JP2004294802A - Light pen for material presentation device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive light pen safe to use and easy to repair, which can be used as a pointing means of a material presentation device. <P>SOLUTION: This light pen 1 uses an LED 23 and points out on a virtual screen S of the data mount 40 in a presentation device 30. The LED 23 is photographed by using an imaging unit 50 and its image is captured into a controller 42. The controller 42 computes the coordinates of the LED 23 on the virtual screen S, and forms a point image on the coordinates of the display image of the above coordinates on the screen. The light pen 1 is assembled by screwing the end 20 containing the LED 23 and a push switch 27 into the end of the cylindrical main unit 10 holding a battery B inside. The end 20 can be replaced when the LED 23 or the switch 27 fails. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a light pen for pointing on a virtual screen set in a document presentation device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a light pen, there is an input device that turns on a switch when a tip is pressed to emit light from a light bulb at the tip, detects the light emission and contact of the tip with a tablet, and transmits a mouse signal or the like to a computer (for example, Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-132327
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in recent years, there has been proposed and supplied a presentation material presenting apparatus for photographing a material and displaying the photographed image on a display device such as a screen. Conventionally, at the time of presentation, pointing of a displayed image with a laser pointer has been generally performed. However, since projection of a laser beam has a risk, other pointing means has been demanded. Therefore, it is conceivable to apply an input device (pen-type pointing device) as described in Patent Document 1 to such a material presentation device. And a means for specifying the contact point of the pen as coordinates and a means for specifying the presence / absence of light emission of the pen and the coordinates of the light emitting point, there is a disadvantage that a complicated configuration is required and the apparatus becomes expensive. . In addition, since a combination of a tablet and a pen is required, if either of them breaks down, it cannot be used, and particularly, the tablet cannot be easily repaired.
[0005]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a light pen which can be safely used as a pointing means for a material presentation device, is inexpensive, and is easily repaired.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the present invention, there is provided a material placing table on which a material is placed, a virtual screen is set on at least a placing surface thereof, an imaging unit supported by the material placing table via a support member, and taking an image of the material, An image output unit that outputs an image captured by the unit to a display device, and a virtual screen in a document presentation device including a control unit that performs image processing, instructed by a luminous body, the luminous body is photographed by an imaging unit, The control unit that captures the captured image obtains coordinates indicating the position of the illuminant on the virtual screen, and reflects a predetermined pointer function on the coordinates of the image on the display device corresponding to the coordinates. A light pen, which includes a rod-shaped main body, a light-emitting body and a switch for turning on / off the light-emitting body, and a tip portion detachably attached to the main body. It is. The virtual screen referred to here is a two-dimensional space in which XY coordinates are generated by image processing, and is set within an angle of view of an imaging unit included in the material presentation device.
[0007]
The light pen of the present invention turns on / off the illuminant by turning on / off the switch with the main body portion of the virtual screen set on the document placing table on which the document is placed in the document presenting device. Used. When the light is on, the light emission is instructed, the lighted illuminant is photographed by the imaging unit, and the control unit that captures the photographed image obtains the coordinates on the virtual screen and the image of the display device corresponding to the coordinates. The predetermined pointer function is reflected on the coordinates of. The pointer function includes, for example, pointing by displaying a point image.
[0008]
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the light pen of this invention, a pointer function, such as pointing, can be reflected on a display image by making a control part recognize the position of a light-emitting body via the imaging part with which the document presentation apparatus is provided. Therefore, the configuration is simpler than that of a pen-type pointing device using a conventional tablet, and the device can be provided at low cost. Further, unlike a laser pointer that projects a laser beam, there is no danger at all, and it is possible to safely point a displayed image. Furthermore, since the illuminator and switch are built into the tip, if the illuminator or switch breaks down, simply replace the tip with a new one to complete the repair and replace the entire light pen. Since there is no repair, repair can be performed at low cost. In the case where an LED is used as the light-emitting body so that the light-emitting shape and color can be changed, it is possible to prepare a tip in which a desired LED is incorporated and replace the tip.
[0009]
According to the present invention, it is assumed that the light emitter of the light pen emits light containing a specific wavelength, and an optical filter that can capture only the light of the specific wavelength is detachably provided in the imaging optical path of the imaging unit. Including forms. In this embodiment, when light emission is instructed by the light emitter of the light pen, the optical filter is inserted into the imaging optical path of the imaging unit. Then, since the imaging unit photographs only the illuminant, the control unit can reliably identify the illuminant, and a stable operation can be obtained.
[0010]
According to the present invention, an embodiment including a monitor that displays an image captured by the imaging unit or another image is included. In this case, the monitor can be photographed by the imaging unit, and by setting a virtual screen on the monitor, it is possible to instruct the monitor to emit light with the light pen as described above.
[0011]
The present invention includes a mode in which the distal end portion is configured to be disassembled into a light emitting section having a light emitting body and a switch section having a switch. According to this aspect, when either the light emitter or the switch fails, the light emitting unit or the switch unit may be replaced with a new one, so that the cost of replacement parts is lower. In addition, as the light emitting unit, a light emitting unit including the LED (light emitting element) and a current control element is exemplified.
[0012]
The light pen of the present invention can adopt a structure in which the switch is turned on by pressing the tip in a predetermined direction, and turned off when the pressing operation is released. Further, the power supply such as a battery can be housed in the main body.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a light pen 1 and a presentation device 30 for presentation according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram systematically showing the configuration and functions of the presentation device 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the material presentation device 30 includes a material mounting table 40 on which a material D is placed on an upper surface, an imaging unit 50 supported on the material mounting table 40 via an arm (supporting member) 41, and a presenter. Monitor 60. The arm 41 is configured such that an L-shaped horizontal portion 41b extending toward the front side is fixed to the upper end of a column portion 41a erected at the left rear end portion of the document mounting table 40, and the tip of the horizontal portion 41b is a material. The image pickup unit 50 for photographing the material D is attached to the tip of the mounting table 40 substantially at the upper center.
[0014]
The monitor 60 is openably and closably attached to a rear end portion of the material placing table 40 via a hinge 61, and in a state of being opened as shown in FIG. To see. The opening angle of the monitor 60 can be appropriately adjusted manually.
[0015]
The imaging unit 50 includes a camera 51 and an optical filter 52 as shown in FIG. The camera 51 has a zoom function and an autofocus function. The optical filter 52 allows only infrared light to be photographed, and is set so as to be freely inserted into and removed from the photographing optical path of the camera 51. In this case, insertion and removal of the optical filter 52 are performed manually. As shown in FIG. 2, an image captured by the imaging unit 50 is captured by the control unit 42, processed, and output from the image output unit 43 to the monitor 60 and the liquid crystal projector 70. From the liquid crystal projector 70, a captured image is projected on a screen (not shown). The control unit 42 is built in, for example, the material mounting table 40. Note that the imaging unit 50 may be rotatably attached to the arm 41 so that the monitor 60 can also take an image.
[0016]
The control unit 42 generates the XY coordinates of the virtual screen S on the surface of the material mounting table 40 photographed by the imaging unit 50 by a general image processing method. As a method of generating the virtual screen S, infrared light is emitted at the four corners of the material mounting table 40, and these four emission points are photographed by the imaging unit 50 in a state where the optical filter 52 is inserted into the photographing optical path of the camera 51. Then, there is a method of recognizing the position of each light emitting point from the image data.
[0017]
The light pen 1 is used as a tool for pointing an image displayed on the monitor 60 and the screen like a laser pointer. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A, the light pen 1 has an elongated cylindrical main body 10 and a front end 20 attached to the front end of the main body 10 (the left end in FIGS. 3 and 4A). It is composed of
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 4A, a plurality of (in this case, two) batteries (power supplies) B are housed in the main body 10 in a state of being connected in series with the positive electrode facing the opening side. A contact 11 for the negative electrode of the battery B is formed on the bottom surface of the main body 10, and a female screw portion 12 serving as a negative contact is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the opening edge.
[0019]
The distal end portion 20 is mounted on a short cylindrical housing (switch portion) 21 and on the distal end side (left side in FIGS. 3 and 4A) of the housing 21 so as to be slidable in the axial direction with respect to the housing 21. A cap (light emitting unit) 22 having a conical shape, an LED (light emitting body) 23 built in at the tip of the cap 22, and a current control element 23a are provided. The cap 22 is constantly urged in the distal direction by a spring (not shown) provided in the housing 21. The cap 22 is formed of a transparent resin or the like, the LED 23 is a light emitter that emits light including infrared light, and the current control element 23a is a resistor that limits the current flowing through the LED 23 to an appropriate value. These are resin-molded in the cap 22. A male screw portion 24 that is screwed into the female screw portion 12 of the main body 10 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the end of the housing 21 opposite to the side where the cap 22 is incorporated. The male screw portion 24 is a negative contact. As shown in FIG. 4, a plus side contact 25 is provided at the center of the end surface of the housing 21 on the side where the male screw portion 24 is formed.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 4, the LED 23 is connected to the positive and negative energizing wires 26 a and 26 b, and the positive energizing wire 26 a is connected to the LED 23 via a pressing switch 27 incorporated in the housing 21. The positive-side contact 25 is connected, and the negative-side conducting wire 26 b is connected to the male screw portion 24. The current control element 23a is interposed between the LED 23 and the switch 27 of the positive-side conducting wire 26a. The switch 27 is connected and turned on when the cap 22 is pressed against the housing 21 against the spring, and when the pressing force is released, the cap 22 returns to the original position by the spring and the switch 27 is separated and turned off. It is configured as follows.
[0021]
The light pen 1 of the present embodiment is assembled by screwing the male screw portion 24 of the distal end portion 20 into the female screw portion 12 of the main body portion 10 containing the battery B. In this assembled state, the positive contact 25 of the distal end portion 20 contacts the positive electrode of the battery B on the distal end, and the negative electrode of the battery B on the bottom contacts the negative contact 11 of the main body 10. Further, the female screw portion 12 of the main body portion 10 and the male screw portion 24 of the distal end portion 20, which are the minus side contacts, come into contact with each other. As a result, the series circuit shown in FIG. Note that it is more preferable to use a light emitting diode unit packaged with the current control element 23a built therein as the LED.
[0022]
In order to use the light pen 1, the user holds the main body 10 and presses the pen tip (tip of the tip section 20) against something harder than a certain degree. Then, the main body 10 and the housing 21 move to the distal end side, the switch 27 is turned on, and the LED 23 is turned on. When the pressing force is reduced, the main body 10 and the housing 21 return to their original positions due to the elasticity of the spring, the switch 27 is turned off, and the LED 23 is turned off.
[0023]
Next, a description will be given of a usage example of the light pen 1 and the material presentation device 30, and an operation thereof.
First, the optical filter 52 is removed from the imaging optical path of the camera 51 to photograph a document, the photographed image is processed into a still image, and the still image is displayed on the monitor 60 and the screen. The processing on the still image is performed by issuing a command to that effect to the control unit 42. Next, the optical filter 52 is inserted into the photographing optical path, and the user presses the tip of the light pen 1 against a desired part of the document D to cause the LED 23 to emit light. Then, the image of the LED 23 is captured by the control unit 42 via the imaging unit 50. Then, the control unit 42 calculates the position of the LED 23 on the virtual screen S, that is, the coordinates, and synthesizes a predetermined point image with the coordinates of the image displayed on the monitor 60 and the screen corresponding to the coordinates. Thus, it is possible to point to the material image.
[0024]
In the above-mentioned use example, the light pen 1 is pressed against the material D to give a light emission instruction, thereby pointing to the display image on the monitor 60 or the screen. The configuration is simpler than the pen-type pointing device using the conventional tablet. , Can be provided at low cost. Further, it is possible to safely point a displayed image without using a laser pointer that involves a risk such as projection of a laser beam. When light emission is instructed to the document D by the light pen 1, the optical filter 52 is inserted into the photographing optical path. At that time, the imaging unit 50 can photograph only the LED 23. Identification can be performed, and stable operation can be obtained.
[0025]
According to the light pen 1 of the above-described embodiment, since the LED 23 and the switch 27 are built in the distal end portion 20, when the LED 23, the switch 27, or the wiring (the conducting wires 26a, 26b) fails, the distal end portion 20 is disconnected. Repair is completed simply by replacing it with a new one. Further, when it is desired to change the light emission shape or color of the LED 23, the LED 23 may be replaced with a tip in which a desired LED is incorporated.
[0026]
In the above-mentioned usage example, the virtual screen S is generated so as to be superimposed on the document table 40. However, the virtual screen S is configured to be able to photograph the monitor 60 with the imaging unit 50. In the same manner, pointing can be performed with the light pen 1.
[0027]
FIGS. 5 and 6 show another embodiment of the distal end portion 20. The tip portion 20A is configured such that a cap 22 containing an LED 23 and a current control element 23a can be disassembled with respect to a housing 21. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, a concave portion 29 formed on the inner surface of the opening edge of the cap 22 is detachably fitted to a convex portion 28 formed on the end surface on the distal end side of the housing 21. I have. Then, at the same time when the cap 22 is fitted to the housing 21, the energizing wires 26 a and 26 b on the LED 23 side are exposed on the end surface of the projection 28 and are connected to the terminals 27 a and 26 b connected to the energizing wires 26 a and 26 b on the housing 21 side. 27b is inserted and connected. In the distal end portion 20A according to this embodiment, when one of the LED 23 and the switch 27 fails, the failed one can be replaced with a new one, so that the cost of replacement parts is lower.
[0028]
The switch 27 of the light pen 1 is of a push type that is turned on by pressing a pen tip. However, the switch of the present invention is not limited to this mode, and various switches such as a rotary type and a push button type can be used. Switches can be applied. Further, the LED 23 is incorporated as a light emitter, but the light emitter is not limited to the LED, and a simple light bulb or the like can be adopted. The present invention is characterized in that the light emitter and the switch are built in the tip, and such a tip is detachably attached to the main body.
[0029]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the light pen for the material presentation device of the present invention, the position of the illuminant is recognized by the control unit via the imaging unit provided in the material presentation device, so that the pointer function such as the pointing on the display image is provided. Can be reflected, the configuration is simpler than that of a pen-type pointing device using a conventional tablet, and the device can be provided at low cost. Further, unlike a laser pointer that projects a laser beam, there is no danger at all, and it is possible to safely point a displayed image. In addition, since the tip with the built-in illuminant and the switch for turning on / off the illuminant is detachably attached to the main body, the tip of the illuminant or the switch is replaced with a new one when repairing the illuminant or the switch. Is simpler, and the entire light pen does not need to be replaced, so that repair can be performed at low cost. When it is desired to change the type of luminous body, the luminous body can be easily changed because it is necessary to replace the luminous body with a tip in which a desired luminous body is incorporated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a light pen and a presentation material presenting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram systematically showing the configuration and functions of the material presentation device shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the light pen according to the embodiment of the present invention.
4A is a sectional view of the light pen shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is a circuit diagram.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the tip portion of the light pen.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the distal end portion shown in FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Light pen, 10 ... Body part, 20 ... Tip part,
21 ... housing (switch part), 22 ... cap (light emitting part),
23: LED (light emitting body), 23a: current control element, 27: switch,
Reference numeral 30: document presentation device, 40: document mounting table, 41: arm (support member),
42: control unit, 50: imaging unit, 52: optical filter, 60: monitor,
70: liquid crystal projector, B: battery (power supply), D: material,
S: virtual screen.

Claims (7)

A material placing table on which a material is placed and a virtual screen is set on at least a placing surface thereof; an imaging unit supported by the material placing table via a supporting member to photograph the material; An image output unit that outputs an image to a display device, and the virtual screen in the document presentation device including a control unit that performs image processing, the virtual screen instructed by a light emitter, the light emitter is photographed by the imaging unit, the A data presentation device that obtains coordinates indicating the position of the illuminant on the virtual screen by the control unit that has captured the captured image, and reflects a predetermined pointer function on the coordinates of the image on the display device corresponding to the coordinates. Light pen for
A rod-shaped body,
A light pen for a document presentation device, comprising: a light-emitting body; a switch for turning on / off the light-emitting body; and a tip detachably attached to the main body. The illuminant emits light having a specific wavelength, and the image pickup unit is provided with an optical filter that allows only the light of the specific wavelength to be taken in and out of the photographing optical path. The light pen for a material presentation device according to claim 1. A monitor on which an image captured by the imaging unit or another image is displayed, the virtual screen is set on the monitor, and the imaging unit is provided so as to be able to capture the monitor. The light pen for a document presentation device according to claim 1. The document presentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the distal end portion is configured to be disassembled into a light emitting unit including the light emitting body and a switch unit including the switch. Light pen. The light pen according to claim 4, wherein the light emitting unit includes a light emitting element and a current control element. The light pen according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the switch is turned on by pressing the tip in a predetermined direction. The light pen for a document presentation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a power source of the light emitter is housed in the main body.

Images