JP2019046154A - User interface device - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve versatility while improving productivity and reducing a manufacturing cost in a user interface device that can be operated by artificially touching a projection surface of an image.SOLUTION: A user interface device 1 comprises a projector 2 and an information communication terminal 3. The projector 2 includes a terminal support unit 21 for supporting the information communication terminal 3, a receiving unit for receiving image information and operation control information transmitted from the information communication terminal 3, and a projection unit 27 that outputs image information to a target surface T. The information communication terminal 3 includes a transmission unit for transmitting the image information and the operation control information to the projector 2, a photographing unit 32 for photographing an image 5 on a projection surface T, and a control information generation unit for generating operation control information of the projector 2 or the information communication terminal 3 based on the photographing information of the image by the photographing unit 32. The terminal support unit 21 is configured to be able to adjust a support height and a support angle of the information communication terminal 3 so that a photographing range of the imaging unit 32 matches a projection range of the image 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a user interface device which can be operated by projecting an image onto a target surface and artificially touching the projection surface.

  Conventionally, there is known a user interface device configured to project an image on a target surface such as a table and operate a device by detecting a movement (gesture) in which a user virtually touches the projection surface of the image. (See, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

JP 2017-010506 A JP, 2016-162162, A Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2016-224686

  However, in the conventional user interface device, a projection unit that outputs an image to a predetermined range of the target surface, a projection control circuit that controls the projection operation of the image by the projection unit, and a movement of the user touching the projection surface of the image Since a large number of dedicated components and control circuits developed and manufactured for this device, such as an operation detection unit that detects an operation and an operation determination circuit that determines operation information detected by the operation detection unit, the entire configuration Was complex and the productivity was poor. In addition, the use of the parts and control circuit dedicated to this device has a problem that the manufacturing cost is high, and the versatility is low.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to improve productivity and reduce manufacturing cost in a user interface device that can be operated by artificially touching a projection surface of an image. It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly versatile user interface device.

  The present invention is composed of a projector capable of projecting an image on a target surface, and an information communication terminal communicably connected to the projector in a wired or wireless manner and wirelessly connectable to an external communication network, A user interface device operable by a user touching the projection plane of the projector, the projector receiving a terminal support unit supporting the information communication terminal, and image information and operation control information transmitted from the information communication terminal Receiver, and a projection unit that outputs and projects image information received by the receiver to a predetermined range of the target plane, and the information communication terminal transmits the image information and operation control information to the projector And a control information generation unit for generating operation control information of the projector or the information communication terminal based on the imaging information of the image taken by the imaging unit; Lifting unit is for imaging range of the imaging unit is adjustably configure the height and support angle support of the information communication terminal to match the projected area of the image.

  In this device, a user interface device that can be operated by artificially touching the projection surface of an image is configured using a general-purpose information communication terminal that a user normally uses to communicate information with an external communication network. Therefore, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of dedicated parts and control circuits used only for this device. That is, the configuration of the projector can be greatly simplified.

  Moreover, in this device, even if the arrangement configuration and performance of the imaging unit differ depending on the information communication terminal to be used, the image capturing range of the imaging unit is projected by adjusting the support height and the support angle of the information communication terminal. Since the range can be appropriately matched, it is possible to configure the present apparatus without being limited to the type of the information communication terminal.

  Preferably, in the user interface device, the terminal support unit covers the arrangement surface of the imaging unit of the information communication terminal, and at least the surface facing the imaging unit is provided with a transparent cover unit.

  In this device, for example, when the apparatus is placed on a kitchen counter and cooking is performed while watching an image projected on the kitchen counter, food, oil, water, etc. are placed on the arrangement surface of the imaging unit of the information communication terminal. Since the device can be prevented from adhering, the device can be used without worrying about the contamination or water wetting of the information communication terminal, and there are few restrictions on the method of use and the place of use.

  Preferably, in the user interface device, the terminal support section is configured to be detachable by sliding the information communication terminal in a predetermined direction.

  In this case, when it becomes necessary to use the information communication terminal alone, the information communication terminal can be easily and quickly removed from the terminal support portion, which is convenient.

  Preferably, in the user interface device, the information communication terminal includes an operation determination unit that determines the movement of the user's finger according to a change in the state of the image captured by the imaging unit, and the control information generation unit Operation control information of the projector or the information communication terminal is generated based on the operation information determined by the unit.

  In this case, the projector need not be provided with a function of detecting the movement of the user's finger with respect to the projected image, so the construction of the projector can be simplified.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the configuration of the projector can be greatly simplified, it is possible to improve the productivity and to reduce the manufacturing cost. Moreover, since the present apparatus can be configured without being limited to the type of the information communication terminal, versatility is also improved.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a user interface device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the user interface device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention described above will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the user interface device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be variously used as a target surface (hereinafter referred to as “projected surface”) T such as the upper surface of a kitchen counter or dining table. A portable information communication terminal (hereinafter referred to as “communication terminal” which is connected to a projector (hereinafter referred to as “projector”) 2 capable of projecting the image 5 and the projector 2 and wirelessly connectable to an external communication network not shown. It consists of 3).

  A main body case 20 of the projector 2 is formed in a vertically elongated substantially rectangular box shape, and a front end (hereinafter referred to as a “main front surface”) 202 of the main body case 20 is a terminal support portion (hereinafter , "Holder" 21) is provided. In the present specification, the front surface 202 of the main body is the front of the user interface device 1, and the depth direction of the main body case 20 when the user interface device 1 is viewed from the front side is the front and rear direction; Is called the up and down direction.

  A holder accommodating portion 22 opened forward is opened on the front surface 202 of the main body, and the holder 21 is configured to be accommodated in the holder accommodating portion 22 in a state of being embedded from the front. Although not shown, a communication cable for communication connection between the projector 2 and the communication terminal 3 is provided at the lower inside of the holder accommodating portion 22, and the communication terminal 3 is connected to the communication cable to connect the communication terminal. The projector 3 and the projector 2 are connected by wire communication.

  In the present embodiment, the projector 2 and the communication terminal 3 are configured to be communicably connected by wire communication with each other via the communication cable, but in order to connect the communication terminal 3 to the lower inside of the holder 21 The projector 2 and the communication terminal 3 may be configured to be communicably connected by wire by attaching the communication terminal 3 to the holder 21, or via a communication cable or connector. Instead, it may be configured to be communicably connected by wireless by a short distance wireless communication standard such as infrared rays or Bluetooth (registered trademark), a wireless LAN or the like.

  The holder 21 is connected to and supported by an inner side surface portion of the holder housing portion 22 (hereinafter, referred to as a “storage portion inner side surface”) 221 so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction. More specifically, the holder support shaft 23 serving as a pivot of the holder 21 is provided at a position near the lower end of the outer surface portion (hereinafter referred to as “holder outer surface”) 211 of the holder 21. A shaft hole 220 for rotatably supporting the holder support shaft 23 is provided in the housing 221, and the holder 21 is provided on the inner surface 221 of the housing portion in a state where it can be rotated in the front and rear vertical direction about the holder support shaft 23. It is connected and supported.

  Further, the holder outer side surface 211 and the housing inner side surface 221 are connected to each other by a connecting arm 24 formed of a three-bar link mechanism composed of three spindles and two links. In the connection arm 24, a support shaft on one end side is connected to a substantially central position between the upper and lower sides of the holder outer side surface 211, and a support shaft on the other end side is connected to a substantially central position between the upper and lower sides By folding so as to overlap the two links, the two links are accommodated in the gap between the holder outer side surface 211 and the housing inner side surface 221.

  The axial hole 220 extends vertically along the housing inner surface 221, and supports the holder support shaft 23 so as to be vertically slidable. That is, the holder 21 is connected to and supported by the housing inner surface 221 in a state where it can slide in the predetermined range in the vertical direction along the axial hole 220.

  Therefore, when the connecting arm 24 is folded, the holder 21 is accommodated in the holder accommodating portion 22 with the holder front surface 212 substantially flush with the main body front surface 202. On the other hand, if the connecting arm 24 is extended, the angle of the holder 21 (supporting angle of the communication terminal 3) is adjusted back and forth within a predetermined range, or the height of the holder 21 (supporting height of the communication terminal 3) ) Can be adjusted up and down within a predetermined range.

  The holder 21 is formed in a vertically long substantially rectangular box shape, and the insertion port 210 of the communication terminal 3 is opened at the upper end surface. An inner surface portion (hereinafter referred to as “holder inner surface”) 25 of the holder 21 is formed in a groove shape extending from the insertion port 210 to an inner bottom portion of the holder 21. It is inserted from the insertion port 210 and held slidably on the inner surface 25 of the holder. That is, the communication terminal 3 is slidably supported in a longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction of the holder 21) with respect to the holder 21 so as to be removable.

  The holder front surface 212 is provided with a window 26 for exposing the operation display panel 31 of the communication terminal 3 and the camera unit 32 to the holder front surface 212 side. The window portion 26 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape elongated in the vertical direction, and the whole is formed of a plate member having transparency. In the present embodiment, the communication terminal 3 is mounted on the holder 21 with the terminal front surface 302 facing the window 26 so that the operation display panel 31 and the camera unit 32 face the window 26, and the window 26 The transparent plate member which comprises these is covering the substantially whole area of the arrangement | positioning part of the operation display panel 31 and the camera part 32 from the front side of the holder 21 as a cover part.

  A projection unit that outputs an image 5 such as a still image, a moving image, a television broadcast, or an Internet site transmitted from the communication terminal 3 to a predetermined range on the projection target surface T at a position above the holder accommodating portion 22 on the main body front 202 27 are provided. The output direction of the image 5 of the projection unit 27 is set so that the holder 21 does not cover the image 5 when the holder 21 is tilted to the front.

  The projector 2 can be connected to an indoor electrical outlet through a power cord (not shown), and is driven by power supplied from a commercial power source through the electrical cord. Although not shown, the storage battery is mounted inside the main body case 20, and when used in a place where the power cord can not be connected to an electrical outlet, the projector 2 is driven by the power stored in the storage battery. You can also. With such a configuration, it is possible to carry it to a desired place away from the electrical outlet for use.

  Inside the body case 20, a body control circuit 2C for controlling the operation of the projector 2 is incorporated. The main body control circuit 2C is based on the main body side communication unit as a reception unit that receives the image information transmitted from the communication terminal 3 and the operation control information of the projector 2, and the image information and operation control information received by the main body communication unit. It has a circuit configuration such as a projection control unit that controls the projection operation of the image 5. The projection unit 27 and the communication cable (not shown) are all connected to the main control circuit 2C through electrical wiring.

  The communication terminal 3 has a substantially rectangular plate-like housing 30, and an operation display panel 31 having an operation function and a display function on the front surface portion (hereinafter referred to as “terminal front surface”) 302 of the housing 30. A camera unit (hereinafter, referred to as “inner camera”) 32 is provided as a photographing unit for photographing the image 5 projected onto the projection target surface T by 2.

  Although not shown, a camera unit (hereinafter referred to as “outside camera”) having a function similar to that of the inner camera 32 is also provided on the rear surface portion (hereinafter referred to as “terminal rear surface”) 303 of the housing 30. It is also possible to capture the image 5 projected on the projection target surface T using the external camera. In this case, the communication terminal 3 is attached to the holder 21 with the terminal rear surface 303 facing the window 26 so that the outside camera faces the window 26 of the holder 21.

  In the present embodiment, a portable mobile communication terminal mainly used outdoors, a so-called smart phone is suitably used as the communication terminal 3, but information used mainly indoors like a so-called tablet PC A communication terminal may be used, or a portable television receiver or media player having a network communication function and a camera function, a still camera, a video camera, a remote control terminal for an external device, or the like may be used.

  Although not shown, a storage battery is mounted inside the housing 30, and the communication terminal 3 is configured to be driven by the power stored in the storage battery. The storage battery is electrically connected to a power transmission circuit (not shown) provided in the main control circuit 2C by connecting the communication terminal 3 to the communication cable, and is charged by the power supplied from the power supply circuit.

  Inside the housing 30, a terminal control circuit 3C for controlling the operation of the communication terminal 3 is incorporated. Although not shown, the terminal control circuit 3C transmits / receives data such as terminal information, operation programs, image information and the like to / from an external communication network by radio, image information to be projected on the projection target surface T, and A terminal side communication unit as a transmission unit that transmits operation control information to the projector 2, an AP control unit that controls the operation of an application program incorporated therein, a state of an image 5 photographed by the inner camera 32 or an outside camera (not shown) An operation determination unit that determines the movement of the user's finger according to a change, and a control information generation unit that generates operation control information of the projector 2 and the communication terminal 3 based on the operation information (shooting information) determined by the operation determination unit And so on. The operation display panel 31, the inner camera 32, the outer camera (not shown), the storage battery, etc. are all connected to the terminal control circuit 3C through electrical wiring.

  The wireless communication unit may be wirelessly connected to an external communication network via an antenna of a communication base station installed outdoors, or external communication via a relay installed indoors or the like It may be wirelessly connected to a network, or it may be wirelessly connected to an external communication network by appropriately switching to one of the communication modes.

  The user interface device 1 according to the present embodiment is mainly used to view still images, videos, television broadcasts, Internet sites, etc. on a kitchen counter, dining table, learning desk, etc., and is projected onto the projection target surface T. In the image 5, the projector 2 projects one or more operation keys 51 serving as pseudo-operations such as reproduction, stop, feed, and return of the image 5. On the other hand, the communication terminal 3 determines the movement in which the user's finger touches the operation key 51 in a pseudo manner based on the shooting information of the inner camera 32 (or the outer camera), and image information to be projected on the projection target surface T And operation control information of the projector 2 is transmitted to the projector 2. The projector 2 controls the projection operation of the image 5 based on the image information and the operation control information.

  In addition, the image 5 may be projected on an indoor wall surface, a flat plate for projection, a stand plate, a roll screen or the like without being limited to the upper surface such as a table, as long as visibility and operability are not impaired. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it may be projected on a curved surface portion, a step surface portion, an uneven surface portion, an arc curved surface portion, or a spherical surface portion.

  As described above, according to the user interface device 1 described above, the user usually uses the user interface device operable by touching the projection surface of the image 5 artificially for information communication with the external communication network. Since the communication terminal 3 can be configured using a general-purpose communication terminal 3 such as a smartphone, it is possible to significantly reduce the number of parts and control circuits used exclusively for the device 1. That is, the configuration of the projector 2 can be greatly simplified. As a result, the productivity can be improved and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Since the present apparatus 1 can be configured without being limited to the type of the communication terminal 3, versatility is also improved.

  Moreover, in this device, even if the arrangement configuration and performance of the camera unit (the inner camera 32 and the outer camera) differ depending on the communication terminal 3 used, the camera by adjusting the support height and the support angle of the communication terminal 3 Since the shooting range of the unit (the inner camera 32 or the outer camera) can be appropriately matched with the projection range of the image 5, the present apparatus 1 can be configured without being limited to the type of the communication terminal 3 . Therefore, the versatility is further improved.

  In particular, in this apparatus, the movement of the user's finger with respect to the projection plane is determined from the state change of the image captured by the camera unit (the inner camera 32 or the outer camera) of the communication terminal 3. There is no need to provide the projector 2 with the function of detecting the movement of the user's finger, and the configuration of the projector 2 can be further simplified. Therefore, the productivity can be further improved, and the manufacturing cost can be further reduced.

  Moreover, in this state, in a state where the communication terminal 3 is attached to the holder 21, substantially the entire area of the arrangement portion of the operation display panel 31 and the camera unit (the inner camera 32 or the outer camera) Since it is covered from the front side of the holder 21 by the transparent plate member to be configured, for example, when cooking is performed while looking at the image 5 placed on the kitchen counter and projected on the projection target surface T, food, oil, water And the like can be prevented from adhering to the operation display panel 31 or the camera unit (the inner camera 32 or the outer camera). As a result, the present device 1 can be used without worrying about the contamination or water wetting of the communication terminal 3, and there are few restrictions on the method of use and the place of use. Thus, the versatility is further improved.

  Further, in the user interface device 1 described above, the communication terminal 3 is configured to slide on and off the holder 21 in the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction), so the communication terminal 3 needs to be used alone. In this case, the communication terminal 3 can be easily and quickly removed from the holder 21. Therefore, it is easy to use.

  In the above embodiment, the communication terminal 3 is mounted on the holder 21 by sliding the communication terminal 3 from the insertion port 210. However, the communication terminal 3 is properly mounted on the holder 21 and held. As long as the configuration is possible, the communication terminal 3 may be attached to the holder 21 so as to be fitted from the rear surface 213 side of the holder 21.

  In the above embodiment, the holder 21 is connected to and supported by the main body case 20 by the holder support shaft 23 and the connection arm 24 so that height and angle adjustment is possible. However, the support height and support of the communication terminal 3 As long as the angle can be appropriately adjusted, the holder 21 may be coupled and supported by the holder support shaft 23 so as to be adjustable in height and angle to the main body case 20, or any one of the coupling arms 24. Even if the support shaft on one end side is slidably connected in the vertical direction with respect to the mounting portion, and the holder 21 is connected to the main body case 20 so as to be adjustable in height and angle by only the connection arm 24 Good. Further, the holder 21 and the main body case 20 may be connected by a flexible rod member which can be bent and deformed freely, or an arm member having two or more joints.

1 user interface device 2 projector (projector)
21 Holder (Terminal Support)
27 Projection Unit 3 Communication Terminal (Information Communication Terminal)
32 Shooting unit (Camera unit)
5 Image T Projection target plane (target plane)

Claims (4)

The projector comprises: a projector capable of projecting an image on a target surface; and an information communication terminal communicably connected to the projector by wired or wireless communication and wirelessly connectable to an external communication network, the projection surface of the image being A user interface device operable by an operation touched by a user,
The projector has a terminal support unit for supporting the information communication terminal, a receiving unit for receiving image information and operation control information transmitted from the information communication terminal, and a predetermined range of a plane targeted for the image information received by the receiving unit. And a projection unit that outputs and projects
The information communication terminal includes a transmitter configured to transmit image information and operation control information to the projector, an imaging unit configured to capture an image projected on a target surface, and a projector based on imaging information of the image captured by the imaging unit. A control information generation unit for generating operation control information of the information communication terminal;
A user interface device, wherein the terminal support unit is configured to be able to adjust the support height and support angle of the information communication terminal such that the imaging range of the imaging unit matches the projection range of the image. In the user interface device according to claim 1,
A user interface device, comprising: a terminal supporting unit covering a mounting surface of an imaging unit of the information communication terminal; and a cover unit at least a surface opposite to the imaging unit being transparent. In the user interface device according to claim 1 or 2,
The terminal support unit is a user interface device configured to be detachable by sliding an information communication terminal in a predetermined direction. The user interface device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The information communication terminal includes an operation determination unit that determines the movement of the user's finger according to a change in the state of the image captured by the imaging unit,
The control information generation unit generates operation control information of the projector or the information communication terminal based on the operation information determined by the operation determination unit.

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