JP2008085555A - Information display device, display control method and display control program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information display device for improving readability, when displaying information, a display control method and an information display program. <P>SOLUTION: A distance to information origination sources (in this case, an advertisement signboard 39 and an information terminal (information originating side) 100) is calculated from the size data and shape data from the information origination sources (advertisement signboard 39 and information terminal (information originating side) 100) and the area on an imaging surface of the information originating sources, display dialog balloon size and character size, etc., are determined according to the calculated distance, and respective dialog balloons 50 and 51 are displayed at a display part 25. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information display device, a display control method, and a display control program, and more particularly to an information display device, a display control method, and a display control program used for optical communication.

  As one of optical communication technologies, for example, a technology described in Patent Document 1 below is known as an information transmission technology using optical space transmission such as visible light communication. Hereinafter, the technique described in this document is referred to as a conventional technique. The gist of this prior art is that a captured image captured by the imaging means is stored in time series, a specific image area is cut out from the stored image, and information is obtained from time-series luminance changes in the cut out image area. Is extracted, and the extracted information is superimposed on the captured image and displayed.

  The photographed image captured by the imaging means includes a light source that blinks at an early cycle that is not visible to the human eye together with an arbitrary subject. The above “information” is transmitted by the blinking pattern of the light source.

  According to this conventional technology, for example, the above-mentioned light source is attached to a product arranged in a store or an advertisement billboard in a city, and information on contents suitable for the product or advertisement is transmitted by a blinking pattern of the light source. By doing so, for example, using a receiving terminal such as a digital camera, it is possible to superimpose and display the information together with subjects such as those products and advertisement signs.

JP 2001-245253 A

  However, the above prior art is merely for displaying received information and a subject together. For example, when a light source (information transmission source) is present within a photographing field angle of a receiving terminal, the information is transmitted. A plurality of pieces of information are displayed together. For this reason, it is difficult for a small portable information terminal having a small display to check the correspondence between the imaged light source and information, and it is difficult to find desired information.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an information display device, a display control method, and an information display program that improve the readability when displaying information.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup means, a display means, an area detection means for detecting an area having a predetermined luminance from an image pickup surface imaged by continuously driving the image pickup means, and the area. Information acquisition for acquiring first information on the size of an object corresponding to the region and second information displayed on the display unit from a temporal change in luminance in the region detected by the detection unit. A distance calculating unit that calculates a distance between the device and the object based on the area, the imaging distance of the region on the imaging surface, and the first information acquired by the information acquiring unit; The invention according to claim 2, further comprising a control unit that controls a display mode of the second information on the display unit based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit. The invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that the control means controls to display the second information together with an image taken by the imaging means.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the control unit controls the second information to be displayed in association with the image of the object included in the image captured by the imaging unit. It is characterized by doing.
The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the illumination means for illuminating the display means, the adjustment means for adjusting the illumination brightness of the illumination means, and the information acquisition means Information storage means for storing the second information obtained by the above, modulation means for modulating the second information stored in the information storage means, and the second information modulated by the modulation means based on the second information And a brightness control means for controlling the illumination brightness of the illumination means to be adjusted.
The invention according to claim 5 is an area detection step for detecting an area having a predetermined luminance from the imaging surface imaged by continuously driving the imaging unit, and an area detected by the area detection step. An information acquisition step of acquiring first information related to the size of the object corresponding to the region and second information displayed on the display unit from a temporal change in luminance, and the region on the imaging surface The distance calculation step for calculating the distance to the object based on the area, the imaging distance, and the first information acquired in the information acquisition step, and the distance calculated in the distance calculation step And a control step for controlling a display mode of the second information on the display unit.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a region detecting means for detecting a region having a predetermined luminance from an image pickup surface picked up by continuously driving the image pickup unit of the computer, and a region detected by the region detecting means. Information acquisition means for acquiring first information on the size of an object corresponding to the region and second information displayed on a display unit from a temporal change in luminance of the region, and the region on the imaging surface On the basis of the area, the imaging distance, and the distance information calculated based on the first information acquired by the information acquisition means, the distance calculated by the distance calculation means, It is made to function as a control means for controlling the display mode of the second information on the display unit.

  According to the present invention, an area having a predetermined luminance is detected from an imaging surface that has been continuously imaged, and a temporal change in luminance in the detected area is detected based on a temporal change in the luminance of the object corresponding to this area. 1 information and 2nd information to be displayed are acquired, and the distance to the object is calculated based on the area of the region on the imaging surface, the imaging distance, and the acquired first information. . And since the display mode of 2nd information is controlled based on the calculated distance, the readability improvement at the time of displaying information can be aimed at.

  Hereinafter, an example of application to an information terminal having an imaging function will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Principle explanation>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a digital camera showing an example of application of the present embodiment. In this figure, a digital camera 10 includes a central control unit 14 that includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, various peripheral circuits (not shown) and the like, and typically a microprocessor formed on a single chip, and the periphery of the central control unit 14. Are provided with at least the following units necessary for the operation of the digital camera 10.

  The imaging unit 15 includes an optical system 16 including a photographing lens, a diaphragm mechanism, a focusing mechanism, a zoom mechanism, and the like, and an imaging device 17 including a two-dimensional image sensor such as a CCD sensor or a CMOS sensor. The operations of the image pickup unit 21 (adjustment of the aperture size and zoom magnification, that is, the adjustment and focusing of the shooting angle of view α, and the exposure and reading operations of the image pickup device 17) are performed by the central control unit 14 and the autofocus control unit 18. It is controlled by the control from the imaging control unit 19 that has received the operation instruction. The photographing operation instruction from the central control unit 14 is a frame image reading operation instruction at a predetermined frame rate (for example, several tens to several hundreds frame rate per second) for photographing composition confirmation (so-called through image) or moving image photographing. , High-resolution still image shooting operation instructions, prior operation instructions such as aperture value setting and zoom magnification setting necessary for these operations, and the shooting operation instruction from the autofocus control unit 18 is an optical system 16 focusing (focusing) operation instructions.

  In response to a shooting operation instruction from the central control unit 14, a frame image for shooting composition confirmation or a moving image is periodically read out from the imaging unit 21 at the above frame rate, or a high-resolution still image A frame image is read out. These frame images are converted into digital signals in the image processing unit 21 and subjected to necessary image processing (for example, gamma correction processing), and then taken into the central control unit 14 via the FIFO buffer 22. It is.

  The operation unit 23 includes various operations necessary for an input interface for user operation of the digital camera 10, such as a power switch, a mode switch between image capturing and image reproduction, a shutter button for performing still image capturing and moving image capturing, A menu button for displaying a setting menu, a selection button for selecting the menu item, and selecting an image desired to be reproduced in the image reproduction mode are included.

  The display control unit 24 converts various display data appropriately output from the central control unit 14, for example, through-image display data, menu screen display data, and image playback screen display data into a predetermined display format. Then, the data is output to the display unit 25 configured by a flat display device such as a liquid crystal display. The display unit 25 is provided with a touch panel 26, and the touch detection unit 27 detects touch coordinates such as a finger or a pen on the touch panel 26 and outputs the detection result to the central control unit 14.

  The image storage unit 28 is configured by a nonvolatile mass storage device such as a flash memory, a hard disk, or an optical disk (the stored contents are not lost even when the power is turned off). Used to store and store the generated images. Each image stored and stored is, for example, a compressed file in JPEG format or the like, or an uncompressed raw data file (so-called RAW file), and the storage area of these images is directly under the root in the file system. Alternatively, it may be a folder having a single hierarchy or a multi-hierarchy structure appropriately created immediately below the root. In addition, the image storage unit 28 may be a fixed type, or may be a general-purpose memory device that can be detached from the digital camera 10 and attached to a personal computer (not shown), for example.

  The external interface 29 is, for example, a data input / output unit compatible with a general-purpose protocol such as USB or IEEE 1394. When the external interface 29 is necessary, a captured image can be exchanged with a personal computer (not shown) as necessary. Transfer (transfer images stored and stored in the image storage unit 28 to a personal computer) and read (read images from the personal computer to the image storage unit 28) can be performed.

  The power supply unit 30 includes a rechargeable secondary battery or a disposable primary battery, and supplies a power supply voltage necessary for the operation of each unit of the digital camera 10 including the central control unit 14.

  The azimuth sensor 31 and the elevation sensor 32 both detect the photographing direction of the digital camera 10 (the direction of the optical axis of the optical system 16). For example, the azimuth sensor 31 has a azimuth with magnetic north as 0 degrees. Then, the elevation sensor 32 detects an elevation angle (or depression angle) with the horizontal as 0 degree.

  Here, although the illustrated subject 20 simulates a person, this is merely an example for explanation. The important point is that a light emitter 33 is provided at the position of the subject 20 to transmit arbitrary data (details will be described later) subjected to luminance modulation by light. Although details will be described later, the digital camera 10 receives and acquires an image including the light emitter 33 in time series, and is included in the luminance modulation region of the light emitter 33 as a measurement target included in the image. The data is restored, and the distance D to the light emitter 33 can be measured and acquired based on the received image and the restored data.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the light emitter 33. In this figure, a light emitter 33 modulates the light source 34 that emits light in the visible light region, the data memory 35 that stores data to be transmitted, and the data stored in the data memory 35, and the light source 34 with the modulation information. And a light emission window 37 having a predetermined shape and a predetermined size. Further, the data memory 35 includes a guide data memory 351 that holds arbitrary information, and a shape of the light emission window 37 (here, “circular” for convenience, but may be a rectangle or other shapes). A self-size data memory 352 that holds data, size data of the light emission window 37 (here, the diameter is “R” since it is circular), and position (latitude / longitude and altitude) data of the light emitter 33 if necessary. Is provided.

  The light emission control unit 36 also includes two types of preamble data, which are detection / capture preamble data (for measurement) and detection / capture preamble data (for data body), which will be described later, and two different brightness change patterns ( Hereinafter, a pattern data memory 361 that holds the first pattern series SA and the second pattern series SB), a timing generator 362, and a control unit 363 are provided.

  The timing generator 362 generates a stable clock signal having a predetermined period. This clock signal is synchronized with the clock signal of the imaging device 17 of the digital camera 10.

  The control unit 363 sequentially extracts bit data from the data stored in the pattern data memory 361, the guide data memory 351, and the self-size data memory 352 in synchronization with the clock signal from the timing generator 362, and the bit The value (“1” data or “0” data) is determined, and if it is “1” data, the first pattern series SA is extracted from the pattern data memory 361, while if it is “0” data, the pattern data memory 361. The operation of taking out the second pattern series SB and outputting the first pattern series SA or the second pattern series SB to the light source 34 is repeated for the number of bits of data to be transmitted.

  The light source 34 performs a blinking operation of emitting light at a timing corresponding to “1” in the first pattern sequence SA and the second pattern sequence SB, and turning off (or reducing luminance) at a timing corresponding to “0”. Thus, the light P having a luminance change in time series is output through the light emission window 37.

  In the figure, the illuminant 33 is held by a person as the subject 20, but for example, a fixed structure such as a signboard or a guide plate or a product described at the beginning is the subject 20, and the signboard or guidance is provided. You may make it provide the light-emitting body 33 for every fixed structure, such as a board, or the goods demonstrated at the beginning. In this case, the data stored in the data memory 35 of each light emitting body 33 is sequentially downloaded via a network such as a LAN from an installed building or store, or a server provided outside the building or store. It may be a mechanism to do. In addition, the light source 34 blinks with the pattern series “1” and “0”. However, when the pattern series covers multi-value data, not only “lighting” and “lighting off” but also multiple stages. You may make it light-emit with the brightness | luminance of.

  As described above, the data memory 35 stores at least shape data indicating the shape of the light emitter 33 and size data of the light emitter 33 as data to be transmitted. For example, referring to FIG. 2, the data memory 35 stores shape data indicating “circular” as the shape of the light emission window 37 and “R” indicating the diameter as the size thereof as size data. The light emission controller 36 modulates these data. Also, regarding the modulation method of the shape data and size data to be transmitted performed by the light emission control unit 36, for example, the above shape data and size data are binary digital data composed of logic 0 and logic 1, and “0 "Data is assigned a luminance change pattern (first pattern series SA) with a corresponding time series, and" 1 "data is assigned a luminance change pattern with a time series different from the" 0 "data. It is desirable to assign (second pattern series SB). It is desirable that these two luminance change patterns change in the same cycle and change in a cycle different from the cycle existing in the natural world, such as a cycle standardized by a commercial power supply or disturbance light.

  On the other hand, the digital camera 10 has the above-described configuration (see FIG. 1), and operates as a general digital camera, that is, takes a still image or a moving image and stores the image file as an image storage unit 28. The “shooting function” stored and stored in the image storage unit and the “playback function” that reads out any image file stored and stored in the image storage unit 28 and reproduces and displays it on the display unit 25 can be appropriately executed. In addition, the “ranging function” specific to the present embodiment, that is, by receiving and acquiring an image including the light emitting body 33 at the position of the subject 20 in time series, light emission is performed as a measurement target included in the image. The function of restoring the data included in the luminance modulation area of the body 33 and measuring and acquiring the distance D to the light emitter 33 based on the received image and the restored data is implemented. It has become possible way.

  This “ranging function” is mainly provided by the function of the central control unit 14 of the digital camera 10. That is, the central control unit 14 of the digital camera 10 controls the operation of each unit of the digital camera 10, and in particular in the present embodiment, it is stored in the capture cycle control of the imaging device 17 and the FIFO buffer 22. The distance D to the light emitter 33 based on the data reading and the size of the image of the light emitter 33 formed on the light receiving surface 17a of the imaging device 17 and the shape data and size data restored by the signal restoration means 14c described later. Various processes using the measurement and the measurement result are controlled.

  FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a part of the storage space of the RAM 13 of the central control unit 14 of the digital camera 10 and some functional blocks realized by the central control unit 14. That is, (a) is a part of the storage space of the RAM 13 of the central control unit 14 of the digital camera 10, and (b) is some functional blocks realized by the central control unit 14. In these figures, the storage space of the RAM 13 includes areas such as an imaging distance data storage unit 13a, an imaging distortion correction data storage unit 13b, a distance calculation data table storage unit 13c, a detection data list storage unit 13e, and the like. The control unit 14 includes functions such as a pattern data memory 14a, a signal area detection unit 14b, a signal restoration unit 14c, and a work memory 14d.

  The photographing lens included in the optical system 16 is composed of, for example, a single convex lens, and connects the angle of view α including the light emitter 33 around the optical axis A (see FIG. 2) to the imaging device 17 at the subsequent stage. Provided to image. The imaging device 17 is composed of an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS in which a plurality of imaging elements are regularly arranged, and the light emission mode of the light emitter 33 captured in two dimensions is electrically converted into an image based on the light reception ratio on the light receiving surface 17a. A device that converts the signal into a signal and outputs the signal, and outputs the signal at a predetermined frame rate (for example, 30 FPS) based on the control of the central control unit 14. The device used as the imaging device 17 is not limited to this as long as the light emission mode of the light emitter 33 can be acquired in two dimensions. For example, a configuration in which a plurality of light receiving elements, for example, photodiodes are arranged. It may be. Further, since the imaging device 17 is composed of an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS, the reference numeral 17a is preferably referred to as an imaging surface, but in the description of the principle, it will be described as a light receiving surface.

  The ROM 12 stores various control programs executed by the CPU 11 of the central control unit 14, and the RAM 13 is used as an execution area for these control programs, and also stores various data shown in FIG. An imaging distance data storage unit 13a for storing an imaging distance d between the light receiving surface 17a of the device 17 and a photographic lens included in the optical system 16 is provided. In the present embodiment, the photographic lens included in the optical system 16 has a single convex lens fixedly installed. However, in an imaging apparatus equipped with an optical zoom, there are cases where the imaging distance varies depending on the movement of the lens. In this case, it is desirable to use the imaging distance or focal length obtained by adjusting the position of the lens.

  The signal restoration unit 14c sequentially captures the light emission modes of the light emitters 33 output in time series from the imaging device 17 under the control of the central control unit 14 at a cycle of 30 FPS, and the light emission of the light emitters 33 acquired periodically. Based on the mode, the luminance-modulated data is restored to the data stored in the data memory 35. For example, in the case of modulation by the above modulation method, the data is demodulated by a reverse method to restore the shape data and size data.

  Similar to the pattern data memory 361 of the light emission control unit 36, the pattern data memory 14a includes two types of preamble data, that is, detection / capture preamble data (for measurement) and detection / capture preamble data (for data body), and Two different types of luminance change patterns (first pattern series SA and second pattern series SB) are held.

  When a pixel whose luminance changes in time series is detected from a plurality of frames of image signals held in the FIFO buffer 22, the signal area detection unit 14b detects from the pixel group whose luminance changes at the same timing as this luminance change. A function of specifying a pixel region. The signal restoration unit 14 c is a data format 38 that is sequentially buffered in the FIFO buffer 22 when pixels whose luminance changes in time series are detected from the image signals of a plurality of frames held in the FIFO buffer 22. Output bit data of “1” and “0” corresponding to the detected luminance change of the pixel from the frame data corresponding to the bit length of the first pattern sequence SA, and It is determined whether it matches any of the second pattern series SB, and if it matches any of them, a bit corresponding to this pattern is output, and size data, position data, and guide data are output from the output bit. Process to restore to. The work memory 14d holds an image on the imaging surface (light receiving surface 17a) of the specified pixel region.

  The central control unit 14 includes a RAM 13 for temporarily storing each data obtained by the processing described later, takes in the data restored by the signal restoration unit 14c, and is set to the measurement mode based on the data. If so, the distance measurement to the light emitter 33 and the current position measurement of the digital camera 10 are executed, and the measurement results are output to the display unit 25. On the other hand, if the guide mode is set, the light reception (imaging) is performed. ), And the guide data stored in the data record of the detection data list storage unit 13e is output to the display unit 25. The imaging distance data storage unit 13a stores the imaging distance d in the above description of the principle. The imaging distortion correction data storage unit 13b stores data for correcting distortion due to the characteristics of the photographing lens of the optical system 16 for the image formed on the imaging device 17.

  The distance calculation data table storage unit 13c stores formulas (1) and (2) in the principle description to be described later. The current position data storage unit 13d is for holding its own position information obtained by the central control unit 14, and the detection data list storage unit 13e is up to the light emitter 33 that has been arithmetically processed by the central control unit 14. Distance D, self-position (coordinates and altitude), and guide data acquired by receiving light.

  The detection data list storage unit 13e detects the distance and position (coordinates and altitude) to the light emitter 33 when the light emitter 33 is detected from the imaging surface (light receiving surface 17a) output in time series from the imaging device 17. In the present embodiment, the data is stored in the form of data records. This is because, for example, when a plurality of light emitters are detected from the imaging surface (light receiving surface 17a), each light emitter is stored individually.

  Here, the principle of distance calculation will be described. First, as described above, R is obtained as size data by receiving luminance-modulated data, and the diameter of the light emitter 33, d is an imaging distance, and is the maximum of the range that can be received by the photographing lens included in the optical system 16. The angle is α.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an image formed on the light receiving surface 17a of the imaging device 17, and as shown in this figure, the horizontal length of the light receiving surface 17a is H, the vertical length is V, and the light emitter. The image 33 is denoted by 33a, and the diameter of the image 33a is denoted by r. The angle β can be obtained from the diameter r of the image 33a and the imaging distance d.

  In this figure, the shape of the image 33a of the illuminant 33 is "circular". However, as described above, the shape of the illuminant 33 is circular for convenience of explanation. The shape of the image 33a corresponds to the actual shape of the light-emitting body 33. If the shape is a rectangle, the shape is a rectangle. If the shape is other, the shape corresponds to the shape.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram of calculation of the distance D. As shown in this figure, the imaging position of the photographic lens included in the optical system 16 is used as a reference, and the triangle formed by the angle β, the distance D, and R / 2, the angle β, the distance d, and r. It can be seen that the triangle formed by / 2 is similar. Therefore, the distance D can be measured by using a trigonometric function expression from these relationships. The method of calculating the distance D is as shown in the following equations (1) and (2).
D = (R / 2) / {(tan (β / 2)) (1)
β = r / 2d (2)

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a data format 38 output from the control unit 363 to the light source 34 and transmitted as the light P. The data format 38 includes a detection / capture preamble data portion (for measurement) 38a, a size data portion 38b, a position data portion 38c, a detection / capture preamble data portion (for guide data) 38d, and a guide data portion 38e. These are output cyclically with 1 as a unit.

  The data stored in the detection / capture preamble data portion (for measurement) 38a is data detected when the digital camera 10 sets the measurement mode when the data format 38 is received by the digital camera 10. By receiving this data portion, a required processing operation is executed for the calculation related to the distance and position to the light emitter 33.

  The data stored in the size data portion 38 b is the shape data (here “circular”) of the light emission window 37 and the size data “R” of the light emission window 37 among the data stored in the self size data memory 352. The digital camera 10 is for measuring the distance to the light emitter 33 based on these data.

  The data stored in the position data unit 38c is the position (latitude / longitude and altitude) data of the light emitter 33 among the data held in the self-size data memory 352, and the digital camera 10 is based on this data. This is for measuring the direction and the self-position of the light emitter 33 viewed from the digital camera 10.

  The data stored in the detection / capture preamble data portion (for guide data) 38d is data detected when the digital camera 10 sets the guide mode when the digital camera 10 receives the data format 38. Yes, by receiving the data portion, the processing operation for restoring and reproducing and outputting the data set in the guide data portion 38e is executed.

  The data stored in the guide data section 38e is data stored in the guide data memory 351, and the digital camera 10 performs optional processing such as route guidance and sightseeing guidance based on this data as necessary. It is intended to be executed.

  Next, a specific measurement method using the light emitter 33 and the digital camera 10 in the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flowchart in the present embodiment. This flowchart is roughly composed of a signal area detection processing block S1, a signal restoration processing block S2, and a measurement processing block S3.

  First, in the signal area detection processing block S1, an image formed on the imaging surface (light receiving surface 17a) of the imaging device 17 is used as frame data, and first, the number of frames corresponding to the number of bits of the preamble pattern is sequentially input to the FIFO buffer 22. Buffering is performed (step S11). Then, it is determined whether or not there is a pixel whose luminance changes in the plurality of buffered frame data. Specifically, in a plurality of buffered frame data, the maximum luminance exceeds a predetermined peak, and it is determined whether or not there is a periodically changing pixel. In step S12, it is determined whether or not luminance-modulated data is transmitted.

  If a pixel whose luminance has changed cannot be detected, the process of step S14 described later is performed, and the process returns to step S11. However, if a pixel is detected, preamble pattern data (for measurement) and preamble pattern data are detected from the pattern data memory 14a. (For guide data) are read out, and these preamble patterns are collated with the time-series luminance changes from the detected pixels (step S13). As a result of the collation, if it does not completely match any preamble pattern data, the frame data buffered in the FIFO buffer 22 is discarded, assuming that data cannot be obtained from the currently detected pixel (step S14). Then, the process returns to step S11 again, but if it matches any preamble pattern data (including partial match), the azimuth sensor 27 is driven to acquire the imaging direction (step S15), and the elevation sensor 28 is driven to obtain an imaging elevation angle (horizontal angle) γ (step S16).

  In step S13, if any of the preamble pattern data matches, it is determined that the pixel detected this time is a pixel transmitting data, and the luminance of the signal region detection unit 14b is changed at the same timing. Control is performed so as to specify a pixel region composed of a certain pixel group (step S17). The imaging direction acquired in step S15 and the imaging elevation angle acquired in step S16 are temporarily held in the RAM 13 in the central control unit 14, and the specified pixel area is stored in the work memory 14d of the signal area detection unit 14b. The image is stored (step S18).

  Next, the signal restoration processing block S2 will be described. In the signal restoration process, first, frame data corresponding to the number of bits of the data format 38 is sequentially obtained from the pixel area specified in step S17 of the signal area detection processing block S1 (step S21), and stored in the FIFO buffer 22. On the other hand, with respect to the signal restoration means 14c, the first pattern series is processed with respect to the process of converting the luminance changing region into bit data of “1” and “0” and the bit data obtained through this process. SA, collation with the second pattern series SB, bit output processing, and processing for restoring the size data, position data, and guide data from the output bits are performed (step S22). Of these restored data, the size data and position data are temporarily stored in the RAM 13 of the central control unit 14, and the guide data are stored in the data record of the detection data list storage unit 13e (step S23).

Next, the measurement processing block S3 will be described in detail.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an operation flowchart of the measurement processing block S3.

  In the measurement processing block S3, first, the image of the pixel area stored in the work memory 14d is read, the shape of the light emitter 33 is specified for this pixel area, and the measurement axis is set (step S31). Next, each pixel on the measurement axis is weighted to determine the area of the “image” of the light emitter included in the pixel region (step S32).

Specifically, a method for determining the measurement axis, weighting, and area of the “image” will be described.
FIG. 9 is a specific explanatory diagram of a method for determining the measurement axis, weighting, and area of “image”. 9A, in the frame data sequentially obtained from the imaging surface (light receiving surface 17a), the maximum luminance exceeds a predetermined peak, and the pixel region of the illuminant 33 is periodically changed. Assume that the image 33a is set as a candidate. In this figure, the image 33a is an ellipse because it is assumed that the light-emitting body 33 is looked up (or looked down) from an oblique 45 degree direction. Of course, when the illuminant 33 is viewed from the front, it becomes a circular image 33a.

  Referring to the enlarged view of FIG. 9B, the central control unit 14 determines the dot of which the maximum luminance exceeds a predetermined peak for the image 33a having the height 277 (9 dots) and the width 223 (5 dots). The longest column including many pixels having the maximum luminance peak in one row or column is determined as the measurement axis. Then, weighting corresponding to the luminance is performed on each peripheral pixel around the measurement axis. For example, considering FIG. 9B, the maximum weight value “1” is set for the pixel range 224 having the highest luminance, the weight value “0.6” is set for the peripheral range 225, and The weight value “0.3” is set for the outermost edge range 226, and the height 277 (9 dots) is set as the measurement axis. Then, by calculating “20” for the pixel range 224, 7.2 for the pixel range 225, and 2.4 for the pixel range 226 from these weightings, the area of the “image” 33a is 29.6.

  Note that the measurement axis, the weighting determination method, and the area calculation method are not limited thereto, and other methods can be used as long as there is a method that can determine the area more accurately.

  As described above, when the area of the “image” of the light emitter is determined, the distortion correction data based on the characteristics of the photographing lens included in the optical system 16 is read from the imaging distortion correction data storage unit 13b for the shape of the image. The distortion is corrected using the data (step S33), the imaging distance d is read from the imaging distance data storage unit 13a, and β is calculated from the measurement axis and the imaging distance d (step S34).

When β is calculated in step S35, next, using the β, the previous equation (1) is read from the distance calculation data table storage unit 13c, and the size data stored in the RAM 13 of the central control unit 14 is used to calculate the value in FIG. The distance D is calculated (step S35). Since the shape of the “image” 33a is set as an “elliptical shape” when the circle is viewed from approximately 45 °, the size data acquired as “a circle with a diameter“ R ”” in step S24. Is corrected from the set shape as “an ellipse having a diagonal √2L”. Then, the distance D ′ (horizontal distance) to the position immediately below the light emitter 33 is calculated from the distance D and the shooting elevation angle γ obtained in step S31 by the following equation (3) (step S36).
D ′ = Dcosγ (3)

  Further, the position of the digital camera 10 is calculated from the distance D ′ calculated as described above, the shooting direction of the digital camera 10 acquired from the orientation sensor 27, and the position data acquired in step S24 (step S37). The distance data D ′ and the position data are stored in the data record of the detection data list storage unit 13e (step S38).

The data registered in this way can be used in the digital camera 10 as follows.
FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of use of registration data. In this figure, (a) is a display example when the digital camera 10 is set to the measurement mode, and (b) is a display example when the digital camera 10 is set to the guide mode. In (a), on the screen of the display unit 25, the distance information to the light emitter 33 (for example, “distance to the target 3 m”) and the current position information of the digital camera 10 (for example, “your position north latitude 35” “4625.75 east longitude 139 ° 1843.69 ″) is displayed surrounded by a balloon figure at the screen corner. Also, in (b), on the screen of the display unit 25, predetermined guidance information transmitted from the light emitter 33 (for example, “150m ahead” is surrounded by a balloon figure at the screen corner). ing.

  As described above, according to the combination of the digital camera 10 and the light emitter 33 of the present embodiment, ranging display to the light emitter 33, display of the current position, route guidance, and the like can be performed. Alternatively, in addition to the above, there is a feature in that various “display controls” can be performed using the distance measurement result. Hereinafter, application examples to the display control will be described.

<Specific application examples>
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an advertising billboard 39 among visible light information light sources corresponding to the light emitter 33 in the explanation of the principle. In this figure, this advertising billboard 39 is installed on the rooftop or wall surface of a building. For example, a self-luminous large display (one side long) constructed by arranging a number of LEDs in a matrix. Several m).

  FIG. 12 shows a circuit configuration diagram of an information terminal 100 corresponding to the digital camera 10 (see FIG. 1) for explaining the principle. In this figure, circuits that perform the same functions and operations as the circuits in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted, but the information terminal 100 described in detail in this specific application example further includes: An information storage unit 40, a backlight 41, and a backlight drive control unit 42 are further provided. The external interface unit 29 includes a wireless communication unit, and can wirelessly transmit or receive the contents stored in the image storage unit 28 and the information storage unit 40. Further, the CPU 11 further includes a function as the light emission control unit 36 in FIG.

  The information storage unit 40 stores the address book data and mail data input, created or edited by detecting the operation unit 23 by the user, the guide data memory 351 in the data memory 35 in FIG. Information corresponding to the storage contents of the data memory 361 (specifically, the shape and area of the display unit 25) is stored, and further, various information acquired from an information transmission source described later is also stored. The backlight 41 is a light source including a plurality of LEDs that illuminate the display unit 25 from the back.

  The backlight drive control unit 42 has a function of adjusting the luminance of the backlight 41 based on a control signal from the central control unit 14 (CPU 11), and controls the luminance of the backlight 41 based on a user operation. In addition to adjustment, when the device itself functions as the light emitter 33, the luminance of the backlight 41 is adjusted based on the input information by inputting the modulated information read from the information storage unit 40. It also has a function to change in time series. In this specific application example, the display unit 25 is assumed to be a liquid crystal display (in a narrow sense, a transmissive liquid crystal display that requires illumination from the back), but has a self-luminous function such as an organic EL material. It may be provided. In this case, the display drive unit 24 has a function / operation as the backlight drive control unit 42.

  From the above description, the advertising signboard 39 can be used as a source of visible light information by modulating its brightness with arbitrary information. The information terminal 100 can be used not only as a visible light information receiving device but also as a transmission source for transmitting the received visible light information. Various other sources of visible light information (for example, traffic lights, ceiling lights, room lights, street lights, and other lamps) can be used, but in order to avoid confusion in the explanation. In the following, the advertisement billboard 39 and the information terminal 100 shown in the figure are used as the visible light information receiving destination and the visible light information transmitting source.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between the advertising signboard 39, the information terminal (information transmission side) 100, and the information terminal (information reception side) 100. In this figure, the visible light information reception point, that is, the standing position of the person 45 holding the information terminal (information receiving side) 100 is used as a reference, and the short distance (for example, 1 m) and the long distance (for example, 100 m). The two sources of visible light information (i) and (b) are shown. A person 46 holding the information terminal (information transmission side) 100 exists at the short distance position A, and an advertisement signboard 39 installed on the roof of the building 47 exists at the long distance position B.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a screen display example of the display unit 25 of the information terminal (information receiving side) 100. The information terminal (information receiving side) 100 and the information transmission source (in this case, the advertisement signboard 39 and the information terminal (information terminal)) This is a display example when the display mode is not controlled according to the distance from the transmission side) 100) (prior art). That is, in the illustrated example, the display unit 25 has a picture of a person 46 located at a short distance, a mobile phone 40 held by the person 46, a building 47 located at a long distance, and an advertising signboard 39 installed on the rooftop. The information transmitted from the visible light information transmission sources (the advertisement signboard 39 and the information terminal (information transmission side) 100) is displayed surrounded by balloons 48 and 49, for example.

  For example, the information from the information terminal (information transmission side) 100 is “My Message!”, And the information from the advertising billboard 39 is “XX station building”. It is. Here, it should be noted that these two pieces of information are in the same display mode. That is, the character size, the character color, and the shapes of the balloons 48 and 49 are the same. As shown in the figure, if there are as few as two pieces of information, it cannot be said that it is particularly difficult to see, but as the number of pieces of information increases, the screen becomes messy and becomes harder to see (readability deteriorates).

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the visible light communication receiving terminal (here, the information terminal (information receiving side) 100) and the visible light communication information transmitting source (here, the advertising billboard 39 and the information terminal (information transmitting side)). 100), the display mode of the received information is appropriately controlled to improve the readability of the display information. This will be described in detail below.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of an improved screen display of the display unit 25 of the information terminal (information receiving side) 100. The receiving terminal (information terminal (information receiving side) 100) and the information transmission source (in this case, the advertisement) This is a display example when the display mode is controlled in accordance with the distance between the signboard 39 and the information terminal (information transmission side) 100). That is, in the illustrated example, the display unit 25 has a picture of a person 46 located at a short distance, a mobile phone 40 held by the person 46, a building 47 located at a long distance, and an advertising signboard 39 installed on the rooftop. And the information transmitted from those visible light information transmission sources (the advertisement signboard 39 and the information terminal (information transmission side) 100) is displayed surrounded by balloons 50 and 51, for example. This is the same as the conventional display example (FIG. 14), but differs in the following points.

  That is, information (“My Message!”) From the information terminal (information transmission side) 100 located at a short distance is displayed in a large character size, while information from the advertising signboard 39 located at a long distance (“XX”). The station building is different in that it is displayed in a small font size. In this way, it is possible to give a visual perspective to each piece of information, and the closer the information, the larger the character size can be noticeable, and the farther the information, the smaller the character size. Thus, it is possible to improve the readability when displaying a plurality of pieces of information. Incidentally, in this example, attention is paid to the character size as the information display mode, but this is only an example. Other display modes, for example, character color, font, presence / absence of border attribute, etc. may be controlled, or the size of balloon for each information, background color, border color and thickness, The degree of transmission of the balloon may be controlled. In any case, the closer the information, the more useful the information, so the closer the distance, the more prominent the information.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a processing flow for obtaining the above improvement display screen example (FIG. 15). In this processing flow, first, the presence / absence of information detection from the information transmission source (in this case, the advertising signboard 39 and the information terminal (information transmission side) 100) is determined (step S41). When the detection of information is determined, the received data list (detected data list storage unit 13e in FIG. 3) is referred to (step S42), and data with a short distance is extracted (step S43). Next, it is determined whether or not the number of extracted data exceeds a predetermined limit number n (step S44). Here, the predetermined limit number n is the maximum number of information displays that can be displayed on the display unit 25, for example, n = 4.

  When the number of extracted data does not exceed the predetermined limit number n, each information transmission source (in this case, the advertising signboard 39 and the information terminal (information transmission side) 100 acquired by the distance measurement method described in the explanation of the principle) ) Is determined in accordance with the distance (in this case, 1 m and 100 m) (step S45), and the balloons 50 and 51 are displayed on the display unit 25 (step S46). On the other hand, when the number of extracted data exceeds the predetermined limit number n, a predetermined marking is displayed in the detection data area (step S47).

  In either case, the end of all received data is determined (step S48). If not, step S42 and subsequent steps are repeated. If the end is completed, the process returns to the data detection determination step (step S41). .

  According to this processing flow, information (“My Message!”) From the information terminal (information transmission side) 100 located at a short distance is displayed in a large balloon or a large character size, while an advertising signboard located at a long distance is displayed. Information from “39” (“XX station building”) can be displayed in a small balloon or character size. For this reason, it is possible to give a visual perspective to each piece of information, and the closer the information, the larger the character size makes it stand out, and the farther the information, the smaller the character size. Since the degree of presence can be simply shown, it is possible to improve the readability especially when displaying a plurality of pieces of information.

  In addition, according to this processing flow, when the number of extracted data exceeds a predetermined limit number n, the detection data area is displayed with a predetermined marking on the display unit 25. It is possible to avoid display confusion when receiving the message. That is, since the maximum number (n) that can be displayed with a balloon is monitored, all received information can be displayed (or text can be added to the image and edited) so that the balloon is not filled with balloons. .

  In determining the character size based on the distance, the character size should basically be reduced as the distance increases. For example, the point size is set to 12 points within 5 m, 6 points within about 100 m, and the distance calculation of the detection area. Depending on the result, the character size may be obtained by linear interpolation. Alternatively, as described above, the color of the character may be changed according to the distance (darker as it is closer, thinner as it is farther away). Alternatively, the color saturation and brightness of the speech balloon may be changed (lighter as it is farther, and more conspicuous as it is closer), or the transparency of the speech may be changed (the farther away, the speech becomes transparent and less noticeable). . As described above, when not only the character size but also the display mode such as the color and the shape is changed according to the distance measurement result of the detection area, information matching the detection distance can be presented.

  Further, according to this specific embodiment, the information terminal 100 can also be used as an information transmission source for transmitting information acquired from other information transmission sources (the advertisement signboard 39 and the information terminal 100). As compared with wireless communication that requires a large-scale system, information can be transmitted over a wide range without increasing traffic and communication costs.

  In the present embodiment, the application to the information terminal 100 is taken as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to general electronic cameras such as a mobile phone with camera and a mobile information terminal with camera.

It is a block diagram of the digital camera which shows an example of the application system of this embodiment. 3 is a configuration diagram of a light emitter 33. FIG. (A) is a figure which shows a part of storage space of RAM13 of the central control part 14 of the digital camera 10, (b) is a figure which shows some functional blocks implement | achieved by the central control part 14. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an image formed on a light receiving surface 17a of the imaging device 17. FIG. It is a calculation conceptual diagram of the distance D. 3 shows an example of a data format 38. It is a figure which shows the flowchart in this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the operation | movement flowchart of measurement process block S3. It is a specific explanatory view of a method for determining the measurement axis, weighting, and area of “image”. It is the conceptual diagram which shows an example of utilization of registration data. It is a figure which shows the advertising billboard 39 equivalent to the light-emitting body 33. FIG. 2 is a circuit configuration diagram of the information terminal 100. FIG. It is a figure which shows the positional relationship of the advertisement signboard 39, the information terminal (information transmission side) 100, and the information terminal (information reception side) 100. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen display of the display part 25 of the information terminal (information receiving side) 100. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of an improved screen display of the display part 25 of the information terminal (information receiving side) 100. FIG. It is a figure which shows a processing flow.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Digital camera 14 Central control part 17 Imaging device 22 FIFO buffer 25 Display part 33 Light-emitting body 39 Advertising signboard 100 Information terminal

Claims (6)

Imaging means;
Display means;
Area detecting means for detecting an area having a predetermined luminance from an imaging surface imaged by continuously driving the imaging means;
First information on the size of an object corresponding to the region and second information displayed on the display unit are acquired from a temporal change in luminance in the region detected by the region detecting unit. Information acquisition means;
A distance calculating unit that calculates a distance between the device and the object based on the area of the region on the imaging surface, the imaging distance, and the first information acquired by the information acquiring unit;
Control means for controlling the display mode of the second information on the display means based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation means;
An information display device comprising:   The information display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs control to display the second information together with an image captured by the imaging unit.   The information display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls to display the second information in association with an image of the object included in an image captured by the imaging unit. Illumination means for illuminating the display means;
Adjusting means for adjusting the illumination brightness of the illumination means;
Information storage means for storing second information acquired by the information acquisition means;
Modulation means for modulating the second information stored in the information storage means;
The luminance control means for controlling to adjust the illumination brightness of the illumination means based on the second information modulated by the modulation means, further comprising: Information display device. An area detection step of detecting an area having a predetermined luminance from an imaging surface imaged by continuously driving the imaging unit;
First information on the size of the object corresponding to the region and second information displayed on the display unit are acquired from the temporal luminance change in the region detected in the region detection step. An information acquisition step;
A distance calculating step of calculating a distance to the object based on the area of the region on the imaging surface, the imaging distance, and the first information acquired in the information acquiring step;
A display control method comprising: a control step of controlling a display mode of the second information on the display unit based on the distance calculated in the distance calculation step. Computer
Area detecting means for detecting an area having a predetermined luminance from an imaging surface imaged by continuously driving the imaging unit;
Information for obtaining first information on the size of an object corresponding to the region and second information displayed on the display unit from a temporal change in luminance in the region detected by the region detecting means. Acquisition means,
A distance calculating means for calculating a distance to the object based on the area of the region on the imaging surface, the imaging distance, and the first information acquired by the information acquiring means;
A display control program that functions as a control unit that controls a display mode of the second information on the display unit based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit.

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