JP2015230562A - Coordinate input device, control method of the same, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To correctly calculate an indication position even when an installation position of a device is changed.SOLUTION: Change of an installation position of a coordinate input device is mechanically detected. According to that result of detection, it is determined whether a certain time elapses. When it is determined that the certain time has elapsed, a command for executing prescribed processing in the coordinate input device is generated.

Description

  The present invention relates to a coordinate input technique for detecting a designated position with respect to a coordinate input effective area.

  Conventionally, various types of coordinate input devices (touch panels and digitizers) have been proposed or commercialized as this type of coordinate input device. For example, a touch panel that can easily operate a terminal such as a PC (personal computer) by touching the screen with a finger without using a special instrument is widely used.

  As a coordinate input method, there are various methods such as a method using a resistance film or a method using ultrasonic waves. As a method using light, a retroreflective material is provided outside the coordinate input surface, the light from the light projecting part is reflected by the retroreflective material, and the light quantity distribution is detected by the light receiving part (optical shading method). (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). In this method, the direction of a light-shielding portion (area) shielded by a finger or the like in the coordinate input area is detected, and the light-shielding position, that is, the coordinates of the coordinate input position are determined.

  As an example in which the configuration of Patent Document 1 is generalized, the configuration of FIG. 17 is shown. FIG. 17 shows sensor units 2L and 2R arranged at both ends of the coordinate input surface, and a coordinate input effective area 5 which is a coordinate input surface used when inputting coordinates. Then, on the three sides around the coordinate input effective area 5, there are provided retroreflecting portions 4 that recursively reflect the incoming light in the incoming direction.

  The sensor units 2L and 2R have a light projecting unit and a light receiving unit (not shown). The light projecting unit projects light that spreads in a fan shape substantially parallel to the input surface of the coordinate input effective area 5, and the light receiving unit receives the light that is retroreflected by the retroreflecting unit 4 and returned. The coordinate input device indicates the indicated position input to the coordinate input effective area 5 based on the light shielding direction (light shielding angles θL and θR) detected by the two sensor units 2L and 2R and the distance between the sensor units. P can be calculated.

  In the figure, reference numeral 3 denotes an arithmetic control circuit that controls the sensor units 2L and 2R, processes the acquired output signals of the sensor units 2L and 2R, or outputs the processing results to an external device.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a system that improves usability by allowing a device to be installed at an arbitrary position.

JP 2004-272353 A JP 2012-059228 A

  In a system in which an apparatus can be installed at an arbitrary position as shown in Patent Document 2, when the power is turned on, processing for detecting the installation position is performed. And the algorithm which calculates the input instruction | indication position using the detection result of the installation position is provided.

  In such an apparatus, if the user changes the installation position during use, the input designated position cannot be calculated correctly. As a result, the position input on the display screen is shifted from the designated position. The same problem occurs when the installation position is shifted due to the user unintentionally touching the apparatus.

  When the installation position of the apparatus is changed, it is necessary to redo the process of redetecting the position and the operation of setting the position of the display screen by the user.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coordinate input technique capable of correctly calculating the indicated position even when the installation position of the apparatus changes.

In order to achieve the above object, a coordinate input device according to the present invention comprises the following arrangement. That is,
A coordinate input device that detects a designated position with respect to a coordinate input effective area,
Detecting means for mechanically detecting a change in the installation position of the coordinate input device;
A determination unit that determines the elapse of a predetermined time according to the detection result of the detection unit;
And a generating unit that generates a command for executing a predetermined process in the coordinate input device when it is determined by the determining unit that a predetermined time has elapsed.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, even when the installation position of an apparatus changes, the coordinate input technique which can calculate an instruction | indication position correctly can be provided.

It is a schematic block diagram of a coordinate input device. It is a figure which shows the detailed structure of a sensor unit. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the 1st detection mode of an arithmetic control circuit. It is a figure explaining the process of a detection signal waveform. It is a figure explaining coordinate calculation. It is a figure for demonstrating a relative coordinate system and a display coordinate system. It is a figure for demonstrating operation | movement of the 2nd detection mode of an arithmetic control circuit. It is a figure for demonstrating calculation of the relative positional relationship of a sensor unit. It is a flowchart which shows an initial setting process. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of an installation position change. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of an installation position change. It is a front view explaining installation position change. It is a side view explaining an installation position change. It is a front view explaining installation position change. It is a front view explaining installation position change. It is a side view explaining an installation position change. It is a front view explaining installation position change. It is a figure for demonstrating the basic composition of the conventional optical coordinate input device.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configurations shown in the following embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated configurations.

<Embodiment 1>
A schematic configuration of the coordinate input device will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the figure, 1L is a sensor bar equipped with sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 (first sensor unit and second sensor unit). 1R is a sensor bar equipped with 2-R1 and 2-R2 (third sensor unit and fourth sensor unit).

  The sensor bars 1L and 1R (generally referred to as sensor bar 1) as the housing are provided on two opposite sides of the rectangular coordinate input effective area 5 as shown in the figure. If the display device is a front projector, the display area is set within the range of the coordinate input effective area 5 and is projected onto, for example, a planar whiteboard 6. Of course, it is not limited to the white board 6 and may be a wall surface or the like.

  Retroreflective portions 4L and 4R (collectively referred to as retroreflecting portions 4 when collectively referred to) are attached to the side surfaces of the sensor bars 1L and 1R, respectively, as shown in the figure. Each of the retroreflective portions 4L and 4R is configured to recursively reflect the infrared light projected by the sensor unit 1L or 1R provided on the opposite side.

  The arithmetic control circuit 3L built in the sensor bar 1L controls the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2, performs arithmetic processing on the output results, and controls the arithmetic control circuit 3R of the sensor bar 1R. The arithmetic control circuit 3R of the sensor bar 1R controls the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2, performs arithmetic processing on the output result, and transmits the result to the arithmetic control circuit 3L of the sensor bar 1L. Then, the arithmetic control circuit 3L of the sensor bar 1L processes the output results from the four sensor units 2-L1, 2-L2, 2-R1, and 2-R2, calculates the indicated position, Output the result to the device.

  In FIG. 1, the calculation control circuit 3L of the sensor bar 1L and the calculation control circuit 3R of the sensor bar 1R are connected by a cord (that is, wired connection), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, wireless communication functions may be mounted on each other, and data transmission / reception (wireless connection) may be performed using these communication functions.

  In the following description, the horizontal direction will be described as the X axis (+ on the right side of the drawing), and the vertical direction will be described as the Y axis (lower side is +).

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a detailed configuration of the sensor units 2-L1, 2-L2, 2-R1, and 2-R2 (generically referred to as the sensor unit 2). 2A is a cross section AA in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 2B and 2C are front views as seen from the direction of the arrows in the figure.

  2A, the sensor unit 2 is housed in the sensor bar 1 and includes a light projecting unit 30 that projects light toward the coordinate input effective region 5 and a light receiving unit 40 that receives incoming light. . The distance between the light projecting unit 30 and the light receiving unit 40 is L_pd, and the retroreflecting unit 4 is provided between them as shown in the figure. Reference numeral 45 denotes a light transmissive member, which is a protective member for preventing foreign matter such as dust from entering the sensor bar 1.

  2B, the light projecting unit 30 includes an infrared LED 31 that is a light emitting unit, a light projecting lens 32, and an adhesive layer 33 for fixing both. The light projecting lens 32 is configured so that the light from the infrared LED 31 becomes a light beam substantially parallel to the whiteboard 6 serving as a coordinate input surface. The light projection range is a range from g to h and the vertex is the position of the point O (the position of the center of gravity of the sensor unit 2) so as to illuminate the entire region of the retroreflective portion 4 of the sensor bar 1 provided on the opposite side. ) Is emitted.

  In FIG. 2C, the light receiving unit 40 detects light retroreflected by the retroreflecting unit 4 attached to the sensor bar 1 provided on the opposite side of the light projected by the light projecting unit 30. . 41 is a line CCD which is a photoelectric conversion element, 42 is a light receiving lens, 43 is a field stop, and 44 is an infrared ray passing filter. Further, the infrared passing filter 44 may be eliminated by providing the protective member 45 with an infrared passing filter function.

  The optical axis of the light receiving unit 40 is set in the X-axis direction. The visual field range is the g to h range, and the position of the point O is the optical center position. Further, the light receiving section 40 is an optical system that is asymmetric with respect to the optical axis as shown in the figure. The light projecting unit 30 and the light receiving unit 40 are arranged so as to overlap each other so that the position of the point O and the directions g and h substantially coincide with each other, as shown in FIG. Further, since the light receiving unit 40 is focused on the pixels of the line CCD 41 in accordance with the direction of the incident light, the pixel number of the line CCD 41 represents angle information of the incident light.

  The light receiving unit 40 has a visual field range substantially parallel to the coordinate input surface of the coordinate input effective area 5, and its optical axis direction is arranged to coincide with the normal direction of the light receiving surface of the line CCD 41. .

  FIG. 3A is a block diagram of the arithmetic control circuit 3. The calculation control circuit 3L of the sensor bar 1L and the calculation control circuit 3R of the sensor bar 1R in Embodiment 1 have the same circuit configuration except for the interface specifications to the outside, and control and calculation of the corresponding sensor unit 2 to be connected. I do. FIG. 3A particularly shows the configuration of the arithmetic control circuit 3L of the sensor bar 1L.

  The CCD control signals for the line CCD 41 of the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 are output from the CPU 61 constituted by a one-chip microcomputer or the like, and perform shutter timing of the line CCD 41, data output control, and the like. Here, the CPU 61 has a built-in nonvolatile memory (for example, a flash memory), and the nonvolatile memory stores a program for controlling the coordinate input device and data such as various setting values. ing. Thereby, the CPU 61 can read and execute a program stored in the nonvolatile memory, and can write and read various setting values at any time.

  The CCD clock is transmitted from the clock generation circuit CLK62 to each of the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2, and is also input to the CPU 61 for performing various controls in synchronization with the line CCD 41. The LED drive signal for driving the infrared LEDs 31 of the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 is supplied from the CPU 61.

  Detection signals from the line CCDs 41 of the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 are input to the A / D converter 63 and converted into digital values under the control of the CPU 61. The converted digital value is stored in the memory 64 and used for angle calculation. Then, a geometric indication position is calculated from the calculated angle information, and is output to an information processing apparatus such as an external PC via an interface 68 (for example, a USB interface).

  As described above, the arithmetic control circuit 3 of each sensor bar 1 controls two sensor units 2 each. If the arithmetic control circuit 3L of the sensor bar 1L fulfills the main function, the CPU 61 transmits a control signal to the arithmetic control circuit 3R of the sensor bar 1R via the serial communication unit 67 to synchronize the circuits. . Then, necessary data is acquired from the arithmetic control circuit 3R.

  The operation between the arithmetic control circuits 3L and 3R is performed by master / slave control. In the first embodiment, the arithmetic control circuit 3L is a master and the arithmetic control circuit 3R is a slave. Each arithmetic control circuit can be either a master or a slave, but the master / slave can be switched by inputting a switching signal to the CPU port with a switching unit such as a DIP switch (not shown). It has become.

  In order to acquire data of the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2 of the sensor bar 1R provided on the opposite side from the arithmetic control circuit 3L of the sensor bar 1L as the master, the control signal is sent to the slave arithmetic control circuit 3R. It is transmitted via the serial communication unit 67. Then, the angle information obtained by the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2 is calculated and transmitted to the arithmetic control circuit 3L on the master side via the serial communication unit 67.

  In the case of the first embodiment, the interface 68 is mounted on the arithmetic control circuit 3L on the master side. Reference numeral 66 denotes an infrared light receiving unit when a dedicated pen (not shown) that emits infrared light is used as an indicator. Reference numeral 65 denotes a sub CPU for decoding a signal from the dedicated pen. The dedicated pen has a switch for detecting that the pen tip has pressed the input surface, and various switches on the side of the pen housing. It is possible to detect the operation state of the dedicated pen by transmitting the state of those switches and the identification information of the pen by the infrared light emitting unit provided in the dedicated pen.

  FIG. 3B is a timing chart showing the control signal output from the CPU 61 of the arithmetic control circuit 3L on the master side to operate the sensor unit 2 and the operation of the sensor unit 2.

  71, 72 and 73 are control signals for controlling the line CCD 41, and the shutter opening time of the line CCD 41 is determined by the interval of the SH signal 71. The ICGL signal 72 is a gate signal to the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 of the sensor bar 1L, and is a signal for transferring the charge of the photoelectric conversion unit in the line CCD 41 to the reading unit.

  The CCDL signal 74 is a signal indicating the shutter opening time of the line CCD 41 of the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2. The ICGR signal 73 is a gate signal to the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2 of the opposing sensor bar 1R, and is transmitted to the arithmetic control circuit 3R of the sensor bar 1R via the serial communication unit 67. Then, the arithmetic control circuit 3R generates a signal for transferring the charge of the photoelectric conversion unit in the line CCD 41 to the reading unit. The CCDR signal 75 is a signal indicating the shutter opening time of the line CCD 41 of the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2.

  The LEDL signal 76 and the LEDR signal 77 are drive signals for the infrared LED 31 of each sensor unit 2. In order to turn on the infrared LEDs 31 of the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 of the sensor bar 1L in the first cycle of the SH signal 71, an LEDL signal 76 is supplied to the infrared LEDs 31 via respective LED drive circuits (not shown). Is done.

  Then, in order to turn on the infrared LEDs 31 of the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2 of the sensor bar 1R provided on opposite sides in the next cycle of the SH signal 71, the LEDR signal 77 is transmitted via the serial communication unit 67. To the arithmetic control circuit 3R. Then, the arithmetic control circuit 3R generates a signal to be supplied to each LED drive circuit.

  After the driving of the infrared LED 31 and the shutter release of the line CCD 41 are completed, the signal of the line CCD 41 is read from the sensor unit 2 and angle information is calculated by a method described later. Then, the calculation result of the slave-side calculation control circuit 3R is transmitted to the master-side calculation control circuit 3L.

  By operating as described above, the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2 of the sensor bar 1R facing the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 of the sensor bar 1L operate at different timings. By comprising in this way, only the retroreflected light which sensor unit itself emitted can be detected, without detecting the infrared light of the sensor unit provided in the edge | side which opposes.

  With reference to FIG. 4, a signal indicating the light receiving state output from the sensor unit 2 of the sensor bar 1 will be described. First, the output of the light receiving unit 40 when there is no light emission of the light projecting unit 30 of the sensor unit 2 is FIG. 4A, and the output of the light receiving unit 40 when there is light emission is FIG. 4B. . In FIG. 4B, level A is the maximum level of the detected light amount, and level B can be said to be a level at which no light can be detected (received).

  The infrared light emitted from the sensor unit 2 is retroreflected by the retroreflecting unit 4 provided on the opposite side and is detected by the sensor unit 2 itself. The amount of light from the pixel number Nj to the pixel number Nf varies depending on the size of the display screen, the aspect ratio thereof, the arrangement state of the sensor bar 1 corresponding thereto (particularly, the distance between the two sensor bars 1), and the like.

  The coordinate input device according to the first embodiment adjusts the shutter open time of the line CCD 41 and the exposure time of the infrared LED 31 by controlling the SH signal so that an optimum light amount level is obtained. If the amount of light obtained from the sensor unit 2 is large, the time can be shortened. Conversely, if the amount of light is small, the time can be set long. Furthermore, the current flowing through the infrared LED 31 may be adjusted according to the detected light amount level. By monitoring the output signal in this way, an optimum light amount can be obtained. Such adjustment may be made as appropriate when there is a level fluctuation. Alternatively, a stable and constant signal should be obtained while the sensor bar 1 is installed and its state is maintained, and thus such light quantity adjustment may be performed when the power is turned on after installation is completed.

  When the optical path is blocked by touching (instructing) the input surface of the coordinate input effective area 5, for example, as shown in FIG. 4C, it becomes impossible to detect the light amount with the pixel number Nc. In the first embodiment, the touched direction, in other words, the angle is calculated using the signals shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C.

  First, reference data is acquired when the system is started, when the system is reset, or automatically. Hereinafter, the data processing of one sensor unit 2 will be described, but the same processing is performed in other sensor units.

  When the power is turned on, the output of the line CCD 41 is A / D converted by the A / D converter 63 in a state where no touch operation is performed by the operator and the illumination unit 30 is not illuminated, and this value is converted to Base_Data [ N] is stored in the memory 64. This is data including variations in the bias of the line CCD 41 and the like, and is data in the vicinity of level B in FIG. Here, [N] is the CCD pixel number of the line CCD 41, and a pixel number corresponding to an effective input range is used.

  Similarly, a light amount distribution in a state where light is projected from the light projecting unit 30 in a state where no touch operation is performed by the operator is acquired and stored. This is data represented by a solid line in FIG. 4B and is stored in the memory 64 as Ref_Data [N]. This manages the storage of two types of data as initial data.

  Thereafter, sampling is started. If no touch operation is performed, the data shown in FIG. 4B is a diagram in which a shadow C is detected according to the designated position when the touch operation is performed. Data shown in 4 (C) is detected. Sample data obtained when the light projecting unit 30 is illuminated is defined as Norm_Data [N].

  Using these data (Base_Data [N] and Ref_Data [N] stored in the memory 64), first, the presence / absence of the input of the pointing tool and the presence / absence of the light shielding portion are determined. First, in order to specify the light shielding portion, the amount of change in data is calculated for each pixel and compared with a preset threshold value Vtha.

Norm_Data0 [N] = Norm_Data [N]-Ref_Data [N] (1)
Here, Norm_Data0 [N] is the amount of change in the amount of light in each pixel. By comparing the thresholds, erroneous determination due to noise or the like is prevented, and a certain amount of reliable change is detected. Then, when data exceeding the threshold value is generated in, for example, a predetermined number or more of continuous pixels, it is determined that there is a touch operation. Since this process only takes a difference and compares it, it is possible to perform a calculation in a short time and to determine whether or not there is an input at high speed.

  Next, in order to detect with higher accuracy, an input point is determined by calculating a ratio of change in pixel data using Expression (2).

Norm_DataR [N] = Norm_Data0 [N] / (Base_Data [N]-Ref_Data [N]) (2)
A separately set threshold value Vthr is applied to the pixel data (light quantity distribution). Then, based on the pixel numbers of the rising and falling portions of the light amount fluctuation region corresponding to the light shielding portion in the light amount distribution corresponding to the point crossing the threshold value Vthr, the center of both is set as the pixel corresponding to the input by the pointing tool. Thus, the angle is calculated.

  FIG. 4D shows an example of a detection result after the calculation of the change ratio. Now, when detecting with the threshold value Vthr, it is assumed that the rising portion of the light-shielding portion becomes the level Ls at the Ns-th pixel and exceeds the threshold value Vthr. Furthermore, it is assumed that the level becomes Lt at the Ntth pixel and falls below the threshold value Vthr.

  At this time, the pixel number Np of the line CCD 41 to be output may be calculated as the median value of the pixel numbers of the rising and falling portions as in Expression (3), but in this case, the pixel interval of the line CCD 41 is output. It becomes the resolution of the pixel number.

Np = Ns + (Nt-Ns) / 2 (3)
Therefore, in order to detect with higher resolution, a virtual pixel number crossing the threshold value Vthr is calculated using the data level of each pixel and the data level of the immediately preceding adjacent pixel.

If the level of the pixel Ns is Ls, the level of the pixel Ns-1 is Ls-1, the level of the pixel Nt is Lt, and the level of the pixel Nt-1 is Lt-1, the respective virtual pixel numbers Nsv and Ntv are ,
Nsv = Ns-1 + (Vthr-Ls-1) / (Ls -LS-1) (4)
Ntv = Nt-1 + (Vthr-Lt-1) / (Lt -Lt-1) (5)
Can be calculated. According to this calculation formula, a virtual pixel number corresponding to the output level, that is, a pixel number smaller than the pixel number of the line CCD 41 can be acquired. And the virtual center pixel Npv of these virtual pixel numbers Nsv and Ntv is determined by Expression (6).

Npv = Nsv + (Ntv-Nsv) / 2 (6)
Thus, by calculating the virtual virtual pixel number that crosses the threshold value Vthr of the predetermined level from the pixel number of the pixel of the data level exceeding the threshold value Vthr, the adjacent pixel number, and the data level thereof, the resolution can be further increased. High detection can be realized.

  In order to calculate the actual coordinate value of the pointing tool from the center pixel number obtained in this way, it is necessary to convert the center pixel number into angle information.

  In actual coordinate calculation described later, it is more convenient to calculate the value of the tangent at the angle rather than the angle itself. A table reference or a conversion formula is used for conversion from the pixel number to tan θ. For example, a high-order polynomial can be used as the conversion formula to ensure accuracy, but the order and the like may be determined in consideration of calculation capability, accuracy specifications, and the like.

Here, an example in the case of using a 5th order polynomial requires 6 coefficients when using a 5th order polynomial, so this coefficient data is stored in the nonvolatile memory in the CPU 61 at the time of shipment or the like. Just keep it. Now, when the coefficients of the fifth-order polynomial are L5, L4, L3, L2, L1, and L0, tan θ is
tanθ = (L5 * Npr + L4) * Npr + L3) * Npr + L2) * Npr + L1) * Npr + L0 (7)
Can be represented. If the same thing is done for each sensor unit, the respective angle data can be determined. Of course, in the above example, tan θ is calculated, but the angle data itself may be calculated, and then tan θ may be calculated.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship with the screen coordinates. The visual field range of the sensor unit 2-L1 of the sensor bar 1L is a range from the direction j to the direction f, and the positive and negative angles are set as illustrated. The optical axis of the sensor unit 2-L1 is the X-axis direction, and the direction is defined as an angle of 0 °. Similarly, the field-of-view range of the sensor unit 2-L2 is a range from the direction f to the direction j, the positive / negative of the angle is set as illustrated, and the direction of the optical axis of the sensor unit 2-L2 is an angle of 0 °. Define. Then, if a line segment connecting the optical axis center of the sensor unit 2-L1 and the optical axis center of the sensor unit 2-L2 is defined as the Y axis, the optical axis of each sensor unit is the normal direction of the line segment. Further, the distance between the optical axis center of the sensor unit 2-L1 and the optical axis center of the sensor unit 2-L2 is defined as dh.

  Assume that a touch operation is performed at the point P.

  The angle calculated by the sensor unit 2-L1 is θL1, and the angle calculated by the sensor unit 2-L2 is θL2. Using these two angle information and the distance dh, the coordinates of the indicated position P can be calculated geometrically.

x = dh ・ tan (π / 2-θL2) ・ tan (π / 2-θL1) / (tan (π / 2-θL2) + tan (π / 2-θL1)) (8)
y = dh · tan (π / 2-θL2) / (tan (π / 2-θL2) + tan (π / 2-θL1)) (9)
Even if the output of one sensor unit is θL1 = 0 or θL2 = 0, the indicated position can be easily calculated geometrically based on the angle information output by the other sensor unit. It is.

  In the above description, the distance dh between the two sensor units is known. Here, in order to simplify the description, the distance dh is known, but a configuration capable of detecting the position even if it is unknown will be described later.

  Here, from the visual field range of the sensor unit 2-L1 and the sensor unit 2-L2, it is possible to calculate the indicated position only when the indicated position P is within the hatched range of FIG. When the designated position is not within the range, the coordinate input effective area can be obtained by changing the combination of the sensor units used for the calculation as shown in FIGS. 5 (C), 5 (D), and 5 (E). It becomes possible to detect the designated positions in all five areas. Therefore, based on the presence / absence of the light shielding direction detected by each sensor unit 2 and the light shielding direction, the sensor unit necessary for coordinate calculation is selected, and the indicated position is calculated. And according to the combination of the selected sensor units 2, the parameters of Equation (8) and Equation (9) may be changed to perform coordinate conversion.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (F), if the designated position P exists in the vicinity of the boundary region for sensor unit selection, in this case, the combination of sensor units in the state of FIG. 5 (B) or FIG. 5 (C) is used. The indicated position can be calculated. As a specific configuration, for example, the visual field range of the sensor unit 2-L2 and the visual field range of the sensor unit 2-R1 are configured to overlap in the diagonal direction of the coordinate input effective region 5. And when it touches in the overlapping area | region, a coordinate calculation is attained by the combination of a plurality of types of sensor units. In that case, an average value of coordinate values calculated by a combination of the two may be output as definite coordinates.

  The coordinate values calculated in this way are values of the first coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as a relative coordinate system) possessed by the coordinate input device of the first embodiment, and the effective area where the position can be calculated is shown in FIG. 1 is a coordinate input effective area 5 in FIG. The display surface of the display is provided in the range of the coordinate input effective area 5. If the display is a front projector, a display area 8 that is a projection image is set in the coordinate input effective area 5 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, it consists of the 2nd coordinate system (henceforth a display coordinate system) which is a display coordinate system which consists of dx-axis and dy-axis by making d1 into an origin. In order to perform a tap operation on an icon or the like by directly touching the displayed image, the operation of adjusting the position of the display coordinate system with respect to the relative coordinate system (taking the correlation between the relative coordinate system and the display coordinate system) is performed. There is a need. The alignment operation is generally called calibration.

  Usually, in order to execute calibration, dedicated application software is installed in a personal computer (PC) that performs display control. When the application is activated, an indicator such as a cross is displayed on the display screen, and the user is prompted to touch the cross position. The coordinate system is converted so that the coordinate value of the relative coordinate system obtained by repeating the operation a predetermined number of times at different positions matches the coordinate value of the display coordinate system at the position where the cross is displayed. .

  In the coordinate input device according to the first embodiment, the coordinate conversion is performed by touching the four corners of the display screen instead of displaying and touching the position of the crosshairs using application software. By configuring in this way, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect that it can be used immediately without installing special software by connecting to a PC on the spot.

  The transition to the calibration mode is performed by, for example, a mode transition switch (not shown) provided in the sensor bar 1. The user presses the mode transition switch when the position of the display screen is changed. When the mode transition switch is used to make a transition to the calibration mode, guidance is provided so that the four corners are sequentially touched by an output unit such as a speaker built in the sensor bar 1. Also, a buzzer sound indicating that the input has been completed may be notified every time the corner touch is completed. Alternatively, the operation may be prompted by an indicator built in the sensor bar 1.

  Now, in the coordinate calculation in the relative coordinate system, it is necessary that the distance dh between the sensor units 2 used for the calculation in the equations (8) and (9) needs to be known. However, in the case of use as shown in FIG. 6 used in combination with a display device, this distance dh does not necessarily need to be known. That is, information on the four corners indicating the size of the display is sequentially acquired as angle information at each sensor unit in the relative coordinate system by performing a touch operation. As a result, it is possible to calculate the coordinates of the indicated position in the display coordinate system only by calculation based on the ratio.

  Now, it is assumed that the coordinate input device according to the first embodiment is used by a user wearing two sensor bars 1 on display surfaces of various display sizes. As a relative positional relationship between the two sensor bars 1, the two sensor bars 1 are parallel, have the same length, and the sensor unit of the other sensor bar is arranged in the X-axis direction. High-precision position detection is possible. Although it is possible to provide a mechanism in which the two sensor bars 1 have such an arrangement, in that case, the user is forced to perform appropriate installation work. If the two sensor bars 1 can be easily mounted in a certain amount, the convenience will be improved and the installation time will be greatly shortened. Therefore, the first embodiment has the second detection mode as the coordinate detection mode in order to improve convenience.

  FIG. 7A is a timing chart showing the control signal output from the CPU 61 of the master side sensor bar 1L and the operation of the sensor unit 2 for explaining the second detection mode.

  91, 92 and 93 are control signals for controlling the line CCD 41, and the shutter opening time of the line CCD 41 is determined by the interval of the SH signal 91. The ICGL signal 92 is a gate signal to the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 of the sensor bar 1L, and is a signal for transferring the charge of the photoelectric conversion unit in the line CCD 41 to the reading unit.

  The CCDL signal 94 is a signal indicating the shutter opening time of the line CCD 41 of the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2. The ICGR signal 93 is a gate signal to the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2 of the opposing sensor bar 1R, and is transmitted to the arithmetic control circuit 3R of the sensor bar 1R via the serial communication unit 67. Then, the arithmetic control circuit 3R generates a signal for transferring the charge of the photoelectric conversion unit in the line CCD 41 to the reading unit. The CCDR signal 95 is a signal indicating the shutter opening time of the line CCD 41 of the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2.

  The LEDL signal 96 and the LEDR signal 97 are drive signals for the infrared LED 31 of each sensor unit 2. In order to turn on the infrared LEDs 31 of the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2 of the sensor bar 1R in the first cycle of the SH signal 91, the LEDR signal 97 is transmitted to the arithmetic control circuit 3R of the sensor bar 1R via the serial communication unit 67. Is done. Then, the arithmetic control circuit 3R generates a signal to be supplied to each LED drive circuit.

  Then, in order to turn on the infrared LEDs 31 of the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 of the sensor bar 1L in the next cycle of the SH signal 91, the LEDL signal 96 is supplied to the infrared LEDs 31 through the respective LED driving circuits. .

  After the driving of the infrared LED 31 and the shutter release of the line CCD 41 are completed, the signal of the line CCD 41 is read from the sensor unit 2 and angle information is calculated by a method described later. Then, the calculation result of the slave-side calculation control circuit 3R is transmitted to the master-side calculation control circuit 3L.

  By operating as described above, the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 of the sensor bar 1L directly detect the infrared light of the infrared LED 31 emitted from the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2 of the opposing sensor bar 1R. (Direct reception). Similarly, the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2 of the sensor bar 1R directly detect the infrared light of the infrared LED 31 emitted by the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 of the opposing sensor bar 1L.

  FIG. 3 shows a coordinate detection mode in which the sensor units 2-R1 and 2-R2 of the sensor bar 1R facing the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L2 of the sensor bar 1L are operated at different timings. The detection mode is set.

  FIG. 7B shows a detection signal waveform obtained by the sensor unit 2 when operating in the second detection mode. Since light emitted from the light projecting units 30 of the two sensor units 2 provided on the opposite sides is received, two peak signals are generated. Then, the respective directions are calculated by the same method as the angle calculation method described above. In addition, the broken line in a figure shows the output (light quantity distribution) of the light-receiving part 40 shown to FIG. 4 (B), and has shown that the peak signal is produced | generated between the direction Nj and the direction Nf.

  As described above, one of the objects of the first embodiment is to realize highly accurate position detection even when the user wears the two sensor bars 1 with the reference amount. Therefore, each sensor unit 2 detects in which direction the opposing sensor unit 2 is located by detecting the light of the light projecting unit 30 of the sensor unit 2 housed in the opposing sensor bar 1.

  This will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 8, if the line segment connecting the optical axis center of the sensor unit 2-L1 and the optical axis center of the sensor unit 2-L2 is the Y axis and the normal direction is the X axis, the sensor units 2-L1 and 2-L The optical axis of L2 is parallel to the X axis. The opposing sensor unit 2-R1 is in the direction of the angle θ1 when viewed from the sensor unit 2-L1, and is the direction of the angle θ3 when viewed from the sensor unit 2-L2. Similarly, an angle from θ1 to θ8 can be calculated. As a result, an angle θ9 formed by the optical axis of the sensor unit 2-L1 of the sensor bar 1L and the optical axis of the sensor unit 2-R1 of the sensor bar 1R is obtained. Calculated.

  In other words, the relative inclination of the sensor bar 1L and the sensor bar 1R can be detected. Furthermore, even if the length of the sensor bar 1 in the longitudinal direction changes, the absolute distance between the sensor units 2 cannot be known, but the relative positional relationship between the four sensor units is acquired. Is possible. If the information on the four corners indicating the size of the display described above is obtained by touch operation, the coordinates in the display coordinate system can be obtained with high accuracy even by calculation by relative coordinates (calculation by ratio). It is possible to calculate.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an initial setting process after power-on.

  First, when the sensor bar 1 is mounted on the whiteboard 6 by the operator in order to form the rectangular coordinate input effective area 5 including the entire display area 8 which is a projected image, the CPU 61 turns on the power, for example. Is performed to perform initial setting (S101). For example, the sensor bar 1 has a built-in mounting portion such as a magnet and can be attached to a wall surface of the whiteboard 6 or the like.

  Next, the CPU 61 performs various initializations related to the coordinate input device such as input / output port setting and timer setting, and also initializes the line CCD 41 such as removing excess charges remaining in the photoelectric conversion elements. (S102). Next, the amount of light detected by the line CCD 41 is optimized. The size of the whiteboard 6 and the display area 8 varies depending on the use environment, and the distance between the sensor bars 1 is set by the user as appropriate. Therefore, the detected light intensity varies depending on the wearing state. Therefore, the CPU 61 performs operation setting in the second detection mode including setting of the shutter opening time of the line CCD 41, the lighting time of the infrared LED 31, or the driving current of the infrared LED 31 (S103). Here, the operation setting in S103 is an operation state (second detection mode in FIG. 7) of receiving light directly from the opposing sensor unit 2, and the relative positional relationship of the four sensor units 2 is derived. The purpose is to do.

  Next, the CPU 61 takes in the output signal of the line CCD 41 (S104). Then, the CPU 61 determines whether or not the sensor unit is appropriately arranged by determining whether or not light is detected based on the output signal (S105). Here, when light cannot be detected (NO in S105), this is a state in which there is a possibility that the sensor unit 2 at the opposite position may not be located in the visual field range of the light receiving unit 40 of the sensor unit 2. That is, this state is a state in which the placement / installation of the sensor bar 1 by the user is inappropriate. Therefore, in such a case, the fact is notified to prompt the user to re-install the sensor bar (S106). When the re-installation by the user is completed, S101 is started again. The output signals captured in S105 and S106 are signals as shown in FIG. 7B, and in the case of the first embodiment, it can be said that the state in which two peak signals are output is the normal state.

  Next, the CPU 61 checks the waveform of the detection signal (S107). When the light of the sensor unit 2 at the opposite position is too strong, for example, when at least a part of the waveform (waveform level) of the detection signal exceeds a predetermined threshold (NO in S107), the process returns to S103, for example, exposure time Change (reset) the set value, such as shortening. Then, the waveform of the detection signal checked in S107 should be in a state where the light intensity is weaker. If the signal level is appropriate (YES in S107), for example, if at least a part of the waveform of the detection signal is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, the process proceeds to S108.

  When the above operations are executed by each sensor unit (four in the case of Embodiment 1) and all the signals are optimized, the CPU 61 calculates the relative positional relationship of the sensor unit 2 (S108). . Here, in calculating the relative positional relationship of the sensor unit 2, since the values of θ1 to θ8 are known, the relative positional relationship of each sensor unit can be calculated by geometric calculation. For the details thereof, for example, a technique disclosed in JP 2014-048960 A can be used.

  After S109, the infrared light projected by the sensor unit 2 is retroreflected by the retroreflecting unit 4 provided in the opposing sensor bar 1, and the signal level when the light is detected by its own light receiving unit 40 is optimized. Turn into. As described above, the arrangement of the sensor bar 1 is not unique, and an object is to obtain a stable signal by optimizing the detection level according to the arrangement. Items to be set are operation settings in the first detection mode including the setting of the shutter opening time of the line CCD 41, the lighting time of the infrared LED 31, or the driving current of the infrared LED 31 (S109). If the first operation setting is set so that the light quantity can be maximized in S109, the output signal of the line CCD 41 at that time is captured (S110).

  The captured output signal is data at the time of illumination, and has a waveform as shown in FIG. If the light is too strong, the output exceeds the range of the dynamic range of the line CCD 41 and the output is saturated, making it difficult to calculate an accurate angle. In that case, in S111, it is determined that the waveform of the detection signal is inappropriate (NO in S111), the process returns to S109, and resetting is performed so that the waveform (waveform level) of the detection signal becomes smaller. Since retroreflected light is detected, the amount of light to be projected is significantly higher than when the light receiving unit 40 directly detects the light projection of the sensor unit 2 in the processing in S103 to S108 (that is, the second detection mode). It will be set to be larger.

  If it is determined in S111 that the waveform level is optimum (YES in S111), a signal Base_Data [N] (see FIG. 4A) in a state without illumination is acquired and stored in the memory 64 (S112). . Next, a signal Ref_Data [N] (see FIG. 4B) in a state with illumination is acquired and stored in the memory 64 (S113).

  Next, a process executed when the user changes the installation position while using the coordinate input device will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 10A and 10B. 11 to 13 are diagrams for explaining the occurrence of a change in the installation position of the coordinate input device.

  First, in FIG. 10A, the CPU 61 reads the state of the mechanical detection unit (S201). The CPU 61 determines whether or not the physical installation position of the coordinate input device has changed (S202). This will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 11, reference numeral 106 denotes a magnet magnet built in each of the sensor bars 1 </ b> L and R <b> 1 to be attached to the whiteboard 6. Reference numerals 100L and 100R denote switches (mechanical detection units) for determining whether or not the sensor bars 1L and 1R are attached to the whiteboard 6, respectively.

  The state of FIG. 11 shows a state where the user is using the coordinate input device. FIG. 12B is a side view of the state. The sensor bar 1 is attached to the whiteboard 6 via a magnet 106. At this time, the switch lever 100a which is a part of the switch 100 is pushed by the whiteboard 6 and is in the ON state. In order to change the installation position of the sensor bar 1, the sensor bar 1 is pulled away from the whiteboard 6 as shown in FIG. Then, by changing the position of the sensor bar 1 and returning it to the mounted state of FIG. 12B, as shown in FIG. 13, the position of the sensor bar 1 is changed from the state of FIG. 11 to the right. . At this time, as shown in FIG. 12A, the switch lever 100a of the switch 100 is released from the whiteboard 6 and is turned off.

  That is, the switch 100 is in the ON state when the sensor bar 1 is attached to the installation surface in FIG. 12B, and the switch 100 is in the detached state from the installation surface of the sensor bar 1 in FIG. 100 is an OFF state. Therefore, the operation (state transition) of ON → OFF → ON of the switch 100 determines that the installation position of the sensor bar 1 has been changed (YES in S202). Further, it is determined that the ON state of the switch 100 is ON when the installation position of the sensor bar 1 is not changed (NO in S202).

  As a result of the determination in S202 of FIG. 10A, when the installation position of the sensor bar 1 has not changed (NO in S202), the process proceeds to S301 in FIG. 10B. On the other hand, when the installation position of the sensor bar 1 has changed (YES in S202), the CPU 61 outputs a beep sound for notifying the user that the installation position has changed, and at the same time turns on an indicator indicating an error (S203). Next, the CPU 61 determines whether or not the installation position has changed for a certain time (S204). As described above, this determination is realized by determining whether or not the switch 100 is ON → ON for a certain period of time. Moreover, this fixed time can be set according to a use, a purpose, or a user's intention.

  S205 to S208 correspond to the processing of S110 to S113 of FIG. 9, and execute processing such as capturing of the output signal of the line CCD 41, adjustment of the waveform level, and storage of various signals. Thereafter, the CPU 61 generates a command for transition to the calibration mode, and executes a calibration process (a process for resetting setting information that needs to be updated in accordance with a change in the installation position) (S209). Next, in the calibration mode, the CPU 61 sets the first detection mode and captures the output signal of the line CCD 41 in order to allow the user to perform touch operations at the four corners of the display area 8 (S210). Then, the CPU 61 determines whether or not there is an input at one of the four corners (S211). If there is no input (NO in S211), it waits until there is an input. On the other hand, when there is an input (YES in S211), the CPU 61 selects a sensor unit in which a light-shielding part is generated in the output signal (S221). The CPU 61 calculates each angle at which the light-shielding portion is generated using the selected sensor unit (S213). And CPU61 alert | reports that acquisition of data was completed (S214). This notification outputs, for example, a beep sound indicating completion.

  Next, the CPU 61 determines whether or not acquisition of all data (position information) at the four corner positions of the display area 8 has been completed (S215). If acquisition has not been completed (NO in S215), the process returns to S210. On the other hand, if the acquisition has been completed (YES in S215), parameters for conversion from the relative coordinate system to the display coordinate system are calculated (S216). Here, the calculated parameters are used in the coordinate conversion in S306 (FIG. 10B). Thereafter, the process returns to S201. When the calibration process is completed, since it is determined in S202 that the installation position of the sensor bar has not changed, the routine proceeds to a normal sampling operation shown in FIG. 10B.

  The CPU 61 takes in the output signal of the line CCD 41 (S301). Next, the CPU 61 determines whether any one of the sensor units 2 has generated a light shielding portion, that is, whether or not there is an input (S302). When it is determined that there is no input (NO in S302), the process returns to S201 in FIG. 10A. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is an input (YES in S302), the CPU 61 selects a sensor unit in which a light shielding portion is generated in the output signal (S303). Using the selected sensor unit, the direction (angle) in which the light shielding portion is generated is calculated (S304). By using the calculated angle and the positional relationship information of each sensor unit, the CPU 61 calculates the coordinates of the designated position in the relative coordinate system (S305). For example, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-048960 can be used to calculate the coordinates of the designated position. The positional relationship information of each sensor unit is calculated in S108 of FIG. Then, the calculated designated position coordinates are converted into a display coordinate system, and the coordinate values are output (transmitted) to the external device (S306).

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, when the installation position of the coordinate input device is changed during energization (during use), it is automatically recognized when the change of the installation position is recognized. Switch to calibration mode. Therefore, the optimum use environment can be reset and updated without the user performing an operation (switch operation or the like) for switching to the calibration mode.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, detection of the installation state of the coordinate input device is realized by a mechanical detection unit using a switch with ON / OFF, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a detection unit that detects with a mouse mechanism may be used. 14-16 is a figure explaining the detection part of Embodiment 2. FIG. When the installation position of the coordinate input device of FIG. 14 is changed from the state of FIG. 15A, which is a side view thereof, to the state of FIG. 15B, the mechanical mouse roller of the mouse mechanism 107 is moved. 107a rotates and detects a change (movement) of the installation position. Then, when stable installation is performed in the state of FIG. 15B, that is, it is determined that the installation position has not been changed in that state after a certain period of time has elapsed in the state of FIG.

<Embodiment 3>
The mouse mechanism according to the second embodiment is the mouse mechanism 107 including the mechanical mouse roller 107a, but is not limited thereto. For example, a mouse mechanism that uses the principle of an optical mouse such as a laser may be used.

  In addition, the function of the above embodiment is realizable also with the following structures. That is, it is also achieved by supplying a program code for performing the processing of the present embodiment to a system or apparatus, and a computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus executing the program code. In this case, the program code itself read from the storage medium realizes the function of the above-described embodiment, and the storage medium storing the program code also realizes the function of the present embodiment.

  Further, the program code for realizing the function of the present embodiment may be executed by one computer (CPU, MPU), or may be executed by a plurality of computers cooperating. Also good. Further, the program code may be executed by a computer, or hardware such as a circuit for realizing the function of the program code may be provided. Alternatively, a part of the program code may be realized by hardware and the remaining part may be executed by a computer.

1: sensor bar, 2: sensor unit, 3: calculation control circuit, 4: retroreflective unit, 5: coordinate input effective area, 6: whiteboard 8 display area

Claims (8)

A coordinate input device that detects a designated position with respect to a coordinate input effective area,
Detecting means for mechanically detecting a change in the installation position of the coordinate input device;
A determination unit that determines the elapse of a predetermined time according to the detection result of the detection unit;
A coordinate input device comprising: a generation unit that generates a command for executing a predetermined process in the coordinate input device when it is determined by the determination unit that a certain time has elapsed. Projection means for projecting parallel to the coordinate input effective area;
Reflecting means for recursively reflecting the light projected by the light projecting means;
A light receiving means for receiving light from the light projecting means or the reflecting means;
A first housing containing at least two sensor units each including one light projecting unit and one light receiving unit;
A second housing containing at least two sensor units each including one light projecting unit and one light receiving unit;
Further comprising
The detection unit detects a change in a physical installation position of each of the first casing and the second casing as a change in an installation position of the coordinate input device. The coordinate input device described. The detection means is a switch built in each of the first casing and the second casing, and is installed on an installation surface on which each of the first casing and the second casing is installed. A switch that is turned on in the mounted state and turned off in the detached state from the installation surface on which each of the first housing and the second housing is installed;
The detection means detects a change in a physical installation position of each of the first casing and the second casing in accordance with a state transition between an ON state and an OFF state of the switch. The coordinate input device according to claim 2. The detection means is a mouse mechanism built in each of the first casing and the second casing, and detects the movement of the installation position of each of the first casing and the second casing. Equipped with a mouse mechanism
The detection means detects a change in physical installation position of each of the first casing and the second casing in accordance with movement of the installation position detected by the mouse mechanism. The coordinate input device according to claim 2. The predetermined processing includes: a first coordinate system in the coordinate input effective area of the coordinate input device; a second coordinate system in a display area that is a projection image from the display device set in the coordinate input effective area; The coordinate input device according to claim 1, further comprising calibration for aligning the positions of the coordinate input device and the coordinate input device according to claim 1. The coordinate input device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising notification means for notifying that when a change in the installation position is detected. A control method of a coordinate input device for detecting a designated position with respect to a coordinate input effective area,
A detection process for mechanically detecting a change in the installation position of the coordinate input device;
In accordance with the detection result of the detection step, a determination step for determining the passage of a fixed time;
A control method for a coordinate input device comprising: a generation step of generating a command for executing a predetermined process in the coordinate input device when it is determined in the determination step that a certain time has elapsed. A program for causing a computer to function as a control for a coordinate input device that detects a designated position with respect to a coordinate input effective area,
The computer,
Detecting means for mechanically detecting a change in the installation position of the coordinate input device;
A determination unit that determines the elapse of a predetermined time according to the detection result of the detection unit;
A program that functions as a generation unit that generates a command for executing a predetermined process in the coordinate input device when it is determined by the determination unit that a predetermined time has elapsed.

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