determine the validity of the calculated coordinate values, Based on the output data of the pixel selected by the selecting means, and calculating and outputting a coordinate value specified by the pointing device. Input device. 6. The pixel selecting means, comprising: peak detecting means for detecting a maximum pixel indicating a maximum value of a difference signal output from the imaging means; m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the peak detecting means; First extraction means for extracting a total of 2m + 1 valid data; and 2m + 1 different from the first extraction means from a total of 2m + 3 data candidates before and after the maximum pixel detected by the peak detection means. 6. The coordinate input device according to claim 5, further comprising: second extraction means for extracting valid data. 7. The coordinate input device according to claim 5, wherein said first coordinate calculation means and said second coordinate calculation means execute coordinate value calculation processing according to different calculation processes. 8. A light receiving element for detecting a corresponding spot light flickering at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen, and a specific frequency from the corresponding spot light flickering at a predetermined cycle detected by the light receiving element. And a control unit for performing timing control of an integration operation by the imaging unit based on the signal of the specific frequency detected by the detection unit. The coordinate input device according to any one of claims 2 and 5. 9. The coordinate input device according to claim 1, wherein said imaging means has a removing means for removing a fixed amount of charges from the transferred charges. 10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said coordinate calculation means includes an integration control means for stopping an integration operation of said imaging means by detecting that a peak level in said difference signal exceeds a predetermined value. The coordinate input device according to claim 1. 11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the width of the image of the light spot formed on the image pickup means is adjusted to be larger than the width of a pixel of each of the sensors. A coordinate input device as described in Crab. 12. A light spot emitted from a pointing device having a light emitting element is emitted to a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen to generate a light spot, and the light spot is detected, so that the light spot is detected at a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A coordinate value output method of a coordinate input device for generating a corresponding coordinate output signal, wherein a corresponding spot light blinking at a predetermined period on a predetermined position of a coordinate input screen is detected by a sensor array arranged on a straight line. Signals for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot while accumulating charges corresponding to the light amounts of the spot light detected from a plurality of sensors via a sensor array. An imaging step of separately calculating and outputting a difference signal from each signal when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not illuminated while transferring the charge of each pixel, and outputting from the imaging step. A detecting step of detecting a maximum pixel indicating a maximum value of the detected difference signal; a selecting step of selecting m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detecting step; and an output of the pixel selected in the selecting step A coordinate calculation step of performing a coordinate calculation using data to calculate a coordinate value specified by the pointing device. 13. A light spot emitted from a pointing device having a light emitting element is emitted to a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen to generate a light spot, and the light spot is detected, so that the light spot is detected at a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A coordinate value output method of a coordinate input device for generating a corresponding coordinate output signal, wherein a corresponding spot light blinking at a predetermined period on a predetermined position of a coordinate input screen is detected by a sensor array arranged on a straight line. Signals for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot while accumulating charges corresponding to the light amounts of the spot light detected from a plurality of sensors via a sensor array. An imaging step of separately calculating and outputting a difference signal from each signal when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not illuminated while transferring the charge of each pixel, and outputting from the imaging step. A detecting step of detecting a maximum pixel indicating the maximum value of the obtained difference signal; a selecting step of selecting m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detecting step; and 2m + 1 selected in the selecting step A judging step of judging the validity of the pixel data, based on the judgment result of the judging step, performing a coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected in the selecting step, and a coordinate value indicated by the indicating tool And a coordinate calculation step of calculating the coordinate value. 14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step compares the predetermined threshold level with 2m + 1 pixel data to determine the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting unit. Item 14. The coordinate value output method of the coordinate input device according to Item 13. 15. The method according to claim 15, wherein the determining unit determines the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting unit by comparing a total value of 2m + 1 pixel data with a predetermined value. Item 14. The coordinate value output method of the coordinate input device according to Item 13. 16. A light spot emitted from a pointing device having a light emitting element is irradiated to a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen to generate a light spot, and the light spot is detected, so that the light spot is detected. A coordinate value output method of a coordinate input device for generating a corresponding coordinate output signal, wherein a corresponding spot light blinking at a predetermined period on a predetermined position of a coordinate input screen is detected by a sensor array arranged on a straight line. Signals for lighting and non-lighting of the spot light in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot while accumulating charges corresponding to the light amounts of the spot light detected from a plurality of sensors via a sensor array. An imaging step of separately calculating and outputting a difference signal from each signal when the spotlight is lit and when the spotlight is not illuminated while transferring the charge of each pixel, and outputting from the imaging step. A pixel selection step of selecting a specific effective pixel from difference data based on the obtained difference signal; and a first and a second step of performing different coordinate calculation processing based on the difference data for each specific effective pixel selected in the pixel selection step. (2) a coordinate calculation step, a determination step of comparing the coordinate values calculated in the first and second coordinate calculation steps to determine the validity of the calculated coordinate value, and a determination result in the determination step. A coordinate output step of performing a coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected in the selection step, and calculating and outputting a coordinate value specified by the pointing tool. The coordinate value output method of the input device. 17. The pixel selecting step includes: a peak detecting step of detecting a maximum pixel indicating a maximum value of a difference signal output from the imaging step; and m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the peak detecting step. A first extraction step of extracting a total of 2m + 1 valid data; and a total of 2m + 1 different from the first extraction step from a total of 2m + 3 data candidates before and after the maximum pixel detected by the peak detection step. 17. A second extraction step for extracting valid data.
The coordinate value output method of the coordinate input device described above. 18. The coordinate value output apparatus according to claim 16, wherein said first coordinate operation step and said second coordinate operation step execute coordinate value operation processing according to different operation processes. Method. 19. A signal of a specific frequency is detected from a corresponding spot light that flashes at a predetermined cycle detected by a light receiving element that detects a corresponding spot light that flashes at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: a detecting step; and a determining step of determining a timing of an integration operation by the imaging step based on the signal of the specific frequency detected by the detecting step.
17. The coordinate input device according to any one of 2, 13, and 16. 20. The coordinate value of the coordinate input device according to claim 12, wherein said imaging step includes a removal step of removing a fixed amount of charges from the transferred charges. output method. 21. The coordinate calculation step includes a stop step of stopping an integration operation of the imaging step by detecting that a peak level in the difference signal has exceeded a predetermined value. Item 13. The coordinate value output method of the coordinate input device according to any one of Items 12, 13, and 16. 22. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the width of the image of the light spot formed in the imaging step is adjusted to be larger than the width of the pixel of each sensor.
16. A method for outputting a coordinate value by the coordinate input device according to any one of 16). 23. A light spot emitted from a pointing device having a light emitting element is irradiated to a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen to generate a light spot, and the light spot is detected, so that the light spot is detected at the predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program that controls a coordinate input device that generates a corresponding coordinate output signal, wherein a corresponding spot light that blinks at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of a coordinate input screen is drawn on a straight line. The electric charge according to the light amount of the spot light detected from the plurality of sensors detected by the sensor array arranged in the sensor array is stored in the sensor array through the sensor array and stored in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot. The signal of the spot light is integrated with the signal of the non-lighting separately, and the charge of each pixel is transferred. An imaging step of finding and outputting a signal; a detection step of detecting a maximum pixel indicating a maximum value of the difference signal output from the imaging step; and selecting m pixels each before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detection step. And a coordinate calculation step of performing a coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected in the selection step to calculate a coordinate value specified by the pointing tool. A storage medium storing a readable program. 24. A light spot emitted from a pointing device having a light emitting element is irradiated to a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen to generate a light spot, and the light spot is detected, thereby detecting a light spot on the coordinate input screen. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program that controls a coordinate input device that generates a corresponding coordinate output signal, wherein a corresponding spot light that blinks at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of a coordinate input screen is drawn on a straight line. The electric charge according to the light amount of the spot light detected from the plurality of sensors detected by the sensor array arranged in the sensor array is stored in the sensor array through the sensor array, and the electric charge of the spot light is synchronized with a predetermined cycle of the light spot. The signal of the spot light is integrated with the signal of the non-lighting separately, and the charge of each pixel is transferred. An imaging step of finding and outputting a signal; a detection step of detecting a maximum pixel indicating a maximum value of the difference signal output from the imaging step; and selecting m pixels each before and after the maximum pixel detected by the detection step. A determining step of determining validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected in the selecting step; and using output data of the pixel selected in the selecting step based on a determination result in the determining step. A coordinate calculation step of calculating a coordinate value designated by the pointing device by performing a coordinate calculation by using the pointing tool. 25. The method according to claim 25, wherein the determining step compares the predetermined threshold level with 2m + 1 pixel data to determine the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting unit. A storage medium storing the computer-readable program according to Item 24. 26. The method according to claim 26, wherein the determining unit determines the validity of the 2m + 1 pixel data selected by the selecting unit by comparing a total value of 2m + 1 pixel data with a predetermined value. 25. A storage medium storing the computer-readable program according to 24. 27. A light spot emitted from an indicator provided with a light emitting element is emitted to a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen to generate a light spot, and the light spot is detected, so that the light spot is detected at a predetermined position on the coordinate input screen. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program that controls a coordinate input device that generates a corresponding coordinate output signal, wherein a corresponding spot light that blinks at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position of a coordinate input screen is drawn on a straight line. A plurality of sensors detected by the sensor array arranged in the sensor array are turned on in synchronization with a predetermined cycle of the light spot while storing charges based on the light amount of the spot light detected through the sensor array. The signal of the spot light is integrated and the signal of the non-lighting is separately transferred to transfer the electric charge of each pixel. An imaging step of obtaining and outputting; a first and second pixel selection step of selecting a specific effective pixel from difference data based on a difference signal output from the imaging step; and a first and second pixel selection step A first and a second coordinate calculation step of performing different coordinate calculation processing based on difference data for each specific effective pixel selected by the first and second coordinate calculation steps. A determining step of determining the validity of the coordinate values calculated by comparison, based on the determination result of the determining step, performing a coordinate calculation using output data of the pixel selected in the selecting step, and A coordinate output step of calculating and outputting a designated coordinate value, wherein the storage medium stores a computer-readable program. 28. The pixel selection step, comprising: a peak detection step of detecting a maximum pixel indicating a maximum value of a difference signal output from the imaging step; and m pixels before and after the maximum pixel detected by the peak detection step. A first extraction step of extracting a total of 2m + 1 valid data; and a total of 2m + 1 different from the first extraction step from a total of 2m + 3 data candidates before and after the maximum pixel detected by the peak detection step. 28. A second extraction step of extracting valid data.
A storage medium storing the computer-readable program according to the above. 29. The computer readable program according to claim 27, wherein said first coordinate calculation step and said second coordinate calculation step execute coordinate value calculation processing according to different calculation processes. The storage medium in which it was stored. 30. A signal of a specific frequency is detected from a corresponding spot light that flashes at a predetermined cycle detected by a light receiving element that detects a corresponding spot light that flashes at a predetermined cycle on a predetermined position on a coordinate input screen. 3. A detecting step, comprising: a detecting step; and a determining step of determining a timing of an integrating operation by the imaging step based on the signal of the specific frequency detected in the detecting step.
A storage medium storing the computer-readable program according to any one of 3, 24, and 27. 31. The computer-readable computer according to claim 23, wherein the imaging step includes a removal step of removing a fixed amount of charges from the transferred charges. A storage medium that stores programs. 32. The coordinate calculation step includes a stop step of stopping an integration operation of the imaging step by detecting that a peak level in the difference signal has exceeded a predetermined value. A storage medium storing a computer-readable program according to any one of Items 23, 24, and 27. 33. The method according to claim 23, wherein the width of the image of the light spot formed in the imaging step is adjusted to be larger than the width of the pixel of each of the sensors.
A storage medium storing the computer-readable program according to any one of claims 27.